A new list of the “best places to stay in the UK for 2024” has been revealed, and a luxury Scottish hotel has taken the number one spot. With March finally here, people all over Scotland will be thinking about planning a spring or summer staycation. For those in need of inspiration, The Times has released its “annual expert list of the country’s top hotels” across Scotland, England, and Wales.
Amongst the 100 hotels and inns featured on the list, The Gleneagles Hotel came in at number one for the whole of the UK. The hotel was named Hotel of the Year, Scotland Hotel of the Year, and Countryside Hotel of the Year by The Times.
The historic hotel, which dates back to 1924, was singled out by the newspaper for its glamorous décor and “friendly” service. The Times also praised the 232-bedroom hotel for combining historic touches with a “fresh” experience.
The newspaper wrote: “It is not so much a conventional hotel as a chameleon in a kilt, as it manages to be not just a Scottish baronial mansion for luxury loafing but also a world-famous golf course, a wellness retreat, an epicurean experience, a romantic interlude, a family adventure, an all-action shooting and fishing base and even a trainspotter’s delight with its own railway station.”
Elsewhere, many other Scottish hotels also feature on The Times’ prestigious annual list. In second place for Scotland, coming in at number eight for the whole of the UK, is Cromlix in Stirling.
Owned by Scottish tennis legend Andy Murray, the rural country house hotel is home to 15 luxury bedrooms and the acclaimed Glasshouse restaurant. The work carried out by Murray’s wife Kim Sears and interior designer Suzanne Garuda to modernise the hotel were given particular praise, with The Times commenting on its “colour-popping look” and “eye-catching” art.
Elsewhere, The Fife Arms in the Aberdeenshire village of Braemar appears at number 10 on the newspaper’s list. Referring to it as “perhaps the world’s most unusual art hotel”, The Fife Arms was noted for its off-kilter décor and mouthwatering Clunie restaurant.