Find a spot for quiet contemplation, as did Guide readers this year, in the expertly maintained gardens or graceful public rooms of this ‘lovely place’ on the edge of the Cairngorms national park. The MacRobert family home has been ‘extensively and beautifully refurbished’: there are portraits on panelled walls, low armchairs by a grand piano, a library with an open fire. On a balmy evening, take drinks on the front terrace facing ‘sweeping views’ of the Grampian mountains. Genteel bedrooms in the main house look over the grounds and Aberdeenshire countryside. Architect-designed apartments and cottages on the estate, most with a kitchenette, suit a family or a group of friends. ‘We had a good room at the back of the hotel. The view of the glorious morning sun spreading its golden rays through the cloud and on to the frosted ground was a sight to remember.’ At lunch and dinner, chef David Butters cooks ‘excellent, inventive’ Scottish menus using organic vegetables and fruit from the walled garden. ‘We enjoyed a pumpkin panna cotta starter and a wonderful Jerusalem artichoke velouté; excellent venison; an elegant cheese plate.’ (David Birnie)