For the Love of Scotland: The Gleneagles Hotel

I love returning to Scotland, especially in the Autumn, but this time I had an added treat at a property I long wanted to stay at: The Gleneagles Hotel

Gleneagles Hotel (now run by Ennismore to great success) is a luxury hotel set in 850 acres of stunning Perthshire Scenery in the heart of Scotland. with three championship golf courses, spa and the only restaurant in Scotland with two Michelin stars. It is really a destination, not just a hotel, where interesting pleasures and people, both traditional and modern, converge. Expect a hunting, shooting, fishing lifestyle with a democratic, inclusive and 21st-century bent. A pick-and-mix of outdoor and indoor pursuits means guests also naturally tailor-make their own days. Opened in rural Perthshire in 1924, commissioned by the Caledonian Railway with a railway station of its own, Gleneagles was originally known more for its world-class golf, but has evolved over the decades to become a gem of Scottish hospitality woven deeply into the Perthshire community.

Because Gleneagles is intimate and cosy, it’s easy to forget it ticks over as a sizeable operation with 223 rooms and suites. They are squirrelled away up the grand staircases of the old building (from The Royal Lochnagar Suite, with its palette of dusky roses, leaf greens and heathers; to cosy attic eyries) and in the newer wing, Braid House (where all rooms except on the ground floor have balconies with estate views). Rooms exude a smart country warmth and have been made over by Goddard Littlefair, the interiors studio adept at modern creating classicism with crisp detailing, pieces of art and handsome fabrics.

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