Your Weekend at a Glance

The whole weekend in one view. If the weather is better in the afternoon, swap Saturday around.

• Friday afternoon
  Check in and swim
  Pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room.
• Friday evening
  Dinner at Eight on the River
  River and castle views, then a stroll along Ness Walk.
• Saturday morning
  Loch Ness cruise
  Canal and loch to Urquhart Castle.
• Saturday afternoon
  Spa treatment
  Massage, Gatineau facial or Neom therapy.
• Saturday evening
  Inverness by night
  Dinner, live music or a quiet nightcap.
• Sunday
  Ness Islands and a last swim
  Riverside walk, afternoon tea, then home.

Book These Three Things First

• Your treatment. Pretty Woman Spa closes at 5pm at weekends, so book a Saturday slot before mid-afternoon. Treatments include a 60-minute full-body aromatherapy massage (£85), a lava shell massage (£95) and a 30-minute Discovery Facial (£57). See the treatment menu for the full list.
• Your Loch Ness cruise. Weekend sailings fill up, especially in summer. Timetables change through the year, so check before you go.
• Sunday afternoon tea. Book a table in the lounge overlooking the castle through the afternoon tea page.

Friday: Arrive, Swim and Dine by the River

Check in during the afternoon, change into your swimwear and head straight to the Leisure Club & Spa. There is no need to book: the 50-foot pool, jacuzzi, sauna and Porcelanosa-tiled steam room are free for hotel guests from 7am to 9pm. Towels are provided, and the lockers take a £1 coin.

In the evening, dine at Eight on the River, the hotel restaurant, with views across the water to Inverness Castle. On a spa break package, dinner is included. Finish with a short stroll along Ness Walk before bed.

Saturday: Loch Ness Morning, Spa Afternoon

After a relaxed breakfast, head for Loch Ness. Jacobite cruises leave from Dochgarroch Lock, a few miles south-west of the city. The two-hour cruise follows the Caledonian Canal into Loch Ness as far as Urquhart Castle and back, and shorter 50-minute cruises are also available. Prefer to be driven? Reception can book a Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle tour with Highland Explorer Tours. Our guide to boat tours in and around Inverness compares all the options.

Be back by early afternoon for your treatment with Pretty Woman Spa, then spend the rest of the afternoon between the pool, the jacuzzi and the steam room. In the evening, the city centre is a few minutes on foot; our guide to evenings in Inverness has ideas for dinner, live music and a nightcap.

Sunday: Ness Islands Walk and a Last Swim

The pool opens at 7am, so start with an early swim while it is quiet. Then follow the river upstream to the Ness Islands, a string of wooded islands linked by Victorian footbridges. It is a flat, easy walk from the hotel along the riverbank and takes under an hour there and back.

Before your journey home, settle in for a river-view afternoon tea, or book a final 30-minute treatment if you can fit one in before the spa closes at 5pm.

What to Pack for a Spa Weekend

• Swimwear and flip-flops for the pool and steam room. Robes and slippers come with the Spa Tranquility Ritual.
• A £1 coin for the Leisure Club lockers. You get it back.
• A warm, waterproof layer for the cruise deck. Loch Ness can be breezy even in summer.
• Comfortable shoes for the riverside walk to the Ness Islands.
• Something smart-casual for dinner at Eight on the River.

Getting to Inverness

• By train: Inverness station is in the city centre, a short taxi ride from the hotel.
• By air: Inverness Airport is a short drive from the city, and taxis wait outside arrivals.
• By car: the A9 and A82 bring you into the city. The hotel has a free 22-space car park, subject to availability, and six EV charging points.

Inverness Palace Hotel & Spa is at 8 Ness Walk, Inverness IV3 5NG, on the west bank of the River Ness opposite the castle.