Set on Scotland’s Sutherland coastline at the start of the North Coast 500, Royal Marine Hotel Brora is an Arts and Crafts period country house, transformed into a coastal retreat, complete with a quintessential, yet contemporary Highland welcome. The building itself, designed in 1913 by the celebrated architect, Sir Robert Lorimer, as a private residence, was acquired by Highland Coast Hotels and reopened in 2022 following a £1.6 million refurbishment. The result is a 21-room bolthole, complete with dining space championing local produce, a cosy bar, set alongside one of the area’s most challenging golf links. A convenient hour from Inverness and the same onto to Wick and Thurso makes this the perfect base to either relax and explore the area or use it as a stepping stone on your journey around Scotland’s rugged highland coast. Ross from The Luxury Editor recently checked in, as a guest of whisky distillery Old Pulteney, as part of their 200th anniversary celebrations. Read on to discover more.
Scotland, Highlands, Brora
Royal Marine Hotel, Brora
(4 stars)Brora has a fascinating history. Once a former mining village, it was the first place north of Inverness to have electricity, which led its residents to dub their home ‘Electric City’ over over 100 years ago. Royal Marine Hotel Brora sits at its very heart on Golf Road, overlooking the mouth of the River Brora and out towards the sea. The building retains many of its original Arts and Crafts interiors, from wood panelling and leaded windows through to its sweeping central staircase. New interiors by Edinburgh-based ISA (read our review of Pine Trees Hotel, another of their interior design projects) give it a modern Scandi-Scot feel, that cleverly layers its contemporary sensibility on top without the property losing any of its historical house personality.
Stepping inside, you are greeted by its small drawing room area, with two petrol blue Chesterfields and floral wing chairs, positioned around its grand fireplace. Beyond lies the reception desk, and your eye is immediately drawn to its large model sailing yacht sitting proudly behind it.
Atmospheric Scottish artwork runs thoughout the communal spaces and bedrooms. I took note of the black and white photograph by Glynn Satterley, of a lone kilted piper on moorland tracks outside Dornoch, which sits above an oak side table which offers a selection of welcome brownie cubes sitting temptingly in a glass dome, which I must admit to dipping in and out of each time I passed throughout my stay. There seemed to be plenty to go around….
Location
The hotel’s central location on the eastern side of the North Coast 500, the 516-mile coastal touring route, makes it half its appeal. Golf is a big draw; the historical 18-hole links of Brora Golf Club, which was designed by James Braid, runs right alongside the hotel, whilst the famous Royal Dornoch, regularly ranked among the finest courses in the world, is just twenty minutes south. For non-golfers, you can enjoy walks along the beach, spotting seals and cormorants, and make sure to explore the fairytale turrets of Dunrobin Castle, which is very close by too.
Old Pulteney
My stay at the hotel was part of a 48-hour trip to Cailhness with Old Pulteney to mark a very significant milestone in the distillery’s history, 200 years since James Henderson first fired the stills at Pulteney in 1826. Brora makes a great staging post, the drive taking around an hour as the road winds and hugs the coastline, ascending the Caithness coastline on its way to Wick. Our first stop was the ruins of the Castle of Old Wick, which stand dramatically on a spine of rock projecting into the North Sea, between two deep, narrow gullies.
Old Pulteney distillery sits at the harbour of Wick, the area once called Pulteneytown, the British Fisheries purpose-built community that, for a brief period of time, was the busiest herring port in Europe. The distillery is one of the most northerly in the Scottish mainland, and is known as The Maritine Malt for its unique salt-tinged character, which the North Sea climate imparts into the whisky barrels. Old Pulteney’s flavour character is shaped literally, by its paid or stills, both the wash and spirit still have quite bulbous boiling boils below their neck, which is credited to give the whisky its fragrant oily signature, while the wash still had no swan neck, rather a flat top, which is said to be an improvisation when the still was first put in and too tall for the building. The improvisation stuck, and its silhouette forms the shape of the bottle too.
My Experience
The two days were a privilege and a truly one-of-a-kind experience for a whisky fanatic like myself (see my Instagram for videos), from a whisky-paired dinner. An immersive jewellery workshop with Thurso-based artist Lindsey Gallacher, a 200th anniversary distillery tour with Distillery Manager Malcolm Waring, a whisky tasting up at Noss Head Lighthouse, and a paired seafood dinner at The Galley Scrabster in Thurso.
Rooms
The hotel has 21 bedrooms ranging from standard, through to deluxe and superior, all presented in double or twin configurations, with the latter two offering enhanced views to the beach and garden, along with Junior Suites and Master Suites, both of which have an additional lounge area. My room was decorated in deep sea blue to dado level height, the bed topped with pillows and cushions and finished with a large tartan throw by The Tartan Blanket Company. To each side of the bed, a Scandi-style wooden stool acts as the bedside table and conical black wall lamps, which wouldn’t look out of place in Copenhagen, point down. Above the bed hung two moody, abstract seascapes by Sheenagh Harrison and in the corner, a leather strap hanging shelf displaying a small trio of pottery by Sutherland potter Fergus Stewart. The bathroom continues the room’s contemporary cool, with vertically stacked zellige style tiling, a powerful walk-in rain shower and amenities by Arran Sense of Scotland.
Dining
The Curing Yard Restaurant, the hotel’s main dining room, sits across various light-filled rooms on the ground floor and is named after the village’s former herring industry. The kitchen champions and are proud of the area’s rich larder, with ingredients coming from as locally as possible.
Bar
Time didn’t allow, but The Megal Boyd Bar, named after the celebrated salmon fly-tyer who counted King Charles among her friends and the ideal spot for a pre or post-dinner cocktail, their signature ones all named after Megan’s famous fishing flies. While the James Braid Lounge, named after the legendary architect of the neighbouring Brora links course, is a relaxed all-day space for coffees through to early evening drinks.
Gym Access
The hotel also has a gym on-site in partnership with Taiwan-based Silverback Gyms, offering guests complimentary access during their stay.
Final Thoughts
I had often wondered what Caithness looked like, and it over-delivered; it’s breathtaking and dramatic, and made me want to drive the North Coast 500 the moment I got home. The Royal Marine Hotel, Brora, is a beautiful boutique base to explore the area, and Old Pulteney is an exciting whisky that is worth exploring for any seasoned whisky enthusiast or new to the dram. Thanks for having me; it’s an experience that will stay with me for a long time to come.
