Today on the Funkeydoos we have two exciting pieces of news. First up, we are delighted to announce the winner of our Valentine’s Competition! Over the past few weeks we’ve been asking you to answer the following question; Who is the Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty? A) Vesuvius B) Veronica C)Venus

The answer was, of course, Venus. Well done to everyone who got the answer right! We picked a winner at random and it was….

Maria Dodd from Wrexham. Congratulations! You are the lucky winner of a luxury chocolate hamper, which will be making its way to you in plenty of time for Valentine’s Day.

If it wasn’t you this time, our commiserations. We have had over 2000 entries – which meant that the stakes were very high. We’ll be running another Funkey Competition at Easter, so do keep an eye out for details of that.

The second piece of exciting news we have for you today is about the upcoming launch of our new section – Funkey Business!

Funkey Business will enable hotels across Scotland to advertise their conference rates and related offers/packages. Utilising the same easy to use drop down menus and interactive map, users will be shown a range of hotels within their search parameters. Search by location, rate per person, group size or conference type to find the perfect venue for your business event.

Funkey Business will be launching at the end of this month. You’ll be able to leap into Funkey Business on 29^th February, Leap Year Day!

With just twelve days to go until Valentine’s Day, we wanted to share some of the fab Valentine’s events we have here on the site. From romantic meals for two from under £30 to slap up weekends away for £200+…. we’ve got something for everyone.

Why not celebrate your love with a delicious meal? The Fairfield House Hotel in Ayr is offering a delicious four course meal for you and a loved one. Enjoy a four course dinner, a glass of sparkling wine and a rose for £35 per person.

For a treat, why not whisk your loved one away to St Andrews and the Old Course Hotel? Enjoy a night’s stay at the luxury hotel for £112.50 per person, including a full Scottish breakfast and use of the hotel’s leisure facilities. And if you’re planning a proposal… the hotel can arrange to have it’s in-house jeweller Mappin and Webb on standby!

For a Valentine’s Day to remember, take a trip to the Fisher’s Hotel in Perthshire. Get dressed up and enjoy a drinks reception, a four course gala dinner and dancing with a live band until 1am. Then, pop upstairs to your room and get some sleep before your full Scottish breakfast the next morning. The Dinner Dance with overnight accommodation is £49.50 per person. Alternatively, enjoy the dinner and the dance without accommodation for just £22.50 per person.

Finally, if you really want to get away from it all this year – you’ll love this Valentine’s Weekend Package from the Loch Ness Lodge near Inverness. On the 10^th and 11^th February they invite you to join them for two nights of treats, luxury and great food. Arrive on the Friday evening to a bottle of champagne in your room and don’t look back! £362.50 per person including meals, treats, a Loch Ness boat trip, a surprise Valentine’s Day gift and access to the hotel’s leisure facilities.

Why not take a look at our full selection of Valentine’s Day events and packages?

Here at Funkeydoos we just love Valentine’s Day. We love the big romantic gestures, the presents, the cards and the flowers. What we don’t love, however, is the cost. Treating your special someone on Valentine’s Day can be very pricey.

Hopeless romantics that we are, we’ve put some tips together on having a romantic Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank.

It doesn’t have to be roses.

Sure, red roses are your standard Valentine’s Day fare… but other flowers can be just as romantic. Putting the thought into buying the type of flowers that are your loved one’s favourite can mean so much more – and they won’t be as pricey on Valentine’s Day as a bouquet of twelve red roses.

Get out the recipe book.

Instead of whisking your partner out to dinner, why not cook them a romantic meal at home? Doing this saves you both from the high cost of restaurant Valentine’s menus as well as packed restaurants. Splash out on a bottle of fizz, some candles and table decorations to set the tone.

Look for a package.

If you want to take your special someone away, look for an all inclusive hotel deal. Instead of just bed and breakfast – look for a deal that includes dinner too. For example, the Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness are offering a night’s stay, a glass of champagne on arrival, a four course dinner in the bistro, rose petals on your bed, strawberries and chocolates in your room, and a full Scottish breakfast for just £79.50 per person. Now that’s what we call a package!

Don’t leave it till the last minute.

Whatever you’re planning for Valentine’s Day – get it sorted now! With two weeks to go until the big day, if you start now you’ll have plenty of time to shop around for the best deal. Leave it too late and you’ll find that hotels and restaurants have limited availability. Get organised in advance and you’re much more likely to stick to budget.

Enter our Valentine’s Competition.

If you’re feeling really lucky, why not enter our Valentine’s Day competition? Answer the question on our homepage and you could be in with a chance of winning a luxury chocolate hamper in time for Valentine’s Day!

We’ve got a fab selection of Valentine’s events! Whether you’re looking for a short break or just a romantic meal for two – take a look at our Valentine’s section.

