SITTING in the middle of an unassuming village better known for a prison than its pampering lies a four-star hotel.

The Macdonald Inchyra is situated in Polmont, Falkirk, and boasts a wonderful reputation with a steakhouse, luxury rooms and a spa which offers any number of treatments.

My partner and I arrived on Friday evening to sample the hotel’s Valentine’s package which promised to be leave us in blissfully relaxed state.

Our impressive room was a great size with a huge king size bed and a living area. The room was made complete with a beautiful bath and shower.

Although our dinner reservation had not quite made it to the restaurant, the staff were very efficient in making sure we were seen to – and we were glad to be seated in a lovely booth in their steakhouse which had a friendly and relaxed feel to it.

I opted for potato and leek croquettes, which although very tasty, could have been a touch warmer. It was accompanied by a lovely warm mature cheddar fondue.

My partner ordered the vegetable soup, which was lovely to taste but had a skin formed on top. The sourdough bread made up for that minor fault, however.

For the main I ordered the prime beef steakhouse burger which came with salad and thin cut chips. The portion was very generous and was excellently cooked with a wonderful taste to it.

My partner ordered the fish of the day – which on Friday was cod – which was accompanied by thick cut chips and was well worth the wait when it arrived. We complemented our mains with haggis bon-bons which were fantastic and recommendable.

The bar also offered a wide range of cocktails with my partner having a Bombay Bramble which I’m told was made perfectly and a very reasonable price, too.

Having indulged in our starters and mains, we managed to find room for sticky toffee pudding and were glad we did. Soft sponge and exquisite taste rounded off the meal perfectly.

After a delightful sleep on the huge bed, we made our way down to breakfast which was not short on options. You could feast on fruit, pastries and cereal or opt for the full Macdonald breakfast – which I did. Complete with bacon, beans, sausage, black pudding and more, it was exactly what was needed to start a busy Saturday.

My partner ordered the scrambled eggs and salmon, which has a supplement cost of £3, but was adamant that it was worth the extra charge.

We then finished off our stay with massages which we were particularly excited about after a long week of work. I opted for a full body hot stone massage – a first for me – and could not have argued with any of it. The girl, although young, was very good and made me very relaxed while taking away all aches and pains.

My partner got the full body deep tissue massage as she has issues with her shoulder and, again, could not find a fault – other than we would happily have kept it going all day. Unfortunately 55 minutes was our maximum – although an hour and 25 minute option is available.

We were delighted with our treatments as it was the perfect end to a very relaxing and pleasant stay.

We would fully recommend staying at any of the Macdonald hotel and spas, as they have a good number of locations including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perthshire.

For a four star hotel, their prices are more than fair and you will be treated excellently from start to finish.