The Best Boutique Hotels To Book In Dundee

From a mansion overlooking the University Botanic Garden to a swanky designer bolthole swathed in dark velvet, here’s our pick of the best boutique hotels in Dundee, bookable with Culture Trip, where you can base yourself while exploring the V&A, Broughty Castle, Camperdown Wildlife Centre and the Scottish city’s other great attractions.

1. The Shaftesbury Hotel, for period features

Boutique Hotel

Cosy bedroom with red and light-brown colour scheme, desk and rose-hued carpeting at the Shaftesbury Hotel in Dundee

Fans of haggis and Indian food will salivate at this Victorian stone residence in Dundee’s West End, where you can start the day with a Scottish breakfast and end it with a tandoori king prawn dinner. Plenty of original features to be admired at this hotel in Dundee range from high ceilings to a white marble fireplace and bay window in the dining room. Single, twin, double and triple rooms have character, some set into the eaves, some with pleasingly arched windows. Don’t miss the waterfront V&A Dundee design museum, the first V&A outside London, a five-minute taxi ride away.

2. Taypark House, for a Scotch on the rocks

Boutique Hotel, Independent Hotel

Family bedroom with king and two single beds, exposed stone wall, wood beam and plush carpet at Taypark House, Dundee

Taypark House in Dundee’s West End is one of the city’s most sought-after stays. In a nod to Scotland’s past, minimalist rooms show faint traces of contemporary tartan. No expenses are spared when it comes to this jute baron mansion, from panoramic Botanic Garden views to claw-footed bathtubs. Brimming with a wealth of bespoke Scottish gins, the dreamy bar masters the art of urban serenity by extending the party to the lush outdoors.

3. Apex City Quay Hotel and Spa, for a Japanese-inspired stay

Boutique Hotel, Spa Hotel

Modern room with geometric-pattern carpet, mustard-hued drapes and floor-to-ceiling windows at Apex City Quay Hotel and Spa in Dundee

One of Dundee’s most cosmopolitan stays, the Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa offers that boutique home-away-from-home feel within a larger setting. Peppered with Elemis products and state-of-the-art beauty treatments, the luscious Yu Spa honours the age-old Japanese practice of finding healing through hot water, or Yu. The ethereal light flooding the contemporary rooms can be credited to the sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows, while vibrant fixtures add a sense of fun.

5. Malmaison Dundee, for local flavour

Boutique Hotel

Sultry bedroom in violet hues with plush velvet furnishings, dark striped wallpaper and soft carpet at Malmaison Dundee

Malmaison rests in its own super-luxe league. Adding a touch of fabulous to the city’s burgeoning waterfront, this artfully designed hotel in Dundee is centrally located and fitted with all the trimmings. Plush velvets meet opaque patterned wallpapers and contemporary light fixtures. Grand rooms pay homage to Dundee’s comic heritage with trendy Dennis the Menace pictures, while the dream-inducing beds are ready for lazy lounging and restorative moments. From bottomless lunches at the swanky brasserie to the magical cocktails flowing in the bar, Malmaison ticks all boutique boxes.

Jo Fernandez contributed additional reporting to this article.

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