No. They may disturb other visitors: peace and calm are of paramount importance at the Retreat.

Yes, although we may be able to allow visitors who stay 4 nights or more as part of a round trip to Scotland to split their visit into two separate stays. See the Terms and Conditions in the booking section.

No. This is precisely what you came here to escape.

If you would like visual entertainment in the evening, may we recommend curling up in bed with our International Film Library of 50 timeless cinematic masterpieces.

Yes. We will give you the passcode on arrival.

Yes. The music and film libraries, the glass collection etc, are all free. The only exception is Shiatsu Treatment which is charged at £50 per session.

The fridge should already be on when you arrive. If not, pull it towards you and switch it on at the wall. The other wall switch behind the fridge powers the cooking element. Again, if it is not already switched on please do so. There is a switch to the left of the bathroom door for the hot water and another above the bathroom door for the shower and the bathroom towel rail.

There are two heaters in the pod.

1 A tubular trickle-charger which stops the pod from getting too cold when not occupied – especially in winter. Please feel free to leave this on all day and all night if you so wish. If you don’t want to use it and you find it getting in the way, you can just put it behind the sofa.

2 A wall panel heater for heating the room up very quickly.

The pods are self-catering. We provide a welcome pack of tea, coffee, milk and biscuits but recommend you bring some food with you – especially for breakfast on the first morning. Your pod is fully equipped with crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils. There is also a microwave and two electric hobs. Please note these burners can get very hot indeed so please take care not to touch them during use and not to place anything on them but cooking pots and pans. There is no local shop within walking distance. There is, however, a very convenient farm shop a 5 minute drive to the south on the A701 called Whitmuir. It also has an excellent restaurant offering both breakfasts and lunch. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am-4pm and Saturday to Sunday 9am-4pm Whitmuir Farm Shop 10 minutes to the north in Penicuik there is a full range of food shops and supermarkets including Farm Foods, Lidl and Tesco. There are also several pubs, cafes and takeaways. Menus for the takeaways are in the pod. If you decide to order from one of these and they’re not sure of the location, tell them we at the rear of Whim Hall Care Home.

Your booking confirmation will state which of three pods you will be staying in and the code for the key box (to the left of the door).

Check in time is 11:00 on the day of your booking unless otherwise agreed.

Check out is by 12:00 on the day of your departure unless otherwise agreed.

Please return the keys to the key box on departure. Please also strip the beds of laundry and place it in the laundry bag provided which you can leave on top of the bed.

Have questions about your stay? Reach out via our contact page or speak directly with our team.