Rachel Rock
Mythologies and stories entwine with amazing natural beauty, rich history, and a dynamic, ongoing culture in Scotland. Along with high-speed Wi-Fi as standard, luxury hotels in Scotland have glamorous interiors, plush beds with the best linens, in-room facilities including freshly ground coffee, the latest innovations in entertainment – including access to TV and film streaming services – and modern media equipment to play your own music.
From the craggy Highland mountains to the calm lochs reflecting the heavens, and from the busy streets of its ancient cities, Scotland presents an enchanted mix of experiences for guests.
Among the best luxury hotels in the world are Grandes dames with golf courses, loch-side cabins, and fairy-tale castles in Scotland. With mountains and Munros, islands, glens and lochs at hand, the nation doesn’t have to work very hard for its backdrops to be breathtaking; the range of luxury hotels in Scotland means that the man-made side is also very lovely. The days are long further north, and you may view the Northern Lights from some places. And toasty fireplaces and warming whisky tastings are calling in winter.
List Of Top 10 Best Hotels In Scotland 2024
1. Schloss Roxburghe, Heiton By Kelso
Situated on an estate once owned by the Duke of Roxburghe, Schloss Roxburghe is a luxury hotel in the Borders an hour and a half north of Newcastle or south of Edinburgh. There are twenty rooms and suites in the ancient manor house, some with large open fireplaces and four-poster beds. Especially more appealing when the weather refuses to play the ball is the heated outdoor infinity pool, hot tub and Finnish sauna.
2. Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire
There is nothing to introduce this hotel to. Gleneagles, which opened in 1924 and quickly became recognized as one of the nicest hotels for golfing, leisure and visiting the bonny grounds beyond, was located against the vast Scottish countryside and acquired icon status very swiftly. With three world-class golf courses—the King’s Course, Queen’s Course, and PGA Centennial Course—the hotel became even more well-known in 2014 when it hosted the 40th Ryder Cup. Beyond golf, Gleneagles is much loved by a range of celebrities who swarm the estate to spend time in the great outdoors (the hotel offers falconry, fishing, shooting, archery and more) or kick back in the award-winning spa, with two indoor pools, an outdoor thermal pool and 20 treatment rooms where guests may settle down for massages using lotions and potions made with local ingredients and Scottish botanicals.
3. Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye
One of the loveliest country house hotels in Scotland, this lovely whitewashed lodge faces the Sound of Sleat in southern Skye. Kinloch Lodge boasts opulent yet understated Highland hospitality with open fires and comfortable rooms in natural hues reflecting the surrounding scenery. Warm, friendly and hospitable. The restaurant where local produce and vegetables from the kitchen garden take front stage bears the legacy of the food writer, chef, and previous patron Lady Claire Macdonald. Kinloch Lodge is a wonderful location to hide from the cold with a scotch by the fire before supper after a day hiking the Cuillin or beachcombing along the Loch Na Dal shoreline.
4. Cameron House, Loch Lomand
Perfect on the lovely bonnie shores of Loch Lomond, this classic Scottish pile is exactly the wild, romantic tangle of towers, turrets and castellations you would wish it to be. Notable past visitors have been Barack Obama and Winston Churchill, but the bolthole is still charmingly understated. With beds so high I practically needed a running leap to reach and covered in every manner of tactile extravagance — velvet Bonn headboards, plush pillows embroidered with thistle designs and tartan blankets, rooms are a wonderful sight to behold. There are lots of traditional activities to sweep away the cobwebs: fishing, country walks, spa treatments, two golf courses. Either follow them to the tough choice at the tartan-clad Great Scots’ Bar, home of over 300 whiskies, or follow them with afternoon tea in the brilliantly golden lobby bar. Little ones are well cared for with special cuisines (even for afternoon tea), pools and water slides in the onsite leisure complex, plus a beautiful fairy trail to follow and gifted teddy bears to take home. This is a bolthole where the whole crew can lay down too.
