Dunkeld House Hotel – Review

Set within a 280-acre Perthshire estate and overlooking the River Tay, Dunkeld House Hotel began life as the country retreat of the Duke of Atholl. Today, it’s a grand baronial mansion turned country house hotel within the Crerar Hotels portfolio. Offering 100 rooms and suites alongside Scottish restaurant The Stag, a bar complete with an evening pianist, an orangery, and a spa and leisure complex. Miles of riverside and woodland walks surround the property, and the estate supports a full programme of outdoor pursuits that range from fishing to clay pigeon shooting. Recent investment has refreshed key spaces, including an £800k renovation of the signature suites. The Luxury Editor recently checked in and our stay didn’t disappoint. Read on to discover more.

It’s been more than twenty years since I last stayed at Dunkeld House Hotel, and I’d forgotten quite how magical even the approach to the hotel is. Turning off from Dunkeld village, you pass through the estate’s original stone gatehouse, where the road winds between woodland and open fields. On the day we arrived, a soft mist lingered over the hills, and the road was carpeted with copper and gold tones from autumn leaves falling, and as if by Disney-style magic, a deer calmly crossed in front of the car, but disappeared out of sight before I had a chance to stop and take a picture.

A large stag sculpture standing to attention alerts you to your arrival and a path guides you around the hotel gardens to the main front door and into the lobby.

The lobby space is wood panelled, in front lies the reception desk, with a smaller connected anteroom complete with wingback chairs, and a further drawing room sits beyond that. A genuinely warm welcome awaits from the reception team, and this amiability and passion seem to be shared by every member of the hotel staff. One moment that stuck with me during my stay was the restaurant team member who took the time each evening to chat with every table with ease, as if reminiscing with an old friend.

As for the arrival itself, it’s made even more agreeable with a welcome dram offered beside the lobby’s open fire.

Location

The village of Dunkeld is on the hotel’s doorstep, known for its independent shops (I ended up spending an extended amount of time purusing kitchenware shop LÒN) and for Beatrix Potter fans, the writer spent many summers in the village, and the Birnam Arts Centre now plays host to an exhibition all about the prolific author.

With Edinburgh and Glasgow being around ninety minutes by car, and the hotel placing you at the start of the Highlands, it makes a great base to explore Scotland. For shopaholics, The House of Bruar is a short drive, where you can lose yourself for hours in this Celtic-style Harrods. Pitlochry, Aberfeldy (Aberfeldy Distillery) is well worth a visit and Blair Atholl (Blair Atholl Watermill) are all within an easy half hour’s reach and combined provide a great day trip from the hotel.

The main building feels especially inviting after dusk, its windows and doors glowing against the dark; it’s such a peaceful setting.

Rooms and Suites

100 rooms and suites are spread across the main house, new wing, and pet-friendly lodges. Room categories begin with Cosy Double Rooms, followed by Classic Rooms and increase in size with Family Rooms which include a secondary sofabed for children. Superior Rooms offer a seating area, while Deluxe Rooms and Junior Suites introduce a more generous layout, some with private balconies.

The General Wade Rooms and Suites, located adjacent to the main building, come with optional balconies or patios, and can accommodate pets. The Fisherman’s Cottage Suites sit a short walk from the main hotel and provide a quieter outlook, with lounges and views of the gardens and woodland wildlife, making them ideal for longer stays or guests who want more seclusion. For something truly unique, The Bothy Suite allows you to spend a night “at sea” thanks to its boat-shaped bed, while The Dukes Suite lets you sleep in a four-poster bed.

Signature Suites

An original staircase curves up behind the lobby desk, taking you to the former ‘Old Wing’ of the hotel. The recent refurbishment has reconfigured this area, creating a portfolio of large-format junior suites and full-sized suites with interiors reimagined by Glasgow interior designers Burns Design. Inspiration was drawn from the neighbouring River Tay, which all the suites look down on and the seasonal tones of the surrounding landscapes. The refurbishment project continues into the New Wing, where the guest bedrooms have been given a fresh identity along as has the restaurant area.

Atholl Suite

The suites are located in a quiet position along an otherwise understated corridor. The Atholl Suite, (which I had a peek at during my stay), sits in the middle of this cluster of rooms; the approach gives nothing away, so the moment you open the door, there is a genuine wow factor when you step inside.

