Just back from fourteen nights in Scotland, exploring the destination and doing hotel site inspections... these are my reviews. As always, I would emphasize that these are my own, subjective opinions, based on my own personal aesthetic taste. Others can and should disagree!
EDINBURGH
All three Edinburgh hotels reviewed are members of Virtuoso.
Rocco Forte The Balmoral, located by the train station in Edinburgh, was built in 1902 as a railway hotel. The railroad put the project out to bid, seeking proposals, and the winning proposal was submitted by Sir Rocco’s father. The hotel later became the first hotel to bear the Rocco Forte brand when Sir Rocco (the son) formed his company.
Due to high occupancy, we were able to see just two rooms. Guest room categories include Classic (not included in the Virtuoso contract), Executive, Deluxe, and Castle View. The Castle View we were shown was a spacious room with a high ceiling. Decorated in an updated residential style, primarily in shades of green, the room bears a definite family resemblance to other hotels in the Rocco Forte chain. Large bay windows offer a great view of castle in the distance and Scots Memorial in the foreground. The bathroom provides a single vanity with the shower was in tub. Some suites have step-in showers in addition to soaking tubs.
The Classic Suite felt quite residential and had a gas fireplace in the living room with a small, separate bedroom (the size of a Classic room). The bathroom had a step-in shower and soaking tub but still just a single vanity. Some but not all suites offer step-in showers.
Most Virtuoso clients would probably choose The Balmoral over the other choices in Edinburgh.
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian. We were guests for two evenings staying in a Deluxe Castle View room. Our room measured about 350 square feet with high, ten foot ceilings, a reasonable size for a European hotel in a landmark building. Our room (#400) had a tall window in the corner affording a direct view of the Edinburgh Castle with St Cuthbert’s clock tower in the foreground. A second large window in the bathroom offered the same view. I enjoyed the sunrise and sunset views from my window, although the window placement was such that one had to stand directly in front of the window in order to see the view. There was no real view from the center of the bedroom.
The interior style is traditional, walls painted grey-green to a height of eight feet with a two-foot strip of wallpaper above with a design of thistle over a dark gold field. The room would definitely benefit from a lighter, updated colors and rethought hard goods (the furniture was rather nondescript). WiFi was fast and reliable, but the desk lacked proper outlets. The bathroom had a large double vanity with plenty of shelf space and a shower in the bathtub.
Housekeeping left something to be desired. We asked for extra towels the first day which were brought right up, but but when housekeeping made up the room the next morning, they left only one set of clean towels. Turn-down service turned down just a corner of the sheets on one side of the bed but did not leave water on the table or slippers by the bed.
The hotel’s best feature is its convenient location with an easy walk to the Edinburgh Castle.
G&V Royal Mile Hotel, formerly branded The Missoni, is a design hotel that bills itself as the only five star hotel right on the Royal Mile. (G&V stands for George and Victoria). The hotel has a creative and modern interior design, having worked with several local interior designers in Edinburgh and given each the freedom to design something unique. The results are imaginative and almost whimsical. Bottom line: though it’s not my style, I loved it!
There are four room categories — Standard (not yet renovated), Superior, Deluxe, and Suites. We did not see a lead-in Standard/Superior Room (just 28 square meters). We were shown a Deluxe room, 32 square meters in area. Though the room has no closet (just an armoire) and a very small bathroom, the most is made of the available space, and the room felt comfortable to me. The tiny bathrooms have no tubs (just a step-in shower) and a small single vanity. Suites, on the other hand, are spacious and quite unique. Some offer both a shower and soaking tub.
Bottom line: unless the small rooms and tiny bathrooms are an absolute turn-off, and if you want to be on the Royal Mile in the heart of Edinburgh’s touristic attractions, G&V Royal Mile is worth a try. I think it would be fun to spend a couple of nights here in a Deluxe Room or Suite.
We were hosted for lunch at the hotel’s exceptional Italian restaurant, Cucina, which I can highly recommend.
ST. ANDREWS
The Old Course Hotel is not what I expected. From the name and its location, I anticipated an older, traditional hotel in a building whose architecture matched its setting in the historic town of St. Andrews. Instead, the Old Course Hotel is a contemporary building with 144 rooms, built in the 1960’s, with two floors of guest rooms (and a very few on the ground floor). On walking in the front door, the elegant decor reminded me of a Ritz Carlton — or perhaps a step up, as the doormen were dressed in tails and live piano music from the Afternoon Tea wafted into the lobby. Quite an upscale first impression.
