The Best Hotels For A Scottish Escape

1 year ago

From grand city institutions to rustic restaurants-with-rooms, these are the best hotels in Scotland

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One of the greatest attractions of Scotland is the charming variety of landscapes: within the fairly small region, you’ll find everything from pristine beaches to castle-topped crags, luscious wilderness to glistening lochs. The cities, meanwhile, are filled with culture, with Edinburgh hosting the largest arts festival in the world. Planning a trip? You’ll almost certainly enjoy it – VisitScotland recently found that 94 percent visitors had a positive experience in Scotland, 92 percent want to return, and 87 percent of Londoners are likely to recommend Scotland to a friend. Convinced, but still need somewhere to stay? Here are the best hotels in Scotland.

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The Best Hotels In Scotland

These reviews have been taken from this year’s Great British & Irish Hotels Guide. You can purchase your print copy of the guide here.

The Bonnie Badger – Gullane, East Lothian

Chef Tom Kitchin and his wife Michaela opened their first restaurant in 2006 – The Kitchin, Edinburgh quickly gained a Michelin star after six months. Today, they also operate a modern Scottish restaurant with rooms, The Bonnie Badger, in the enchanting coastal village of Gullane, just outside Edinburgh. Once again, Tom showcases his ‘From Nature to Plate’ philosophy, combining French techniques with East Lothian’s bountiful larder. There’s an enviable quartet of dining options whether guests wish to dine from the à la carte menu in The Stables, relish exceptional pub classics at Broc Bar, gather in the garden over seasonal favourites straight from the grill or enjoy carefully crafted afternoon tea in the Garden Room. It’s no surprise they hold both a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand and five AA Gold Stars. But it’s not just about the cuisine. There are 12 inviting bedrooms and one master suite, spread across the main house and two cottages with close access to the beautiful Gullane coastline. Bring the whole family – children are warmly welcomed with a special ‘Cubs Corner’ and ‘Cubs’ menu, and it’s dog friendly too.

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Rooms from £195 | +44 (0)1620 621111; bonniebadger.com

The Machrie – Isle of Islay, Argyll

A beautiful hotel sitting above the dunes of a seven-miles beach on the Isle of Islay, ‘the Queen’ of the Hebridean archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, The Machrie has 47 contemporary rooms, suites and lodges which offer an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. Guests are invited to play on one of the World’s Top 100 Championship Golf Courses, designed by former European Ryder Cup vice-captain DJ Russell, fatbike along the shore, take a wildlife boat trip around the coastline and visit one of the world famous distilleries on Islay. Three cosy lounges and a sunset terrace provide the perfect retreat. Start the evening with a fine Islay malt whisky on 18 Restaurant & Bar’s terrace – with panoramic views across the 18th green to the Atlantic Ocean – before tucking into seasonal dishes that celebrate Scotland’s natural larder including Loch Gruinart Oysters. Just a 25-minute flight from Glasgow, or two hours by ferry from Kennacraig, Islay is accessible yet feels perfectly remote. A true Scottish island adventure, The Machrie offers outstanding sea views and so much to explore.

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Doubles from £235 | +44 (0)1496 302310; themachrie.com

The Pierhouse Hotel – Port Appin, Argyll

Surrounded by the raw, breathtaking beauty of western Scotland, The Pierhouse sits on the shores of Loch Linnhe. A relaxed hotel, it’s the ideal base for exploring this unforgettable part of the world and for sampling the very best of its local produce. The 12 bedrooms include several with loch views, which look out directly across to the islands of Lismore and Shuna, and the Morvern Peninsula beyond. Head chef Michael Leathley is in charge of the Michelin-recognised and two AA Rosette Awarded seafood restaurant, where he calls his cooking ‘bringing the outside in’ – in other words, the freshest west coast seafood such as creel-caught langoustines and Loch Creran oysters, plus Scottish meat, and vegetables, all prepared and cooked using classic, simple techniques. There is a lounge, with a wood-burning stove, for relaxing in after a day spent hiking or biking, and The Ferry Bar (named after the foot passenger ferry from Port Appin that has been running since 1750) where you’ll find an impressive selection of Scottish gins and more than 200 types of malt whisky to sample.

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Doubles from £130 | +44 (0)1631 730302; pierhousehotel.co.uk

The Witchery – Edinburgh

James Thomson’s Gothic conversion of this historic 16th century building – which is named after those burnt on the stake for being witches on Castlehill – is darkly mysterious and thrillingly exotic. At the top of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile, you enter through an ancient close into a flamboyantly theatrical world, where ceilings are richly gilded and painted walls are hung with tapestries or panelled in oak, and rooms are decorated in jewel-like colours with swathes of velvet. Above the restaurant and in the adjacent Jollies Close, the nine suites are vast, sumptuous and wickedly romantic, furnished with four-posters or extravagantly curtained beds, antiques and oil paintings. A celebrity haunt, the Witchery restaurant not only looks magical, with its red leather seats, panelling and candlelight, but showcases the best produce Scotland has to offer. The Angus beef steak tartare is legendary. And the afternoon tea as decadent as you’d hope, featuring Edinburgh gin-cured salmon sandwiches and chocolate tarts. In summer, there’s al fresco dining on the private topiary-filled terrace of the hotel’s other restaurant, the Secret Garden.