5. The Old Manse Of Blair, Blair Atholl
Situated near various ski slopes on the brink of the Cairngorms National Park, this characteristically ivy-clad house Originally rebuilt as a boutique rural hideaway, the Old Manse boasts 26 elegant rooms with modern bathrooms and Farrow & Ball wallpapers, some within an old railway house or walled garden and others in former stables. The restaurant serves modern Scottish cuisine, and the elegant but intimate social areas are set against an interesting art collection. Nearby House of Bruar, which sells everything from local ribeye steaks and caviar to cashmere and tweed plus-fours, has the ideal present.
6. Prestonfield House, Edinburgh
Prestonfield House offers the grandeur and privacy of a country estate right in the middle of Edinburgh just ten minutes from Waverley station. From the gothic teahouse in the garden to the restaurant and guest suites, this magnificent 17th-century palace indulges a wonderfully over-the-top sense of theater and indulgence while seated on 20 verdant acres beneath Arthur’s Seat. Rich swathes of brocade, silk and velvet cover antique-filled rooms, including their sumptuous four-poster beds. A private turret opens the gilded owner’s suite, which features a bathroom with two-person silver chariot bath.
7. Machrie Hotel, Islay
On this well-known whiskey island, where enthusiasts may tour nine of Scotland’s most prominent distilleries, from Bunnahabhain to Lagavulin, this stylish, modern golf resort strikes all the right notes. Rising over Laggan Bay’s immaculate golden stretch, the Machrie has been extensively rebuilt and enlarged. Ranked one of Scotland’s top 20 courses by Golf Digest, it boasts 47 straightforward, exquisitely constructed rooms, suites and cabins with some patios and views onto the renowned golf links. Dogs for £30 for the whole stay are welcome at the Machrie; pooches will love the beach and will get a blanket, bowl, and goodies.
8. Rusacks St Andrews
To golf fanatics, Rusacks is separated from the Old Course at St Andrews by little more than a modest wooden barrier; the ground is consecrated here. For non-golfers, the hotel provides a lovely, old base from which to tour beautiful, historic St Andrews. The university, the harbor and pier, the cathedral and castle ruins—all the main areas of interest in the city—are within simple walking distance. Sorry, beyond the golf course; the great beach where the opening sequence of Chariots of Fire was shot is exactly opposite, just beyond that wide strip of well-mowed grass. Rusacks reopened in 2021 following a change of ownership and extensive renovation. With Scottish accents and golf-related accessories, plus large bathrooms and Chrome-enabled TVs so golf tragics can live-stream golf events from elsewhere in the world even if one is taking place below their balcony at the same time, the rooms are roughly Victorian in design. Look for the chandelier crafted godwits; they are a beautiful accent that is easily missed. Specialising in steak, game and shellfish, the brand-new rooftop restaurant, 18, is a fine-dining experience.
9. Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
Situated in the Old Town, the hotel boasts not one but multiple linked buildings spanning all the way down to Cowgate and holds a fantastic position in sinuous, mountainous Victoria Street. Regardless of their size, the 222 rooms are all “two-chamber” designs with sliding doors separating loo/bathroom facilities from sleeping/living spaces, therefore dividing them in a way meant to improve rather than reduce the sensation of space. Great additions to a city already endowed with more than its fair share of outstanding restaurants and pubs are the Commons Club Restaurant and Bar.
10. The Torridon, Wester Ross
Upper Loch Torridon, where the summit of Beinn Alligin dominates the scene, offers a few more beautiful locations for a hotel. With a farm and kitchen garden supplying the two hotels with fresh vegetables and botanicals for the Torridon’s own gin, this baronial pile has changed its image from a pleasant country house to a sleek, modern Highland Bolt Hole. From Munro-bagging and kayaking to whisky tastings, stargazing and whirl-around in a Morgan, there is lots to do. On the other hand, simply sip in the views while seated in the large windows. Should you have one, your aircraft can be parked in the front garden.