As the hotel was quite full, we were only able to see two rooms. The Eden King room (320 square feet) is the lead-in category. The room feels like a Superior and the dimensions seemed a bit long and narrow, although the narrowness of the room was somewhat mitigated by the full mirrored wall behind the bed. The bathroom was small with a single vanity and shower in the tub. Eden Rooms face the front of the hotel with a view of the parking lot and road.
If you’re going to St. Andrews to experience its golfing ambiance, you’ll definitely want to book an Old Course Room, slightly larger at 337 square feet but directly facing the double fairway of the 2nd and 17th holes of the Old Course. It was enchanting to stand in the room for a few minutes and watch the golfers play this historic course.
The Old Course Suite we were shown has the same fairway view. These large suites are 647 square feet. Entering the living room, there is a short passage around the bathroom (the room is “U-shaped”) to the bedroom. Walls in the suites have silk wallpaper, and the bathrooms offer both a step-in shower and jacuzzi soaking tub.
The Old Course Hotel offers a Golf Concierge service to store your clubs as well as enter you in the lottery for a tee time at St. Andrews. Playing golf on the Old Course is a bucket list item for many golfers, especially on a “big” birthday, and the Old Course Hotel is definitely where you’ll want to plan your celebration.
A member of Virtuoso.
Rufflets Country House is a four star country inn a few miles from the center of St. Andrews, and it delivers exactly what it promises. A solid four star experience, comfortable room (though the bathroom is tiny with just a toilet, sink, and step-in shower), an excellent restaurant, and a beautiful garden behind the hotel. There’s a cute stuffed teddy bear on the bed which serves as your “do not disturb sign” (just leave it outside your door).
The inn attracts an older, upscale clientele (although it’s set up for weddings and probably gets quite a few wedding buy-outs). The other guests during our stay were local (or near-local) couples, quite nicely dressed, enjoying a weekend getaway.
Not Virtuoso, but it’s part of Celebrated’s collection. Guests receive complimentary daily breakfast for two, free WiFi access, and the Celebrated Perk lets you bring your teddy bear home with you.
INVERNESS
Culloden House
A four star Manor House located several miles outside of Inverness, Culloden House was our home for two evenings. It has a storied history, once serving as headquarters for Bonnie Prince Charlie who led the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. Culloden House offers a striking first impression. Driving down a wooded lane, guests pass through stone gates where they see the manor house centered at the far end of a very large lawn.
The main floor contains the reception area, bar, living room/lounge, and dining room, all with impressive 16 foot ceilings and high windows. Guest rooms are on the second and third floors. Second floor rooms were originally bedrooms for family members and feature high ceilings. Third floor rooms were originally for the help and have lower ceilings. We stayed in two second floor suites — # 12, a very large open floor plan suite with two queen beds — and # 15, a true 1BR Suite with a King bed. Bathrooms had showers-in-the-tub.
I saw several third floor guest rooms during a brief site inspection. These were significantly smaller with low ceilings and somewhat obstructed views. Given the quite reasonable rates here, I strongly recommend booking a Suite on the second floor.
Culloden House has a “homey” elegance and a real sense of local character. With a thorough soft goods renovation, the hotel would really shine! The building has real character, and Culloden House’s restaurant serves exceptionally fine meals. Not Virtuoso but part of the Celebrated Collection, room rates include an
a la carte breakfast and free internet. The Celebrated Perk is a welcome drink and gift..
Looking for a nearby casual dinner one night? Culloden Moor Inn, just three miles from the House, is a family restaurant patronized by the locals where I enjoyed the beer battered Haddock and chips and a glass of Guinness.
TORRIDON
The Torridon is a wonderful four star lodge overlooking Loch Torridon, The Torridon was originally built in 1887 as a private hunting lodge. It has been converted into a hotel and has twice won the AA designation as the best hotel in Scotland. The Torridon is located in the scenic Wester Ross region of Scotland, and it is an ideal destination for active travelers. Potential activities include hiking, climbing, archery, kayaking, and fishing. Instead, we did a full day trip to Applecross, a scenic drive with some incredible scenery.
Room choice is important here. Lead in Classic and next category Superior rooms are rather small, with Superior rooms having a view of the Loch. We were assigned two Superior rooms on the third floor. Our room (#16) was L-shaped with the long, narrow axis of the room facing windows with a very nice view of the Loch. Although the room decor is very attractive, the dark wallpaper absorbed much of the light from the windows, and the room was dark. Josh & Jessi were blocked in the adjacent Superior room (#15) built under the dormers. Although the floor space was larger, the space was visually constrained because of the angled walls. Bathrooms had a single vanity and shower in the tub.
Much nicer was the Classic room we were shown in the back of the house. Although it did not enjoy a lake view, the view of the woods was pretty and the dimensions of the room were much more appealing to me. But definitely book a Deluxe or, even better, Master room — and request a second floor room for the high ceilings. Bathrooms were larger with a separate soaking tub, step-in shower, and single vanity.
