Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for a free respite holiday?
The Holiday Lodge is available to families who have experienced the bereavement or long-term illness of a loved one; are providing long-term care for a family member; or simply where a benefit to the health or wellbeing of family members can be demonstrated.
Who can introduce me to Gateway Scotland?
Gateway Scotland has partnered with a number of organisations (including hospital departments and other charities) who will introduce families to Gateway Scotland whom they believe will benefit from a respite holiday at the Lodge.
Gateway Scotland will liaise with families to allocate holiday dates, although as places are limited an introduction does not oblige Gateway Scotland to offer a holiday.
Use of the Lodge is available for up to seven nights but is not normally available during the summer holiday period.
A waiting list arrangement will also be implemented. Where holidays become available at short notice, Gateway Scotland will contact those on our waiting list to re-allocate the holiday.
How do we get there?
The Hunters Quay Holiday Village postal address is: Hunters Quay, Argyll, Scotland, PA23 8HP.
Travelling from the Central Belt, guests can drive to the Holiday Village via the Argyll Forest Park; take the 20 minute Western Ferries car and passanger ferry from McInroy's Point (Gourock) to Hunters Quay; or the 25 minute Argyll Ferries passanger ferry from Gourock to Dunoon.
Guests must check-in at the Hunters Quay Holiday Village reception on arrival.
Where can we purchase ferry tickets?
Ferry tickets can be purchased onboard the Western Ferries or Argyll Ferries ferry.
If travelling by Western Ferries, the on-board cost of a single journey for a car, driver and adult passenger is £19.60.
If you are planning to use the Western Ferries service, a much cheaper option is to purchase return tickets at 'Paul's Food and Wine' (94 Shore Street, Gourock, PA19 1RB – located beside the Co-Operative on the left-hand side driving from the east/Glasgow). Return tickets purchased here are around half the price than those purchased onboard. Children under five travel free with Western Ferries at all times.
The Hunters Quay Holiday Village also sells Western Ferry tickets.
What do we do when we arrive at the Holiday Village?
When arriving at the Holiday Village, please make your way to Reception and check-in using the lead bookers surname and contact details. There is no need to say you are using the Gateway Scotland Lodge, as the Hunters Quay booking system makes no distinction between Gateway Scotland lodge guests and guests of the other lodges owned and rented by the Holiday Village.
On check-in, guests will be issued with a Welcome Pack, Lodge key, TV remote controls and security/leisure passes, and will be given directions to the Lodge.
A £40 key deposit will be taken by Reception on check-in. A charge of £10 will be levied against this deposit if any of the keys or security/leisure passes are lost. If the deposit is paid in cash, then the deposit (minus any lost key/card charge) will be returned in cash on check-out. If card details are taken as the deposit, this is an authorisation for Hunters Quay to deduct up to £40 from the card account rather than an actual deduction. No funds will therefore be deducted unless a key/card is lost, in which case £10 per loss will be debited on check-out.
Also on arrival, a standard Energy Charge is payable by guests based on Hunters Quay's standard nightly rate of £5.00/night from 1 May to 30 September and £7.50 from 1 October to 30 April. This can be paid by cash or by card.
Do we need a car whilst we are at the Holiday Village?
It would certainly be more convenient if guests had a car during their stay at the Holiday Lodge, but is by no means essential as the Holiday Village is quite well self contained and the area is reasonably well served by public transport.
A bus service connects the Argyll Ferries and Western Ferries ferry terminals with the Holiday Village, with some bus routes entering the Holiday Village and others stopping at the entrance to the Holiday Village. Note that there is a 5 to 10 minute walk from either of these bus stops to the Holiday Village Reception, and a further 10 to 15 minute walk to the Lodge from the Holiday Village Reception.
There is also a taxi service available which may be more convenient for arrival and departure as it will avoid the need to carry luggage. The taxi can wait whilst guests check-in and then drive through the Holiday Village to the Lodge. Tucker's Taxis can be contacted on 01369 701 710 and Clyde Independent Taxis can be contacted on 01369 706 444.
From the Lodge, the Holiday Village Leisure Complex (which houses the swimming pools, a majority of the Go-Active Activities and the Hunters Bar and Grill) is a 10 minute walk.
Travelling from the Holiday Village bus stop (a 5 minute walk from the Lodge) to the seaside town of Dunoon, allows guests can connect to other bus routes travelling to idyllic settings such as Benmore Botanic Gardens, Inveraray and the Isle of Bute.
What is provided within the Lodge?
The Lodge is fully furnished, with flat screen TVs and DVD players in the living room and each bedroom, a microwave, diswasher and large fridge freezer in the kitchen.
Bed linen and towels are also provided, however they are not changed during a guests stay - we recommend guests bring a few spare towels just in case they are needed.
What should we bring to the Lodge?
In addition to your groceries, you may wish to consider bringing the following items from home to avoid having to purchase them during your stay:
- Tea, coffee and sugar.
- Dish washer tablets.
- Kitchen roll.
- Tin foil.
- Cleaning cloths.
- Spare towels (Although towels are provided in the Lodge and swimming towels can be hired at the pool for £1/towel, a few extra towels are always useful).
- Pool inflatables.
- Buckets and spades.
- Spare shoes (or ideally wellington boots) if planning to take part in Laser Quest.
There is a licensed mini-market within the Holiday Village which sells a reasonable selection of groceries and hires DVDs.
Whilst lighting is provided along the main paths within the Holiday Village, it does not provide full lighting coverage. We recommend that guests staying during the darker evenings bring a torch if they plan to walk within the Holiday Village in the evenings.
The town of Dunoon, a five minute drive from the Holiday Village also has a range of facilities including:
- Toy shop.
- Resturants and tea rooms.
- Morrison's Supermarket.
- Cinema.
- Take-aways.
- Banks and building societies.
- Chemists.
- Hair dressers.
- Book shop.
- Tourist information centre.
How can we recover lost property?
If you have left anything in the Lodge, or lost anything within the Holiday Village, please contact the Hunters Quay Holiday Village direct on 01369 707 772 to ask if it has been recovered and arange its return.
How can I provide feedback on my holiday or this website?
Gateway Scotland welcome feedback from guests of the Lodge. Feedback can be provided by e-mailing: admin@gateway-scotland.co.uk