Good Hotel Guide

‘Strongly endorsed’ by trusted readers on a return visit, this ‘wonderful’ whitewashed 1840s dower house at the end of a tree-lined drive displays ‘impressive, unchanging excellence’.

Bright gardens, dotted with sculptures, and a sweep of lawns tumble down to a private lochside terrace from this Victorian country house, where many thoughtful touches ‘set the hotel apart’.

In one of the most dramatic settings of any UK hotel, Jane MacFarlane’s 18th-century-cum-Victorian mansion stands against a backdrop of woodland and mountain, overlooking Loch Shiel.

Sweet flows Rabbie Burns’s beloved River Nith, past the garden of an old manse that the poet knew well. Owned by Jane and Ian McAndrew, it is swept up from the Shortlist on a wave of reader approval.

Stone eagles mark your arrival at the gates of Nick and Charlotte Dent’s ‘impressive’ Victorian hunting lodge, down a single-track road, its lawns lapped by Loch Gairloch.

‘A wonderful experience.’ Back in the Guide after rave reviews, this handsome 17th-century mansion gazes across Beauly Firth.

A ‘little jewel’ in a secluded setting, this small baronial mansion is enveloped by sweeping manicured lawns within acres of woodland.

One of Scotland’s first country house hotels, the turreted 1920s mansion in tranquil, ‘elegant gardens’ is owned by Mark and Christopher Forrester, grandsons of two of the original founders.

In mature woodland and gardens, Jan and Adam Moore’s relaxed and pet-friendly Scottish country house hotel is in an 18th-century former sporting lodge.

‘Scottish country house living on a grand scale.’ Near the mainland’s northern tip, this Georgian mansion is surrounded by woodland and waterfall on the Forss river, a fishing hot spot.

Heathery tones and tweedy fabrics bring a breath of fresh Orkney air to this family-run hotel in two Victorian villas just outside the city centre.

In a ‘wonderful setting’ on the shores of the Solway Firth, Graeme Lamb’s hotel affords spectacular views across the water to Hestan Isle and the peaks of the Lake District.

You can take the ferry from Oban, or hop across on a twin-propeller plane, to discover Jane and Alex Howard’s 18th-century inn, bar and village hub, on a hillside overlooking the harbour.

‘A real star, we enjoyed our stay,’ enthuse Guide regulars, who visited several hotels on either side of this year’s Scottish cruise. ‘It was by far our favourite.’

‘A very special place,’ say guests in 2019, of Sian and David Ibbotson’s Victorian hunting lodge overlooking the Irish Sea. ‘The accommodating hosts went out of their way, more than once, to ensure we had a terrific time.’

Set within a comfortable expanse of wooded acreage, the Macdonalds’ ‘fabulous’ country house is run in ‘an efficient but relaxing way’.

‘What a delightful place!’ Surrounded by a widescreen landscape washed with ever-changing light, this thoroughly Orcadian, ‘extremely welcoming’ restaurant-with-rooms is run by the hands-on Doull family.

‘They make you feel welcome and at home’ at Sally and David Ruthven-Fox’s dog-friendly hotel ‘by the shores of Loch Sunart and surrounded by hills’.

‘A wonderful and special place from which to explore this magical island.’

‘Excellent food’ and a ‘lovely’ welcome await visitors to Tim and Patricia Martin and Neil King’s former manse overlooking the Maldivian-blue seas and sugar-white sands of a bite-shaped cove.

‘Dr Johnson and Mr James Boswell dine here tomorrow – which they did and I gave Mr Johnson rhubarb seeds and some melon.’ Here is Sir Alexander Dick, Laird of Prestonfield, writing of visitors to his 17th-century mansion at the foot of Arthur’s Seat.

‘A comfortable and friendly base,’ writes a trusted Guide reader and first-time visitor to Susannah and Stuart Macpherson’s ‘really lovely’ Highlands hotel.

With ‘wonderful views from the terrace, and handy for the ferry terminal’, Leslie and Margaret Crane’s hotel looks out across Oban Bay to the isles of Lismore and Mull.

‘In a superb position overlooking Badcall Bay’, this 18th-century church manse-turned-hotel gains a full entry at the urging of readers and a Guide inspector.