The Best Hotels Near Edinburgh for Weekend Escapes

Built in the wake of Queen Victoria’s annual romps to the Highlands, this 19th-century hunting lodge in Braemar, three-hours north of the capital, is a one-in-a-million kind of place. It has decadent suites themed around Scottish poetry, culture and royal history. There are 16,000 antiques and artworks around the building, as the owners are renowned Swiss art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Book ahead, because everyone else wants a slice of its splendour.

As Alain Ducasse is to Paris, Tom Kitchin is to Edinburgh. Kitchin currently oversees three restaurants and gastropubs in the city centre, but this is his first endeavour beyond the city limits. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, this 19th-century-era restaurant with rooms is a beauty – inside, rooms are sandy and mottled grey, like the beach and sky outside. The fire-lit Stables brasserie does delectable farm grub, while Kitchin’s reputation means there’s regional provenance to sample on every plate: expect Orkney scallops, Highland wagyu and gossamer-fine Loch Fyne oysters.

Andy Murray: double Wimbledon champion, Olympic gold medallist, knighted by Prince Charles and now a hotel owner. The Dunblane native ploughed £7 million into this historic 16-room property in his hometown. He also got married there, as did his brother. The steep price-tag comes with a restaurant from legendary French chef Albert Roux, a chapel in the grounds and more than enough sink-in-slowly bathtubs and gentrified Penhaligon toiletries to soothe any muscles pulled while on the courts. Tennis breaks, understandably, are rather popular here.

If you need any insider tips about this old-fashioned country hotel in Dumfries and Galloway, just ask Roxy, the house’s golden retriever. Her manor house has won plaudits for its dog-friendly rooms and perks (dog sitting, gourmet treat welcome pack, walking map, free breakfast sausages and reiki therapy), but there’s plenty for owners to embrace, too. Try the Garden Suite, with its own conservatory, or settle in for vegetarian-friendly menus and fireside cocktail bar with Scottish craft gins. Not included – but worth the splurge – are horse riding, falconry and classic car rentals to make the most of the fresh air in the surrounding Keir hills.

OK, so it’s not in Scotland. But this bolthole in the North Pennines is still less than three hours from Edinburgh and it’s a corker of an overnight break on the high road to the capital. Originally a hallowed abbot’s lodge, the look matches up with the present day through exposed beam ceilings, medieval firesides, abbey views and cheery, monastic hospitality. Ale, naturally, is on tap in vaulted chamber pub The Crypt Bar and The Bishop’s Dining Room dabbles in Olde English cuisine.

It’s not the championship golf course or garden-grown produce that you’ll talk about when you return home – it’s the silence, fresh air and free-roaming estate that will. If salmon fishing on the Scottish Borders is on your list, this location is perfect. Plus, you’re only an hour from Edinburgh – yet you’ll feel a world apart. If this all sounds exhausting, park yourself in the library bar or drawing room with the first of many exquisite drams.

The quiet Argyll town of Inverary isn’t known for its luxury escapes, but this waterside retreat is the exception. Rooms fit the sweeping Highlands mood with tartan carpets, woolen throws and stag antler lamps. The restaurant and bar play their role, too. Cladach Mòr Bistro (Gaelic for ‘great shore’) brings moments of edible joy with its Scottish larder of oysters, venison, langoustines and lobster mac ’n’ cheese. Bring an appetite. Nailing the Highlander vibe, with claymore and shield above the hearth, the Loch View Bar is a sanctuary on a grisly day. As the sky swells with rain, take a drink and soak in the melancholic views of one of Scotland’s most moody sea lochs.