The Best Hotels in Scotland for Every Traveller

A former 19th-century church in the fashionable West End, the Malmaison offers you suites with a distinctive character. The most romantic is the Manhattan loft-style Duplex Suite, where the giant bed sits on a mezzanine and skylights offer a view of the city’s twinkling lights. There’s 24-hour room service if you want to hide away and order up. You can also book a package such as Love Suite Love for champagne in your room and a prix fixe meal.

Dakota’s stylish white-and-grey rooms with squishy beds set the tone for romance. Venture downstairs for great date-night spots, such as the Dakota Bar, where you can sip on martinis and daiquiris, or the heated outdoor cigar terrace. If you can’t drag yourself away from your room, book the package A Night In, Dakota Style, which includes a chateaubriand with sides and sauces and a bottle of Tempranillo red wine, all delivered to your room.

Rocking up at the Hotel du Vin, at 1 Devonshire Gardens, is romantic in itself, as it’s located on an elegant terrace of five cream-coloured 19th-century townhouses and has a curving staircase inside. Up the ante with one of its packages, such as Fabulous Fridays, where champagne on ice awaits in your room and you can order a seasonal prix fixe dinner beneath the chandelier in the oak-panelled restaurant.

Can’t bear to leave your furry companion at home? Cats and dogs alike are welcome at this arty 374-room hotel beside the railway station, themed around the golden era of railway travel in Scotland (pets cost an extra fee of £5 per night). Attractions and open spaces within walking distance, such as George Square, make it easy to bring your pup along whenever you pop out.

This spa resort with an impressive heated outdoor infinity pool and hot tub isn’t just a haven for humans. Set in a Highland scenery on the coast of Loch Fyne, dogs will be in their element running on the beach and trotting around the marina – you could even take them sailing. Back at base, they’re allowed to stay in the studio apartments, cottages or the eco-lodge Tighnamara, all of which come with kitchens to rustle up your dog’s dinner.

With the five rooms gifted whimsically Scottish names like Tartan, Thistle and Heather, you know you’re in for some local charm at this boutique B&B. The owner, Lorraine, has plenty of tips on where to visit – and she knows how to make guests feel at home, from her traditional breakfasts and a shared lounge area with comfy sofas to a log fire and complimentary nightcap drinks.

The owners behind the elegant 94DR, a guesthouse with concierge, will gladly help arrange anything – from restaurant reservations to in-room massages. Their friends affectionately call them “HOGs” (high octane gays), thanks to their passion for fun, as seen in their touches such as an honesty bar and bikes being available to borrow for free. Slightly set away from the main tourist beat, the front-facing rooms have views over Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat.

Looking for a spa break? Tucked away in this sleek quayside hotel is the Yu Spa, where Asian flourishes (such a hummingbird wallpaper and Buddha statues) grace the treatment area. You can rotate between the ozone (chlorine-free) pool, sauna, and hydrotherapy hot tub. After a massage, it’s surely time for wining and dining, so bag a window table at the hotel’s Quayside Bar & Grill. Wellness is all about balance, after all.

The natural shades of heather, hills and mist in these plush hotel rooms are enough to slip you into a tranquil state, helped by the little extras of Irene Forte skincare and in-room bars. And that’s before you’ve even reached the spa. There, the signature treatment is a hot stone massage, where basalt stones are placed along the body’s chakras to open up energy pathways, while oils of seaweed, lemongrass, lavender and juniper are used to detoxify the skin.