Riverside Lodge Hotel

The Riverside Lodge has 128 comfortable, contemporary rooms, with twin, double and king-size options, plus family rooms if you're travelling with non-golfers. After a day walking links turf in the Ayrshire wind, you'll appreciate that it's geared towards simple, practical comfort rather than fuss. Every stay includes complimentary Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service and a full Scottish buffet breakfast, which is ideal if you've got an early tee time and want something substantial before heading out.

If you're organising a society trip or a weekend away with mates, the twin rooms are the obvious shout. They keep the costs sensible and make room sharing easy, with enough layout space to keep golf bags and outer layers out of the way. I'd still recommend confirming bedding requests early if your group has specific preferences, but the set-up works well for most golfers who just want a decent night's sleep and a quick turnaround in the morning.

Food and post-round downtime are sorted on-site. The Riverside Bar & Grill leans on local ingredients and offers a proper dinner option, not just a token hotel menu, so you can refuel without having to pile into taxis. The menu covers everything from lighter bites to full meals, which is useful when half the group wants to eat early and the other half wants to sit and talk through the day's highlights and lowlights over a pint.

Later on, the bar area is a relaxed spot for a debrief, with large TVs for live sport and a small pond feature that gives the space a bit of character. It's the kind of place where you can settle in after your round, compare scorecards and not feel like you're stuck in a generic hotel lounge.

The big win here is how well the hotel fits a multi-course Ayrshire trip. You can head out to Prestwick, Troon or Western Gailes in the morning, then come back to a straightforward set-up that works for golfers, especially groups who want a central base, a good breakfast and an easy evening plan. Beyond the hotel, Irvine itself offers plenty of restaurants, pubs and local attractions, and the west coast scenery is worth taking in if you've got a spare afternoon. If you want a change of pace, Glasgow is around 45 minutes away by car, giving you the option to mix links golf with a bit of city culture, shopping or nightlife. The hotel works well as a base because it's close enough to everything without being in the middle of it all, so you get a bit of peace when you need it and easy access when you don't.