Set within eight acres of woodland on North Deeside Road, on the western edge of Aberdeen, you’ll find Marcliffe, the city’s only AA five-star hotel. Since being bought by Sir Jim Milne’s Balmoral Group, the hotel is undergoing a period of significant investment, with a striking £5.5 million glass-domed brasserie, Skylark, and a newly refurbished collection of Suites and Superior rooms, each named after one of the region’s castles. Start the day with a bountiful breakfast in the Conservatory, enjoy afternoon tea or a massage in the spa mid-afternoon, and by evening take a drink in the Drawing Room by the log fire to the sound of the live pianist. And located just 20 minutes from Aberdeen city centre, it’s the perfect base for both a city or countryside break in Aberdeenshire. The Luxury Editor recently checked in to experience Marcliffe’s new guest offerings for ourselves.
Scotland, Grampian, Aberdeen
Marcliffe
(5 stars)A North East Institution
The Marcliffe name dates back to 1948, when the original hotel opened on Queen’s Terrace as a place to stay for touring performers appearing at the city’s Tivoli Theatre. Hotelier Stewart Spence bought it in 1979 and, four years later, moved it to Queen’s Road as the New Marcliffe, before relocating it once more to its current home on North Deeside Road, which opened in November 1993. The 22-acre site sits on lot 13 of the old Wood of Pitfodels, set out in 1846, and centres on a house completed in 1852; the new hotel was officially opened by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
After more than four decades under the Spence family, Marcliffe was acquired in June 2024 by Sir Jim Milne’s Balmoral Group, which has wasted no time breathing fresh energy into the property. A multi-year investment programme is already well underway, and in 2025 the hotel was awarded its AA five-star rating.
Location
Marcliffe couldn’t be better placed for both a city break in Aberdeen and as a base to explore the wider region. Aberdeen train station connects you to both Glasgow and Edinburgh in around 2.5 hours. On my arrival at Aberdeen station, I was picked up in the hotel’s Range Rover, and it’s then just a short fifteen-minute drive to the hotel. Aberdeen Airport is twenty minutes away too. Royal Deeside is an hour’s drive away, Speyside an hour and a half drive, while Aberdeenshire itself is peppered with historical sites and golf courses, so you can build an extensive itinerary around your stay.
As we pulled up to the front door, a rather dapper doorman was waiting to relieve me of my luggage. Walking through the entrance, I noticed the double SS door handles and pondered if it was a nod to former owner Stewart Spence.
Inside, the reception feels more like a traditional country house than a hotel lobby. A roaring log fire crackles away, beckoning you towards its two hooded porter’s chairs sitting either side of it. A rather fun conversation sofa sits in the centre with additional armchairs dotted around. An oak staircase is dressed in rather handsome tartan carpeting, and beside it a row of vintage golf clubs mounted on the panelling beneath it reaffirms that we are in one of Scotland’s best locations for golfing.
Rooms & Suites
Marcliffe has just unveiled its latest phase of renovation, which has involved a £1.1m refurbishment of thirteen rooms across its Suites and Superior room categories in the former historical house wing of the hotel, each named after one of Aberdeenshire’s castles. Taking a ‘couthie’ (the old Scots word for warm, friendly and cosy) approach to the redesign. Rooms are immediately inviting, offering a refined residential format of soft greens and warm blues, layered with subtle touches like its bespoke Balmoral tartan, created exclusively by the hotel’s owners. Families are well catered for, too; in the new Superior Family rooms, children have a choice of cabin beds with built-in TVs or bunk beds along with mini bathrobes and slippers, while parents can relax in a king-size bed with a separate lounge area.
I stayed in the Dunnottar Suite, a first-floor suite in the old house. Opening the door into the suite’s lounge, my first impression was how bright and welcoming the space was, as midday sunlight streamed into the room through its two sash windows, which look directly out to the hotel’s gardens below.
The lounge features a large sofa area, sitting below a row of gilt-framed watercolours of the Scottish coastline scenes. Across from it is a large sideboard decorated with ceramic artichokes and a rather quirky antique brass horn, and above a flat-screen TV. Tucked into the corner, next to the door, is a writing bureau which I used to catch up on a few emails.
