Best Boutique Hotels in Scotland

Standing tall over the 1st and 18th fairways of Royal Troon’s Old Course, this Victorian landmark has been a fixture of the South Ayrshire coast ever since it opened in 1894. Brought into the Marine and Lawn Hotels collection in 2021, it offers 89 rooms and suites complete with maximalist interiors, while its 2 AA Rosette restaurant, The Rabbit and bar The Seal are standalone destinations in themselves. Combine this with a comprehensive spa and leisure club, and you have more than just a golf destination, but one of Scotland’s great coastal hotels.

Hidden within 36 acres of Italian gardens and woodland outside of Ballantrae, this hotel lies close to the Ayrshire coastline. A late 19th-century baronial castle, it was first intended as the family seat for the Earl of Inchcape and holds a significant claim to fame – Winston Churchill was said to have discussed the D-Day landings while staying here in the 1940s. Pursuits for the well-heeled are a speciality – shooting, fishing and falconry, as well as tennis and croquet. Inside, guests can relax beside log fires, feast on six-course meals and peruse enormous wine lists. 17 bedrooms offer a period feel filled with antiquities and panelled or marble bathrooms include Penhaligon toiletries.

Five minute’s walk from the island’s main town of Portee, this four-star Manor Hotel, puts you a little further toward the busier parts of Skye. However, set on a hill and surrounded by mature gardens, with views across the coast, you can still enjoy a sense of peace. 34 bedrooms come with Nespresso coffee machines, Bose sound systems, Highland Soap toiletries and 300 thread count sheets. Seafood is the focus at the Chargrill Restaurant, which provides excellent views, seasonal menus and a wood-burning stove for cosy evenings eating beside the fire. During warmer months, guests can dine and drink out on the hotel’s terrace, overlooking the Cuillin Hills.

Stay in one of the upscale rooms or cottages (the largest of which sleeps 10) in this Edwardian Arts and Crafts country manor. The decor is classic and homely with antique furnishings, designer floral wallpapers, rolltop tubs, hanging tapestries and original fireplaces. Its 6 acres comprise a walled garden, an alfresco terrace, tennis courts, a croquet lawn and a putting green, all perched beside the Muirfield championship golf course. Inside you can sample elegant cuisine in the first Chez Roux Restaurant in Scotland, read a book from the library in a wood-panelled drawing room, get a massage in the spa and take tea in the garden room.

Back in the 16th-century, this was a hunting lodge. Now it’s a well respected, family-owned and run hotel in a remote part of Skye (although, most of Skye is by nature remote). Local craftspeople have been employed in the process of decorating this hotel, giving it a distinctly Scottish, yet upscale look. Homely rooms are all individually designed, with views of the nearby loch, fluffy robes and L’Occitane bath products. Guests can go foraging with the lodge’s own ghillie, take part in traditional country pursuits, play board games, dine on menus constructed to include ingredients from the Kinloch’s kitchen garden and drink at the honesty bar.

Douneside House is located in Tarland, not very far from Aberdeen. With upscale amenities, fine dining and an exquisite location, it guarantees a chic and classy holiday. Each room has a customised design, including high-end media entertainment technology and top-of-the-line Wi-Fi access. A few rooms have a private garden and guests can admire the gorgeous surrounding landscape. The lodge’s restaurant offers a large range of food varieties all made with local products. Fruits and vegetables which are grown organically in the gardens of the property add exquisite flavour to the food. Guests can play either tennis or mini golf at the hotel’s Sports and Health Club. Sports enthusiasts can work out using modern equipment of the Fitness Club. For a bit of relaxation, the lodge offers specially designed yoga classes.

There is something extremely romantic and magical about escaping to a private island for a holiday and the 300 acres of stunning land that is the Isle of Eriska certainly does not disappoint. This is the setting and the perfect backdrop for those guests choosing to stay at the Isle of Eriska Hotel and Spa. For over four decades the Buchanan-Smith Family worked hard on developing and nurturing this hotel which has flourished into a luxury destination offering guests peace, tranquillity, outdoor pursuits and much more – all with a touch of luxury. The hotel comprises of 34 bedrooms with 16 bedrooms in the main house, 5 spa suites located in the gardens with private hot tub, 2 garden cottages and 6 hilltop reserves along with a self-catering house option which is a short drive from the main hotel. Fine dining in the Hotel Restaurant or something more casual on The Deck can be enjoyed by residents and non-residents.

Located on Edinburgh’s most famous thoroughfares and offering what has to be one of the most enviable vistas of Edinburgh from any hotel window, 100 Princes Street is the latest addition to the family-owned Red Carnation Hotels collection, and arguably its most exclusive. Evocative of a private members’ club and a celebration of Scottish exploration, the property features 30 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, ‘The Wallace’ dining room, bar and lounge and ‘Ghillie’s Pantry’, an elegant private dining space offering over 200 whiskies along with custom whisky experiences.

Originally built to transport keepers and supplies to lighthouses around Scotland, this heritage vessel is now an AA five-star hotel with  AA Rosettes. Docked in Leith, the ship provides wonderful waterside views, as enjoyed from the restaurant (named after Fingal’s original purpose) and the deck, where guests can partake of artisanal cocktails as the sunsets over the sea. Each of its 23 cabins has been named after a lighthouse and comes equipped with Noble Isle amenities. Set over one or two levels, they feature soft curves, with an interior design reflecting the glory days of mid and early-20th-century travel.

The century-old Perthshire spa resort brings its famous quintessential Scottish luxury to the heart of Edinburgh. In 2022 the brand completed the refurbishment of the iconic former Bank of Scotland HQ, a Grade A-listed building on St Andrew Square. The boutique property has a small number of bedrooms decorated in a modern style, but reflecting a timeless Georgian townhouse elegance. Guests and the general public can mingle in The Spence, an art deco all-day dining establishment, or in the rooftop bar. The bank’s old vault accommodates the wellness area, including a cryotherapy chamber and infrared sauna.

Prestonfield House is a unique 5-star hotel that seamlessly blends opulence, theatricality, and luxury within one of Edinburgh’s most charming historic buildings and has been operating since the 1950s. This exclusive haven, presided over by James Thomson O.B.E DL, marries the serenity and seclusion of a country estate with the vibrancy of urban Edinburgh. Set within 20 acres of beautiful, manicured gardens, with views across the nearby majestic Arthur’s Seat guests can enjoy the tranquillity of the green open space. Yet just a mere five-minute jaunt from the heart of Edinburgh, those seeking to explore the city can easily do so.

Each of the 18 lavish bedrooms and five romantic suites showcases individual features and character, adorned with one-of-a-kind antique furnishings and distinctive feature beds with the antique theme flowing throughout the hotel. The destination restaurant, Rhubarb, presents guests with the choice of private dining rooms, lavish salons, and grand public spaces – not to mention the fine seasonal cuisine they serve. The level of service and hospitality is impeccable, personal yet professional.

Perched on the edge of Loch Faskally in Pitlochry, this Baronial castle was built in 1892. Created for the port and sherry merchants, Sandeman, it has since been turned into a glamorous hotel and spa. Family owned and run (by the Clark family) the castle houses 42 bedrooms, four treatment rooms, a pool, a sauna and two restaurants. Eating and drinking can be both an exquisite and unusual experience here, with mood-lit pod dining, a unique gin bar and triple AA Rosette-awarded cuisine accompanied by waterside views. And as the town’s only five-star hotel, it’s the fanciest address at which to stay in town.