Where Do Celebrities Holiday In Scotland?
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4 hours ago
The most star-studded hotels of the north
Despite its dreich weather, Scotland has long attracted A-listers in droves. They might not be able to lounge around on yachts like they would in the Bahamas, but the UK’s most northerly region offers boundless joys of its own: wild landscapes, fairytale islands, buzzing cities and – crucially – many luxurious five-star hotels. The latest star to cross the pond for a Scottish sojourn is Justin Bieber, who surprised fans by jetting over to Gleneagles Hotel, the Highlands’ most famous resort, for a golfing trip. But which other hotels have hosted famous faces? From Hauser & Wirth’s imaginatively restored The Fife Arms to Cameron House, a grand mansion in the Trossachs National Park, here’s where celebrities stay in Scotland.
5 Celebrity Hotels In Scotland
Gleneagles, Auchterarder
A grand rural estate set amid 850 acres of land beneath the Ochil Hills, it’s no surprise Gleneagles has hosted a string of celebrities in its 100-year history. Bieber was attracted by the tournament-standard golfing facilities, but he also got into the British spirit with afternoon tea in the hotel’s Glendevon restaurant – and even sat down at the piano to surprise his fellow guests with a rendition of ‘Walking Away’ from his new album. He joins a long list of singers who have visited the hotel: Liam Gallagher was spotted there this summer, while Rod Stewart spent Hogmanay there in 2024 – allegedly leaving a £10,000 tip for the staff. Gleneagles has also featured on screen a number of times, and in 2019 the entire cast of Succession (which includes Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong) stayed there while filming an episode.
The drawing room at The Fife Arms, featuring Femme assise dans un fauteuil by Pablo Picasso.
The Fife Arms, Braemar
Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth spent four years transforming a Victorian hunting lodge in the Highlands into an art-filled wonderland. Since its opening post-revamp in 2019, The Fife Arms’ quirky, maximalist interiors and plush suites have tempted many a famous face to make the schlep to Braemar. Popstar Rita Ora shared a picture of her reading by the fire during a trip to Deeside, which she described as the ‘most beautiful place I’ve seen’. Oscar-winning actor Dame Judi Dench and singer Sharleen Spiteri also stayed there for Hogmanay in 2023 – and were filmed doing an impromptu performance of Abba’s ‘Waterloo’ just before the midnight fireworks. And this summer, there were reports Hollywood star Will Ferrell stayed there during a holiday to Braemar with his family.
The Balmoral, Edinburgh
Edinburgh hotel The Balmoral has stood proudly on Princes Street for over 100 years, reopening as part of the Rocco Forte collection in 1997. It has a rich history which includes an endless roster of famous faces: Mick Jagger, Anna Wintour, Simon Cowell and Paul McCartney have all stayed here, to name a few. It’s where J.K. Rowling wrote the final chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, residing in a suite which is now named after her – and in a room down the hall, she was famously interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld used it as his base during the Chanel Metier D’arts show back in 2012, and Tom Hanks allegedly stayed there while filming The Da Vinci Code.
Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort, near Glasgow
Space is in abundance at this giant Scottish resort, which overlooks the River Clyde near Glasgow and is known for its sprawling 18-hole golf course. It makes sense, then, that Mar Hall is a favourite with celebrities, who flock there to retreat from the world in style. Of course, that’s not without being spotted by eagle-eyed fellow guests. The hotel’s clientele reads like a Met Gala wishlist: Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Brad Pitt and George Clooney have all camped out in its grand suites, which feel more like private apartments with their grand pianos, pool tables and four-poster beds. And no doubt its recent £20 million makeover will make the retreat even more attractive to A-listers, which saw all the rooms, spa and restaurant undergo a dazzling revamp.
Cameron House, Loch Lomond
A 17th century baronial mansion perched on the banks of Loch Lomond, with rugged landscape views for miles, Cameron House is the stuff of Scottish countryside dreams. Inside is equally captivating, featuring walls adorned with photos of previous guests, which includes world leaders like Winston Churchill and Barack Obama, and even royalty in the form of Princess Margaret and Empress Eugenie of France. It has Hollywood appeal too: Cameron Diaz spent Valentine’s Day there back in 2016, while Jude Law and Sean Connery have enjoyed stays there in the past. For many years, the hotel’s seaplane proved particularly popular with the stars, offering tours of the surrounding scenery (actors Ben Stiller and David Hasselhoff are among the list of previous passengers), but this attraction shut down earlier this year.