We were also shown two Suites, but unless a separate living room is an absolute must, a Master Room is definitely the way to go at The Torridon.
Not Virtuoso but part of the Celebrated collection, breakfast is included in the room rate. The Celebrated Perks are complimentary tickets to the Gardens at Inverse and a complimentary half day activity.
OBAN
Glenburnie House is an elegant and comfortable B&B in Oban on the west coast of Scotland, a spot you would visit as a jumping off point to the the Isle of Skye or the Hebrides islands. Oban has a busy port with ferries coming and going almost constantly to the islands — and even cruises on The Majestic Line between Oban and Inverness. We stayed here because the B&B is owned by the boyfriend of one of our FS reps in the U.K., and it was a great chance to connect. We also did a day trip to Iona.
We were given the best room in the house, a large second floor bedroom with a large bay window facing west over the water. We had a beautiful sunset view from our window. The room was comfortable and very attractively furnished, and the bathroom had a single vanity and step-in shower.
Not a hotel, so hotel services were not provided. WiFi is free, and the included breakfast was quite good with a buffet of cold items and hot items cooked to order.
GLENEAGLES
Gleneagles is an elegant golf resort less than one hour from Edinburgh and Glasgow, probably the closest thing in the UK to a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton resort. Though it has just 232 rooms, the resort is set on an 850 acre estate with three 18 hole golf courses and recreational facilities for shooting, falconry, and horse riding. The resort also has a full-featured spa with an amazing outdoor hot pool as well as four restaurants.
We were ensconced in a pre-renovated (by our request) third floor Estate Room with a beautiful view out the front of the hotel. The room was large, bright, and comfortable with high ceilings. The bathroom in this particular room was long and narrow, but I was delighted because this was my first (and only) bathroom with a double vanity for the entire trip. The shower was in the tub. However, not all rooms have the same configuration; Josh and Jessi’s room did have a step-in shower.
Our reception was wonderful, and the front desk did a great job of providing us with a new room when the very recently renovated room in which we were originally blocked was too new to have out-gassed. The food was very good and the breakfast buffet was extensive; however some clients have commented about slow service at meals. The main dining room has the sense of a large dining room on a cruise ship, with guests all ordering from the same prix fixe menu with a limited number choices. Prices for food and activities seem quite high.
Gleneagles is particularly recommended for the following:
(1) If you’re coming to Scotland to play golf at Gleneagles and want a large and luxurious resort, sparing no expense (more than experiencing a sense of place), then it's a good choice.
(2) If you're traveling with a family, need connecting rooms, and want the wide range of activities (shooting, falconry, archery, and horse riding) plus swimming pool, it's a great family resort.
(3) Foodies who are collecting Michelin stars will want to stay and dine at Andrew Fairlie
Gleaneagles is not the place to stay if you want a small, local, country house experience.
A member of Virtuoso.
GLASGOW
Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens is the Virtuoso choice in Glasgow, and it’s something special. Five adjoining townhouses in the affluent residential West End of Glasgow have been joined to create a boutique hotel with just 49 rooms. Each of the five townhouses has its own entrance and retains its original central hall and staircase (with stained glass at the top of the stairs). Quite close to the University of Glasgow campus, this is an ideal hotel if you have business at the University or are visiting a son or daughter attending school there.
The hotel is utterly charming. Being in a landmark buildings, rooms can be small (as with many European hotels), but the sense of authenticity and place make Hotel du Vin a very special treat.
Blysthswood Square was home for our final two nights in Scotland. We were blocked in two high ceilinged rooms on the first floor with an outside connector — a Classic King and a Deluxe King. Our Deluxe King was a comfortable room with two large and very tall Colonial windows facing the green park across the street, Blysthswood Square. The room was equipped with a sofa and two armchairs, as well as a desk with outlets conveniently provided at desk level. Styling was contemporary — clean and attractive. Our marble bathroom (brown marble with white veins) had a soaking tub (although with vertical walls, making it less than ideal for soaking in the water), a step-in shower, a WC, and a single vanity.
While the adjoining Classic King was a bit smaller, it was on the corner of the building with three large windows which provided great natural light for the room.
Blytheswood Square is a boutique hotel with a great location, easy walking distance to a large pedestrian mall and some good restaurants (notably a gastropub named The Butterfly and the Pig just around the corner!). The hotel has a spa in its basement, including indoor jacuzzi pools. If you’re traveling on business in Glasgow and need to be in this part of town, the hotel is highly recommended. Not part of Virtuoso, but breakfast and WiFi are included in the rates, and it’s part of the Celebrated Collection.