This week we’ll be celebrating Burns Night! On the 25^th January, Scots across the world will be gathering together to eat traditional food and toast the great Robert Burns with a dram or two. The 25^th January 2012 marks the 253^rd year since the poet was born.

If you haven’t yet got plans for the evening, don’t worry. Always here to help, we’ve got more than a dozen Burns Supper events that will tickle your fancy. From £28 to £149 – we’ve got traditional events you’ll love.

How about a delicious four course traditional dinner followed by ceilidh dancing till the wee sma’ hours? Norwood Hall Hotel in Aberdeenshire are offering an evening’s entertainment for £45 per person.

In East Lothian, the Greywalls Hotel are hosting a four course Burns Supper which starts with an Address to the Haggis and Selkirk Grace… and ends with live Scottish folk music. £45 per person.

Alternatively, why not make a weekend of it at the Kenmore Hotel in Perthshire? With two night’s accommodation along with dinners and breakfasts – we think this Burns Weekend Package is fab! £119 per person.

Take a look at our full selection of Burns events.

We’ve also got some great suggestions for you if you’re hosting a Burns Supper yourself this week. We love these Burns Night Recipes from the BBC – celebrating the best food Scotland has to offer. We also recommend downloading this Robert Burns app from Historic Scotland; An app’s an app for a’ that – The Works of Robert Burns. Great for reciting poetry for your guests, and even includes instructions for hosting an authentic Burns Supper!

Whatever you do this Burns Night – have a funkey one!

Great news for competition lovers – today we’re launching another funkey competition!

With less than a month to go until Valentine’s Day, romance is in the air! We’re celebrating in advance with the launch of our Valentine’s Competition. We’re asking you to tell us who the Roman Goddess of love and beauty is (immortalised above in the famous painting by Botticelli).

Entries will be open until midnight on Thursday 2^nd February. We’ll then pick a lucky winner from all the correct entries, and that luck winner will win this delicious Valentine’s Hamper from the Chocolate Trading Co.

After the competition closes on 2^nd February, we’ll have plenty of time to make sure the chocolate hamper is delivered to the lucky winner in time for Valentine’s Day.

To take part, head to our homepage and answer the following question;

Who is the Roman Goddess of love and beauty?

A) Vesuvius

B) Veronica

C) Venus

We’d love you to help spread the word on Twitter and Facebook. Good luck!

The Macdonald Inchrya Grange Hotel is a beautiful building set in extensive estate grounds. After a multi-million pound investment, the hotel now boasts stunning luxury bedrooms and state of the art leisure and spa facilities. If you’re looking for a peaceful getaway, we suggest you look no further. Set just outside of Stirling, the Macdonald Inchrya Grange Hotel is conveniently located from all major Scottish cities.

The hotel is also an ideal choice for hosting events. Whether it’s corporate or pleasure – the Inchrya Suite is a venue that it hard to beat. The hotel is particularly popular when it comes to weddings. If you’re planning a wedding in the area, we recommend paying a visit to the hotel to see what they can offer you. Even better, the hotel host regular Wedding Fayres in which they showcase some of the best suppliers in their area. The next of these Fayres will be taking place on Sunday 22^nd January between 12pm and 4pm. Entry is free, and you’re guaranteed a great afternoon out.

If you do decide that the Macdonald Inchrya Grange Hotel is the venue for you, you’ll be very pleased to hear about their fab wedding packages. We’re particularly keen on their Whirlwind Wedding package. Not for the faint-hearted – this is a package perfect for those who want to make the most out of their money and don’t want to wait around. The hotel are offering you an amazing day including a piper on arrival, arrival drinks, a three course wedding breakfast, chair covers, an evening buffet, a disco, cake and much more… all for £3,500 for sixty guests. The only catch? This really is a whirlwind package – with this package you can only book up to two weeks in advance! If you’re brave enough, this is a fab deal!

Image from destination360.com

January is not always the most inspiring of times in this country. Not only is the magic of the festive season gone; we can also expect high winds, low temperatures, rain…. It’s no surprise, then, that many people use this time of year to book a holiday somewhere warm.

During the first quarter of the year, holidays to areas such as the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and Cyprus tend to be very popular. Why? Because during our winter they have glorious sunshine.

However, here at Funkeydoos we believe that a little bit of sunshine can’t compete with the beauty and culture of Scotland. We’ve put together five reasons why we reckon Scottish Winter Breaks beat Winter Sun hands down.

One: We’ve got it all.

Within a relatively small area, in Scotland we have something to offer whatever your taste. Whether you’re looking for a stylish city break in a boutique hotel or a hiking holiday in the highlands at a rural retreat – you don’t have to go far to find it.

Two: History and culture.

