It used to be a hotel's cocktail bar or proximity to the nearest nightclub which got grown-ups excited when booking a holiday. Now that we're parents, it's the childcare facilities that can make or break a trip. Raisingkids Editor Catherine Hanly takes the clan to Scotland for a family break.

Feeling completely jaded by the winter and in need of fresh country air, I decided to book a family trip up to Scotland. And while there were plenty of boutique hotels and castles to choose from, it was the simple charm of Polmaily House Hotel on the shores of Loch Ness that caught my eye; that and the fact that every afternoon it offered a free crèche to children over the age of three.

In an attempt to do our best to limit our family's annual carbon footprint for travel, we took the Caledonian sleeper train service up to Inverness. So while we could have spent hours with a fractious child at the airport, instead we checked into our cabin, waited until Emily had been lulled to sleep by the clickety-clack of the train and then enjoyed a snifter of Highland whisky in the lounge car before crashing out ourselves. There's nothing quite like falling asleep somewhere in the home counties and waking up to the snow-capped peaks of the Cairngorms.

Polmaily House is a hotel which practically puffs its chest out with pride at the welcome it offers to families. George the general manager, used to butler for the likes of Tom Hanks and Princess Margaret – so he knows a thing or two about taking care of tricky customers. He'd sized Emily's requirements up in an instant, whisking her off to meet the hotel's pet bunnies, while we revived ourselves with coffee and cake.

Then it was up to our bedroom to unpack. Every one of Polmaily's rooms are family-friendly, from the garden suites with their kitchenette and separate bedroom for children to the teenage bunk-rooms in the main hotel. Our family suite had a separate, curtained-off lounge area with a bunk bed which as any parent will know offers at least a degree of privacy and prevents you from having to creep around at night with the lights off once you're back from dinner.

For the next few days, with our trip happily coinciding with three of the sunniest days you could imagine, we spent the weekend at Polmaily enjoying quality family time. . Unburdened by having even a hire car, the emphasis was firmly on being outdoors in the clear air and beautiful surroundings. Unfortunately for Emily that meant she was forced to share her time on the giant trampoline with both parents.

Children are treated like little lairds here – from the outdoors playground and indoor swimming pool, to the fully-equipped playroom with gameboys, lego, dolls and action men. But the piece de resistance was Corina, the childminder who swept Emily away from us for an hour every day to create sticky, glittery masterpieces while we collapsed by the fireside.

At night-time, we were given a baby monitor to plug in to keep a wary ear on whether Emily was roaming the bedroom. Happily all that country air seemed to knock her out in record time, leaving us able to enjoy that all-important 'us' time - able to read books and chat and just forget about the stresses and strains of daily life.

If we had any quibble at all, it would have been with the food which was pretty basic – but then Emily was pleased with her special high teas and, as I understand, we visited when the hotel was between head chefs.

Most importantly, we returned to London with fresh faces, clear heads and happy hearts and no trampolining-related injuries to speak of!

Information:

Polmaily House Hotel, Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness, Inverness-shire
01456 450343
For the Polmaily website, click here.

The Caledonian Sleeper train runs every night from London Euston to Inverness and vice versa. For timetable and service information, click here.

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