The suite is generous in floor space; the lounge leads into the bedroom, a king-sized bed sits in the corner, dressed with a tartan runner. And on either side, bedside tables are topped with blue and white porcelain lamps, and plug points on either side also include handy USB charging sockets. Across from the bed is the suite’s second TV, along with a small sitting area next to the bedroom’s windows.
The bathroom continues the classic feel, with tiling across the walls, and my eyes lit up at the ELEMIS amenities; smells are so emotive, they trigger memories in the brain, and when I smelled the body wash, it immediately transported me back to my days living in Glasgow when I used it as my shower gel of choice. I don’t often have time for a soak in the bath in a hotel, but I made use of it here.
A large double-sided built-in wardrobe provided plenty of storage space, along with a coffee and tea-making area and a small mini bar. My only little minor criticism is perhaps a Nespresso machine would feel more indulgent given it’s a suite, but the mini bottle of fresh milk was a welcome addition.
Drawing Room
After settling into my room, I made my way to the Drawing Room, which became our go-to spot during the stay. The space is relaxed and full of character, with plenty of nooks for guests to tuck themselves into. The top spot in the room, however, is the pair of sofas facing each other in front of the log fire, which crackles away from morning to night, giving the whole room a welcoming glow both day and night.
We began the afternoon with Afternoon Tea, three-tiered stands stacked with sweet and savoury delights ranging from finger sandwiches and filled brioche rolls, a sturdy sausage roll served with a small cup of soup, alongside dainty cakes on top. And no afternoon tea would be complete without clotted cream and jam, which arrived on a separate side plate.
By evening, we returned for pre-dinner drinks and canapés accompanied by the sound of Graham the pianist, and after dinner, we made our way back once more, this time to sink into the sofas beside the fire for a final nightcap.
Skylark
The latest dining experience in the hotel, Skylark was a former outdoor courtyard in the hotel, which has now been covered and completely redesigned to the tune of £5.5m. Worlds away from the rest of the hotel’s country house styling, this light-filled space has touches of Art Deco with its globe lighting and framed wall relief, so much so that it wouldn’t look out of place in London’s Mayfair or Chelsea. Walls are clad in trellis panelling, painted in duck egg blue. Underfoot herringbone flooring and a mix of curved booths and channel-tufted chairs offer a variety of seating options for diners.
Cocktail Class
At the centre of Skylark is the bar itself, which is quite the showpiece. A curved island bar sits under a crystal chandelier and is gently lit with mushroom lamps. Rising above it, a gleaming brass gantry is lined with wine glasses; wherever you sit in the room, your eye is drawn towards it. After our Afternoon Tea, we pulled up a bar stool for a cocktail master class with head barman Ross, also a fellow Ross, so we were off to a flying start. A row of martini glasses and Boston shakers sat before us, and for the next hour we learned some cocktail-making techniques and enjoyed tasting our own creations.
First up was the Feathered Fizz, one of the Skylark Specials, which is shaken and strained into a chilled martini glass. Then came something more tropical, a Jungle Bird, the classic tiki cocktail of dark rum, Campari, pineapple and lime, served over ice in a pineapple-shaped glass and crowned with a dried pineapple slice, a dehydrated citrus wheel and a single fresh raspberry. This fun experience can be booked as part of a stay at the hotel.
Dinner
Skylark’s menu is billed as modern, Scottish-inspired cuisine, and I like the ‘Aberdeen icon dishes’, which highlight a local favourites ranging from stovies made with Aberdeenshire beef fillet to a sticky toffee pudding to finish. To start, I selected the Aberdeen icon starter, a play on the city’s famous butteries, created in the 19th century to provide high-energy, long-lasting food for fishermen heading out to sea from Aberdeen; Skylark’s version has them topped with a mouthwatering mixture of white crab, fresh herbs and creme fresh and lemon.
For my main course, I had heard very good things about the steak, and a choice of fillet, ribeye, or Porterhouse cuts are available, but my eye was drawn to the description of the ‘Crying Tiger’, a New York strip marinated in honey, ginger and soy, which is served sliced and fanned across an oval plate, blushing pink in the middle and glossed in a dark, sticky glaze and topped with tenderstem broccoli, slivers of fresh red chilli and spring onion. Giving the dish a simultaneous sweet and salty flavour, with a gentle kick of heat, it paired well with a side of creamed sweetcorn with jalapeños and pecorino – which I think is my favourite side I have tasted this year.
