‘A comfortable and friendly base,’ writes a trusted Guide reader and first-time visitor to Susannah and Stuart Macpherson’s ‘really lovely’ Highlands hotel. Built for Sir George Steuart Mackenzie in 1821, the ‘rambling, wonderful’ building is swaddled by ‘magnificent’ gardens with rhododendrons and mature trees including two giant sequoia. The ground-floor public rooms sport vintage hunting paintings hung beneath ornate plasterwork ceilings – a key element in Coul’s listed status. It all adds up to ‘a very pleasant atmosphere’. A room at the back had ‘superb’ views, a ‘restful green-grey’ palette, generous storage, good lighting. Some rooms have a smart sofa that converts into a bed for children; one has a four-poster and a bathroom with a double-ended, roll-top tub. In the octagonal dining room with its dramatic red curtains, chef Garry Kenley’s ‘inventive’ locally sourced dishes include slow-roasted pork belly, mashed potato, savoury cabbage, barbecue sauce, butternut squash chutney. Dogs are welcome. ‘Ours was fussed over by the staff. The grounds were great for first and last exercise.’ (MK Webster)