Prestonfield

‘Neatness and sweetness all around, These at Prestonfield are found,’ wrote Benjamin Franklin after a stay at this 17th-century mansion in parkland under Arthur’s Seat. ‘This hotel was wonderful,’ a trusted reader waxes no less lyrical. For James Thomson OBE, who bought it in 2003, it was the fulfilment of a long-held dream, and a dream it is, a vision of lavishness, with paintings, tapestries, gilded mirrors, carved four-posters, chinoiserie lacquered cabinets, tooled and gilded leather wall coverings in the principal bedchamber … The atmosphere is so rich you could bottle it. ‘When we arrived, the remnants of a wedding were in progress. Pipers and pretty maidens abounded.’ Bedrooms have a minibar, mood lighting, perhaps a view of Craigmillar Castle ruins. In Rhubarb restaurant ‘dinner was superb’, from ‘a leek thing and duck pâté’ to ‘rack of lamb and a gorgeous strawberry concoction’. Introduced to Scotland by former resident Sir Alexander Dick, rhubarb appears at breakfast in compote and porridge, along with a full Scottish, full vegan, house-smoked salmon and much more, all just ten minutes from the city centre. (JB)