The room opens into a large living room with deep green panelled feature walls. Decorative cornicing has been updated with a subtle lighting bead, while residential style mid-century style furniture and clean-lined cabinetry bring a contemporary balance to the room. Through the double doors, the bedroom continues the format. A super king bed, upholstered headboard and tailored bedside lighting keep the look simple, while the colour palette of creams, taupes and soft greens nods to the Perthshire landscape.

Duchess Suite

The Duchess Suite also follows the same interior styling, with the bed positioned within the main living space and a large bay window and balcony, connecting you to the garden outside.

Cally Suite

I stayed in the Cally Suite. This junior suite is spacious, with space for two armchairs and a coffee table beside tall sash windows. A free-standing full-height mirror adds a contemporary touch to the room’s period character while detailing is further balanced through an upholstered headboard, wall panelling, and Art Deco overhead lighting.

A generous selection of amenities is supplied along with a Nespresso machine and a complimentary mini bar.

The bathroom is impressively spacious, something I later learned was due to my suite and the one next to it originally being three separate rooms and reconfigured during the renovation into two larger rooms. A central freestanding tub sits at one end, paired with an oversized glass-sided walk-in rainshower finished in green subway tiles, and underfloor heating keeps the room toasty warm. Bathroom amenities from The Highland Soap Co. are glorious to use, and I made the most of the space during my stay with two long bubble baths.

The room includes a twin wardrobe configuration with automatic lighting.

The view from each of the suites feels almost restorative. Mature trees guide your eye down to the River Tay, the steady movement of the water bringing a sense of ease as you watch it lap by.

Lodges

The hotel also has 22 self-catering lodges, with open-plan living spaces for extended stays, which can be booked by enquiry.

The Stag

My mind was hazy and I couldn’t quite place where the restaurant had been on my last stay all those years ago, which makes sense once I realised that The Stag is an entirely new offering. The former Garden Room has been fully reworked, moving from a function space to the hotel’s main evening dining area. The transformation is significant; the restaurant feels like a destination, a surprise, as no glimpses of it can be seen from the bar area.

Inside, the arrangement of booth seating and banquettes shape the room into a series of relaxed pockets, and globe pendants hang above seating to create focused pools of atmospheric evening light.

Dinner

The Stag’s menu champions seasonal Scottish ingredients and suppliers from across Perthshire, with local game, fish, and beef steering many of the menu options.

Starters focus on comforting flavours, with a hint of indulgence to them. I chose the mackerel pâté, which was served with grilled sourdough and a small pile of pickles that cut neatly through the pâté’s richness. Other menu highights include mussels in a white wine and leek broth, squid with chorizo, and a pea, mint and basil soup finished with pancetta and pine nuts.

Mains are all familiar classics, including grilled sea bass, a slow-braised pork belly, penne arrabbiata and a very sizeable fish and chips, which arrives with vivid mushy peas and a good homemade tartare. The grill section focuses on Tweed Valley steaks, and the venison dish, slow-cooked with root vegetables and red wine sauce, feels particularly fitting for the location.

Desserts tip the scale on indulgence, and I couldn’t resist the sticky toffee pudding.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the breakfast restaurant and orangery and follows the format of a hot and cold buffet with the option to order additional hot items from the kitchen – I tested out the Eggs Florentine.

The Bar

We became rather fond of the bar, settling into an evening ritual of a drink before dinner while gentle background music from the live piano played.

Spa and Outdoor Pursuits

Another string to the hotel’s bow is the spa complex offering Ishga treatments using Hebridean seaweed-based products, alongside an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, gym and whirlpool and fully equipped gym.

For outdoor pursuits, the hotel offers fishing on the Tay, clay pigeon shooting, archery, quad biking, 4×4 experiences and cycling.

Final Thoughts

Returning after two decades, it was a pleasure to see how the property has evolved. Crerar Hotels has brought with it a new energy from its upgraded suites to the introduction of The Stag and Orangery. The Perthshire landscape is as captivating as always, and the pace is relaxing. If you are looking for an escape to the Scottish countryside, Dunkeld House Hotel is an excellent choice.