Full by this point, I still managed to negotiate in my head room for dessert, and I opted for the Warm Cookies, which our server said was the most popular dessert item: three soft, chocolate-swirled cookies drizzled in chocolate sauce and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it was indeed spectacular. Just when I thought all the eating for the evening was complete, a surprise platter of sweets arrived, and I couldn’t resist one (well, two) final mouthfuls, one of Scottish tablet and the other a cocoa-dusted chocolate truffle.
Breakfast in the Conservatory
After a thoroughly good sleep (the bed genuinely so cosy I didn’t want to leave it), I made my way to the Conservatory for breakfast, which also doubles as the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant on selected evenings throughout the week. It’s a bright, airy space with a vaulted white timber ceiling, and French doors looking onto the terrace and gardens.
A continental spread is laid out on a side table, with a concise selection of cold items to help yourself to. The hot item menu is true to the North East; there are morning rolls and butteries on the menu, and you can choose from: a Full Scottish, complete with haggis and black pudding, smoked haddock with poached eggs, grilled kippers with parsley butter, or for something a little more indulgent, smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and caviar.
I opted for the vegetarian Scottish, which included a vegetarian sausage and haggis, a grilled flat mushroom, roasted plum tomato, a hash brown, a slice of potato scone, a little pot of baked beans, and a generous swirl of creamy scrambled eggs. A rack of toast on the side and a sophisticated addition to the breakfast repertoire, which I quite liked – a bottle of Tabasco on hand for those like me who, even at 9 am in the morning, like a little kick to the palate.
Spa
Marcliffe Spa had a refresh in 2024 and runs in partnership with ELEMIS. Not a full spa in the pool and sauna sense, but rather a focus on hands-on therapies. The menu covers everything from deep tissue massages to cleansing scrubs and facials. I opted for a back and shoulder massage which was expertly delivered so much so that I almost fell asleep during it.
Day Trips
Another of the hotel’s assets is what lies on its doorstep; exit the hotel and turn right, and you quickly enter Royal Deeside, a stretch of Aberdeenshire that was so beloved to the Royal Family that Queen Victoria made it her Highland home. Today the area is dotted with castles, distilleries and pretty villages to explore. To make the most of our time, we left the logistics to Luxe Scot, an Aberdeen-based luxury chauffeur company, who whisked us between stops in style. Their team specialises in bespoke itineraries across Scotland, from whisky and distillery experiences to golf trips and longer tours around the North Coast 500, so they’re well worth contacting.
Royal Lochnagar
Our first stop was a tour of Royal Lochnagar, around an hour’s drive from the hotel, just a mile from Balmoral Castle. Founded by John Begg in 1845, the distillery earned its royal title just three years later, after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert dropped in for a visit and a dram and instantly gave it Royal approval. Our tour was led by the highly engaging Moira. I have had many distillery tours over the years, but Moira brought a vibrant energy with her that kept the tour engaging thoughout. We explored the workings of the whole distillery and saw casks laid down in the warehouses.
We finished in the tasting room, which felt more like a Highland lodge than a visitor centre, and it was a complete surprise when Moira opened the doors to it. A flight of four drams awaited us, along with a rather special cask sample filled in 2000, poured straight from the bottle, while lamp-lit shelves showcased some of the distillery’s rarest bottlings, from a vintage Selected Reserve to a 26-year-old Pursuits Edition, presented in its own leather case; it was a very special experience that I know every whisky enthusiast would really cherish.
Crathes Castle
Closer to the hotel, around 25 minutes west, near Banchory, is Crathes Castle, which also shares its name with one of Marcliffe’s new Superior rooms. Almost fairy-tale in stature with its corbelled turrets, construction began in 1553 and was completed in 1596 by Alexander Burnett of Leys, whose family held the land for almost 400 years before Sir James Burnett, 13th Baronet, handed the castle to the National Trust for Scotland in 1951. Inside, it’s every bit as special, but the real star of the show is its Jacobean painted ceilings, which are some of the finest in Scotland.
Final Thoughts
Marcliffe has always had history on its side, but under its new ownership, it now has ambition to match. The new suites are an exciting addition to the property, and its Skylark restaurant is a destination in itself. Marcliffe is a hotel that makes a very strong case for staying in Aberdeen rather than simply passing through it, and I have no hesitation in recommending this as a luxurious base for exploring Aberdeenshire.
