handpicked stays: Scotland

A selection of hotels, retreats, houses, and inns, each chosen for something exceptional—whether location, heritage, design, atmosphere, or cuisine.

  • Room with large glass sliding door showcasing a scenic view of purple flowers, green trees, mountains, and water under a cloudy sky.

    Sweeney’s Bothy–Eigg

    A Bothy experience with modern conveniences: electricity, wood burning stove, midge screens, solar panels, spring water, and an outdoor shower. This unique bothy is popular so you need to book ahead.

    Price band: £

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON EIGGTIME.COM
  • A sign for Clachaig Inn offering real ale, accommodation, and good food, set against a lush green field with mountainous terrain in the background.

    Clachaig Inn–Glencoe

    A traditional Inn with comfortable rooms. The ‘Boots Bar’ serves pub food and cask ales. I stayed here while walking the West Highland Way–It’s a great place to unwind after a days adventure.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON BOOKING.COM
  • A modern house with dark wooden exterior in a natural setting during winter, with leafless trees and sparse frost on the ground.

    The Lengths–Fort William

    A guest suite in a renovated modernist creative space with original art, vintage furniture, and natural textiles. The Lengths overlooks a loch, on a peninsula near Fort William and Glen Nevis.

    Price band £

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON AIRB&B.COM
  • A luxurious bedroom featuring a four-poster bed with dark blue and red curtains, a framed painting of sheep and dogs on the wall, a wooden dresser, a small cabinet, a planted doorway, and a seating area with a rug and upholstered furniture. The room has dark blue patterned wallpaper and elaborate window drapes.

    The Fife Arms

    A unique, imaginative, art-filled hotel that blends Scottish heritage with avant-garde design. Located in the centre of Braemar with a wide range of themed rooms. The hotel has an original Picasso and a Louise Bourgeois on the walls.

    Price band: £–££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON FIFEARMS.COM
  • Stone building with a sign reading 'The Mash Tun' and windows, surrounded by trees and a paved ground.

    The Mash Tun–Speyside

    A whisky-themed pub in Aberlour with themed rooms.A great location for a walkers, fishermen and Whisky lovers. The range of Whisky offered in the bar is superb, and includes rare Glenfarclas family casks.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON BOOKING.COM
  • A large, white, two-story house with a dark roof, illuminated from below, and several windows with lights on inside. The house has two red doors, one on the center and one on the right, and is surrounded by a gravel driveway with a grassy area in front. The sky above is mostly dark with a hint of sunset on the horizon.

    Monkstadt 1745–Isle of Skye

    A luxury lodge located in Trotternish, northern Skye. This tastefully restored lodge was the former home of the chief of Clan McDonald. Think roll top baths, glorious views and fine dining.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON BOOKING.COM
  • Modern black metal house with large front window during sunset, with mountains in the distance.

    Black H–Isle of Skye

    A luxury bothy surrounded by open croft on the Isle of Skye’s rugged west coast. I love the soft minimalist styling of this property and its high on my list of places to stay in Scotland.

    Price band: £££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON AIRB&B.COM
  • A forest scene with tall trees and a dirt path leading to a small house in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.

    Callie Bothy–Speyside

    Scandinavian design cabin meets Scottish artisan style in a secluded woodland setting. This cabin was designed and hand built using natural and sustainable yet has the amenities of a hotel suite.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON CALLIEBOTHY.SCOT
  • A white hotel building with a sign that reads 'St. Columba Hotel Isle of Iona' on a bright, sunny day with blue skies. In the foreground, there is a garden full of white daisies and pink flowers, and an old stone church with a tower is visible in the background.

    St Columba Hotel–Iona

    A peaceful 3 star hotel near to the Iona Abbey with sweeping views over the sound of Iona. Good restaurant using ingredients from the our award-winning organic garden. I had lunch here and its my top pick for Iona.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON BOOKING.COM
  • A bedroom with dark purple walls, colorful floral curtains, a patterned sofa, a bed with a multicolored headboard and pillows, a red lampshade, a green lampshade, a red furry rug, and a decorative deer head with floral patterns on the wall. The ceiling has artistic shadow patterns.

    Ardbeg House–Islay

    Whisky Brand Ardbeg have created a luxurious new Hotel in Port Ellen with 12 themed bedrooms. I stayed in the previous incarnation of this hotel and I have high hopes. Opens in Autumn 2025.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON ARDBEG.COM
  • A modern, glass-encased tiny house on wheels set on a hillside near a lake, with interior lights on, overlooking a cloudy sky and distant landscape.

    The Airship–Drimnin, near Mull

    The AirShip is situated in a secluded location with expansive views over the Sound of Mull . he full glass front windows by the bed and in the ceiling allow choice for stargazing of the constellations at night.

    Price band: ££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON AIRB&B
  • Aerial view of a large house on the shoreline of a lake with green rolling hills in the background.

    Aultbea Hotel–Loch Ewe

    A restored historic inn nestled on the shores of Loch Ewe in the Scottish Highlands. Comfortable rooms and a traditional restaurant serving Scottish cuisine. This was a good value stop for me while driving the NC500.

    Price band £–££

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON BOOKING.COM
  • A wooden house covered in snow in a winter landscape, surrounded by snow-covered trees under a cloudy sky.

    Cabin–Loch Ness

    A stylish and cosy 2 bedroom cabin a few minutes’ stroll from the shores of Loch Ness with its cafés, restaurants, boat trips and walks. The fire pit in the courtyard is a great place for sitting under the stars at night.

    Price band: £

    CHECK AVAILABILITY ON AIRB&B.COM