‘We were looking forward to our stay,’ write Guide insiders, on returning to this classical Georgian mansion in ‘wonderful grounds’, rescued from ruin in the 1990s by Don and Wendy Matheson.

Light, bright and full of life, Sean and Karen O’Byrne’s super-modern, eco-friendly house is all Scandi style and floor-to-ceiling windows offering memorable views of Loch Creran.

Mellow sandstone battlements, turrets and towers are revealed only at the final turn of the ‘lengthy’ drive through the ‘vibrant, meticulously tended’ grounds of Paul and Poppy Szkiler’s 19th-century baronial pile.

‘A lovely building in a beautiful square’, this style-conscious hotel is liked for its ‘charming, quietly efficient staff’ and its modish bedrooms – ‘comfortable, with a touch of luxury’.

South of Goat Fell’s pyramidal peak, this large, child-friendly destination is the only resort on the Scottish isles.

An Edinburgh landmark for over a century, this Victorian railway stopover is today a thoroughly 21st-century luxury hotel (Rocco Forte Hotels).