Scotland has a very rich heritage of which we are very proud. You can spend your holidays visiting castles, landmarks and museums as well as walking the streets of some of our most beautiful and historic towns and cities. If it’s culture you’re looking for – we’ve got it by the lorry load.

Three: Travel time.

Choose a Scottish winter break and you could be sticking your feet up at your destination within a couple of hours. No long waits at airports, no dodgy transfers, no mad rush to renew your passport. A winter break here in Scotland helps you make the most of your time off.

Four: Scenery and outdoor pursuits.

Go anywhere in the world and you’d be hard pressed to find scenery comparable to Scotland’s. With deep glens, high mountains and stunning lochs – there is something beautifully relaxing about a break here. We’re also very good at making the most of our scenery! Skiing, hiking, water sports… you name an outdoor pursuit and we guarantee that you can have a great time doing it here in Scotland!

Five: Price.

It goes (almost) without saying that a break in Scotland tends to be significantly cheaper than jetting off somewhere hot! This can mean either that you put the money you save towards a future trip, or that you can upgrade your Scottish break!

Have we convinced you?! Why not take a look at our Winter Breaks section to see what sort of a break you could be enjoying.

Finished that last piece of Christmas cake yet? Yes? If you’re anything like us, you’ll probably be thinking about a January detox. Losing weight and getting fitter are very common New Year’s resolutions – and luckily there is all sorts of support in place to help you keep them!

Here at Funkeydoos we won’t be letting you down when it comes to shedding those festive pounds. We have a whole section of our site dedicated to Well-Being and within it you’ll find Boot Camps. Now, we’re not going all military on you here. The boot camps you’ll find on Funkeydoos.com may be strenuous during the day – but they also include fab accommodation at some of Scotland’s best hotels. You’ll need a good night’s sleep to cope with all that exercise!

One of our favourite Boot Camps is being run by the Peebles Hydro Hotel in Peebles. They’ve teamed up with Borders Boot Camp, who are recognised as the leading boot camp in the UK. Together they’re offering a full fitness program over two days with two night’s accommodation. Also thrown in is dinner on both nights and breakfast and lunch on the second day along with full use of the leisure facilities and a 15% discount in the Bistro, spa and shop.

The Boot Camp package costs £220 per person and is running this weekend (Friday 13^th – Sunday 15^th). If you want to get involved, we recommend you get in quick!

Alternatively, keep an eye on our full Well Being section for future packages like this.

photo from citypictures.org

Regular readers of the Funkeydoos blog will know that each month we crown a new area, city or region of Scotland our Funkey Region. We do this in order to highlight great places to visit and things to do all over Scotland. Today we’re crowning Aviemore our very first Funkey Region of 2012!

Aviemore is a village in the Highlands of Scotland that has become a hugely popular destination for skiing and outdoor pursuits. The village is set right in the centre of the Cairngorms National Park – meaning that you’d be very hard-pressed to find comparable scenery anywhere else!

Whether you’re planning a winter skiing trip or a summer visit to the Highland Games – this is a popular place or tourists all year round. If more gentler activities are your style, the area is also famed for it’s beautiful castles and gardens. Balmoral Castle and Auchgourish Gardens are particularly worth a visit.

With so much to do, it’s not surprising that there is a huge amount of choice when it comes to accommodation in the area. Self catering accommodation is very easy to find, as is B&B and hotel accommodation. On the blog today we’re particularly keen to highlight the Macdonald Aviemore Resort.

This resort is something of a mecca for Ski enthusiasts. Looking at the photo above – you probably don’t need us to explain why! Currently the resort are offering an inclusive ski package from £99.50 per person. Available throughout January, the platinum package includes full equipment hire and tuition while the gold package includes full equipment hire. Both packages include a Cairngorm mountain pass along with dinner, a full Scottish breakfast and use of the swimming pool.

Are you a keen skier? What do you think of the slopes at Aviemore?

Welcome to 2012! Whether you saw in the new year at a street party or a ceilidh, we hope you had a fab time. We certainly did – and it’s not over yet. 2012 promises to be a very exciting year for Funkeydoos, and we can’t wait to share our new developments with you.

Over the coming months we’ll be launching both a new competition and a new section of the site. Funkey Business will work in just the same way as Funkeydoos currently does… but you’ll be able to choose to search for business events and conference spaces. We hope that it will become a hugely useful resource for businesses in Scotland. Watch this space for more information.

And of course, it’s not just us who have an exciting year planned! The year of the Dragon promises to be a big one with the UK gearing up for the Olympics in the summer. Here at Funkeydoos we’re very keen to see all the preparations coming together, and we can’t wait for all the celebrations that will be involved.

What does 2012 hold for you? Will you be getting married? Celebrating a significant anniversary or birthday? Graduating? Whatever parties you have planned for this year remember that we’re here to help you find the ideal hotel venue or event!