The best hotels in Scotland
With a flurry of TV series, notably Outlander, One Day and Shetland, successfully casting Scotland in a starring role, the country has become a year-round destination for global travellers keen to experience the real thing. Tours and trails following our fictional heroes have sprung up, and the abundant gifts that hotels in Scotland have cherished for ever are being rediscovered or newly shared. Natural scenery to inspire and astonish, pure produce to put on the table, colourful history to recount. Every restored castle, railway hotel, white-painted bothy, golfing resort or urban sanctuary can offer access to cultural experiences, sporting pursuits and the wild outdoors. What makes the difference between the merely good and the truly great? Our snapshot cannot include them all, but our choices can and do play on an international stage. Not just the best hotels in Scotland, but – day in and day out – the best of their kind in the world.
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The best hotels in Scotland
Benjamin Edwards1/14The Fife Arms, Braemar, Aberdeenshire
The coldest spot in the British mainland might seem an unlikely location to create a destination hotel, but this is what renowned gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth did with the Fife Arms in Braemar – in the process considerably warming up the 19th century coaching inn with phenomenal art and hectares of bespoke Araminta Campbell textiles. The 46 deeply comfortable rooms and suites have a Victorian-collectible air, expertly overlaid with layers of impeccable modern comfort. Expect everything to be pitch perfectly authentic, from the reintroduction of native species in the gardens to the Aberdeenshire beef tartare in the Clunie Dining Room. There’s even an intimate spa, with treatments including hot Cairngorm stone. If you don’t happen to have a ride aboard Her Majesty’s royal train to Crathie, enjoy the drive through the chillingly magnificent Cairngorms wilderness.
2/14W Hotel, Edinburgh
Talk of the town in Edinburgh is Marriott’s new W, sitting atop the St James Centre. Its three buildings, two new, one historic, built around their own square, are grandly said to form their own W quarter. Local jibes suggest that the architecture resembles a Donald Trumpian hairdo; but whatever your take, it’s worth a trip for the amazing view from the rooftop deck alone. Add in a Sushisamba restaurant, Joao’s Place cocktail bar, a gorgeous spa and suites that are labelled ‘Cool Corner’, ‘Extreme Wow’, ‘Wow’, ‘Marvellous’ and ‘Fantastic’, and we are left in no doubt that this is the hot new way to experience the world’s greatest festival city.
3/14Monachyle Mhor, Balquhidder, Perthshire
Andy Murray rightly shone a spotlight on the attractions of Perthshire when he acquired Cromlix House, but it’s the more modest Monachyle Mhor, further into the Trossachs, that wins on eclectic quirkiness. Long known for its foodie ethic – and nowhere has better fresh produce in its backyard than Perthshire – Monachyle Mhor also has a collection of whacky rooms with a festival vibe about them, from cosy farmhouse lodgings to cabins in the trees and even a restored showman’s wagon. It’s the kind of place you’d want to be to experience highland games or Hogmanay. Add in the glorious landscape, dotted with silvery lochs and rivers where salmon and trout fishing and specialist-led wilderness, culinary and wellness experiences can be arranged, and this is your quintessential highland escape – not too far from the city, either.
4/14The Pierhouse, Port Appin
The magnificent west coast of Scotland is on many a traveller’s bucket list and – arguably – its twists and turns can be better understood by studying a sea-loch chart than by trying to navigate its gnarled fingers by land. Even so, the journey to Port Appin in Argyllshire is a magical one, through the mountains of Glencoe or via the Rest and Be Thankful pass and the village of Inveraray. Once there, on the shores of Loch Linnhe, The Pierhouse enables you to discover a location that is even more spectacular than the journey. Think seafood platters with sensational views, comfortable rooms (12 in all), some overlooking the loch, the island of Lismore and the Morvern peninsula beyond; and a multitude of elegant ways to explore this enchanted coast, from seafaris and snorkelling to highland walks, electric biking and bushcraft.
5/14The Three Chimneys & The House Over-By, Colbost, Isle of Skye
The further you venture up a narrow lane in Skye, the greater the reward at the end of it. This is never truer than of the Three Chimneys, a seagull’s cry from the north-west coast, where Shirley Spear created a cottage restaurant so exquisite that American travellers were prepared to make a detour of several thousand miles for it. Now in the loving hands of veteran Scottish hospitaller Gordon Campbell Gray, this and The House Over-By (six rooms in the white croft next door) put you right at the salty edge of nature. The purest of settings, reassuring comfort, food that’s the soul of Skye’s farms and shorelines. It’s a glimpse of what heaven could be.
6/14The Balmoral, Edinburgh
With views of Edinburgh’s monuments, castle and skyline, and a special place in owner Rocco Forte’s heart, the Balmoral is a grande dame worthy of the name. You’ve arrived at the heart of Scotland’s capital, to a 5-star institution given added cosmopolitan oomph by Olga Polizzi’s tasteful contemporary design that channels misty Scots colours while largely avoiding actual tartan. Displaying all the spaciousness you’d expect of a Victorian Scots-Baronial former railway hotel – the famous clocktower, hands set two minutes early, watches imperiously over Waverley Station – the Balmoral takes you back to the golden age of travel. Think old-school Palm Court frondery, champagne afternoon tea and guestrooms that could accommodate a carriage worth of steamer trunks. Even in the pared-down modern era, this is a hotel where you dress up and feel special.
7/14Killiecrankie House, Perthshire
In 2020, chef-sommelier couple Tom and Matilda Tsappis, who previously ran a London supper club, acquired Killiecrankie House north of Pitlochry, close to the famous Soldier’s Leap, and transformed it into a breathtaking and utterly original restaurant with five delightful rooms over. They have since garnered a slew of awards for their exquisite tasting menu of anything up to 20 courses, blending Japanese kaiseki cuisine with the best produce from the oceans and woodlands of Scotland, as well as their own kitchen garden. There are paired wines and tutored whiskies too. After all that, you’d be glad to drop into one of the house’s five four-poster beds (one in every room).
8/14The Torridon, Wester Ross
A sanctuary at the head of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross, with a wild backdrop of mountains and forest, The Torridon is a 58-acre resort with a fairytale castle at the heart of it, originally built as a shooting lodge for the first Earl of Lovelace in 1887. The hotel has 18 individually designed rooms mixing contemporary colours with Victorian features and beguiling views; then there are 12 cosy rooms in The Stables, plus the Boat House, a two-bedroom cottage. Fruits, vegetables and herbs for the resort are grown in The Torridon’s kitchen garden, and highland cattle, chicken and Tamworth pigs are raised for their meat on the estate’s own farm. An escape of superlatives whichever way you look at it, this is the northernmost five-star hotel in Britain, an eco champion, with a whisky bar crammed with over 365 malts and its own gin virtually on tap. You can dine in refined splendour at 1887 or relax over Scottish ales and live folk music at the dog-friendly Beinn Bar. The Torridon makes an ideal stopping point on the North Coast 500, a spectacular 516-mile touring route around the highlands on which you can take the hotel’s resident Morgan for a spin. This is the highlands in style.
9/14Hotel du Vin, Glasgow
The original smart choice for Glasgow when it was known by its address as One Devonshire Gardens, this West End boutique is no less appealing as part of the Hotel du Vin group. A perennial favourite of visiting rock stars, this row of townhouses in a tree-lined street is ultra-comfortable, with statement beds, deep baths, colourful furnishings and Nespresso. Extensive wine cellars, a whisky room and modern bistro dining make this a great place to pull up the drawbridge – but that would be to miss out on the legendary hospitality to be found in the rest of Glasgow’s bars, restaurants and galleries, not to mention trips up to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
10/14Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
Locals might balk at the prices, but it would be hard to overlook Gleneagles as being the most magnificent playground for – well – everyone really. Stand anywhere on this 850-acre estate and the heathery hills transport you as far as the eye can see and the mind can dream. For golfers, it’s one of the iconic destinations on the Open circuit. For families it’s activity heaven (Jeeps for kids, anyone?) and there’s an expert instructor, ghillie or guide for every one of many outdoor country pursuits or sports. For escapists the spa offers dedicated retreats; and for diners there are 10 excellent bars and restaurants, one for every mood, not forgetting stupendous seasonal picnics out on the hill. Rooms are huge, with views of that glorious countryside and deeply layered contemporary comfort. For some, a hotel of 205 rooms and 28 suites might seem just too frantic, but somehow it stays fun and elegant, and never feels crowded.
11/14Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh
Perthshire’s legendary resort introduced a sassy little sister – the urban socialite to her country queen – to the heart of Edinburgh, with barely more than an hour’s drive between the two. Gleneagles Townhouse naturally has an enviable address on St Andrews Square in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town – a building that was previously a private house, headquarters of the British Linen Company and primary seat of the Royal Bank of Scotland. It now embraces 33 glorious guestrooms, a palatial all-day restaurant, rooftop bar, spa and a members’ club – well worth considering if you’re a frequent visitor to the city and love the immaculately energised Gleneagles vibe.
12/14Inverlochy Castle, Fort William
Any tour of Scotland’s best hotels should include the peaceful Greywalls in East Lothian, its rambling roses bordering the sacred golfing ground of Muirfield; Isle of Eriska, the most inspiring way to discover Argyllshire and the west coast around Oban; and Inverlochy Castle just outside Fort William, deservedly a legend and the training ground for many an international hotelier. It happens that all three are part of the ICMI (Inverlochy Castle Management International) consortium which, where Scottish hotels are concerned, is a byword for excellence. Inverlochy hosted Queen Victoria and has been a flagship for the highlands ever since, with its sumptuous interior, visiting luminaries and impeccable service. It has everything you’d expect of a Scots-Baronial castle: architectural staircases and ceilings, huge colourful bedrooms, acres of rhododendrons, trout in the lake and a glimpse of Ben Nevis. It’s a short trip to the soul-rending Glenfinnan monument; and if you’re walking the West Highland Way from south to north, through the mountains of Glencoe, this would be a great way to finish.
13/14The Machrie, Isle of Islay
Two hours’ ferry ride west of the mainland, where historically the excise officers couldn’t get at the illegal whisky stills, the croissant-shaped island of Islay has a spiritual mystique all its own. Whether it’s the translucent light, or the rugged peat moorland, or the salty distilleries clinging to the coast, or the miles of beach, who knows? But Islay is special. The Machrie Hotel, sitting on seven sandy miles of Laggan Bay with its own fiendish links golf course and nothing much to the west until the coast of Newfoundland, is thriving again with new owners and renewed energy. It’s a welcoming bolthole, with log fires, 47 rooms, suites and lodges and a restaurant with views into the sunset which, in Islay, goes on forever.
14/14Knockinaam Lodge, Portpatrick
If one were to dream up the quintessential Scottish Victorian countryside bolthole by the sea, Knockinaam Lodge near Portpatrick in balmy Dumfries & Galloway would be the product of your imagination. Set in 30 acres of grounds running down to a sandy cove bordering the Irish Sea, tucked in between craggy headlands, this 10-bedroom historic hunting lodge was the secret meeting place for Churchill and Eisenhower as they planned the D-Day landings. Today it has teepees for weddings in the garden, a superlative cellar of over 350 wines, beachside barbecues and an uncanny knack for putting the stresses of life on hold.
