Best hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Scotland knows how to celebrate the holidays in style, with bracing walks to work up an appetite, abundant decorations, exquisite food and the perfect combination of tradition combined with modern hospitality. Mince pies, mulled wine, plenty of whisky and even the odd winter picnic if you’re up for it, whether it’s family holidays, a romantic break for two, or celebrations with friends, Christmas in Scotland is about feeling totally spoiled but right at home at the same time.

Choose from city escapes in the likes of Edinburgh, where enchantment is in full force, to country retreats where you can fully relax and unwind with never ending views of wild and frozen landscapes. Tuck into local fare and enjoy regional specialities, lots of homemade favourites, and plenty of music, carols, fireworks, good cheer and games to carry you through the season.

Celebrate Christmas in Scotland with all the cheer and none of the washing up. Here are some of our favourite hotel with seasonal packages for celebrating Christmas in Scotland.

Hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Featured hotels with Special Offers

Knockinaam Lodge - July £100 Discount Special Offer

Portpatrick

A Victorian hunting lodge overlooking the Irish Sea, Knockinaam Lodge celebrates Christmas complete with a traditional Christmas lunch, boardgames, Boxing Day suppers, long walks and plenty of time for a good snooze

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weddings
walking
garden
dog_friendly
wifi
romantic
honeymoon
rooms_with_a_view
historic
gourmet
view
seaside
conferencemeeting_friendly
outdoor_pursuits_hunting
fishing
golf
for_winelovers
child_friendly
cycling
horse_riding
wildlife_watching
wheelchair_accessible
electric_charging_point
bird_watching
vegetarian_friendly
babyfriendly
country_house
great_breakfast
outdoor_dining
parking
foodie
veganfriendly

Forss House - Dinner B&B Special Offer

Thurso

In the lead up to Christmas, this hotel creates a wonderfully festive atmosphere full of afternoon teas and beautiful decorations.

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weddings
child_friendly
walking
garden
fishing
disabled_facilities
wifi
conference_meeting
activities
disabled
outdoor_pursuits_hunting
country_house
rooms_with_a_view
historic
parking
bird_watching
vegetarian_friendly
dog_friendly
romantic
for_winelovers
golf
cycling
foodie
conferencemeeting_friendly
wheelchair_accessible

Shieldaig Lodge - 'Food Lovers Package' Special Offer

Gairloch

At this magical Highland retreat, you're welcomed in festive style, with a wee dram and Christmas cake, before a three-course dinner. The enchanting surroundings are perfect for waking to on Christmas Day when you can enjoy roaring fires, big breakfasts, afternoon teas and hot toddies, as well as the full Christmas lunch.

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weddings
child_friendly
walking
garden
fishing
wifi
parking
rooms_with_a_view
conference_meeting
outdoor_pursuits_hunting
conferencemeeting_friendly
country_house
romantic
vegetarian_friendly
for_winelovers
honeymoon
bird_watching
seaside
golf
horse_riding
cycling
wildlife_watching
wheelchair_accessible
boutique
babyfriendly
foodie
historic
dog_friendly

More of the best Christmas hotels in Scotland

Douneside House, Tarland

A 'paradise for foodies and garden lovers in a tranquil corner of Aberdeenshire', this country-house hotel in the fertile Howe of Cromar is an architectural gem.

Saorsa 1875, Pitlochry

A thoughtful take on modern hospitality, the McLaren-Stewart family’s vegan hotel and restaurant bring together a deeply considered environmental ethos with contemporary style.

Achray House, St Fillans

Walkers and wildlife-watchers returning to this small hotel on the shores of Loch Earn, in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, can dine from short, ambitious menus of classically inspired modern cooking.

Dunalastair Hotel Suites, KINLOCH RANNOCH

Understated modern luxury and all-day gourmet dining stand in contrast to the Victorian exterior and wildly beautiful scenery around Loch Rannoch, at this hotel in a stone-built village.

Bunchrew House, Inverness

There are glorious views from this traditional country house hotel with formal dining room, set in gardens and woodland on the shore of the Beauly Firth.

The Bonnie Badger, Gullane

Tom and Michaela Kitchin preside at this gastropub, where Victorian interiors have had a smart-casual Scandi-Scotia makeover, and you can dine on pub classics in the bar, or get the nosebag on for Tom’s Michelin-starred nature-to-plate dishes in the converted stables.

The Fife Arms, Braemar

Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth have had a creative fling at this Victorian coaching inn in a Cairngorms village famed for its Highland Games, filling interiors with important artworks and Victoriana, though menus are short, the cooking spare and elegant.

Kinloch Lodge, Sleat

'In a beautiful position' on the shores of Loch Na Dal, in the lee of a wooded hill, this former hunting lodge offers 'comfortable bedrooms and public rooms and excellent food'.

The Ship Inn, Elie

The catch of the day could be Shetland hake in the restaurant or nifty fielding on the sands at this pub-with-rooms overlooking the Firth of Forth, with its own beach cricket team.

The Roseate Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Close to the city centre, a Jacobean-style Victorian villa sitting above a manicured front garden, combines with Hampton House across the road as a ‘really fantastic hotel’.

The Tontine, Peebles

Friendly, helpful staff win praise at this town-centre hotel, with contemporary bedrooms, some in the annexe, a drop-in lounge for afternoon tea, a bistro for informal dining, and the Adam Room restaurant.

The Torridon, TORRIDON

In a wooded estate on Loch Torridon, this baronial-style hunting lodge appeals to sybarites and sporty types, with luxurious bedrooms, tasting menus sourced from the kitchen garden and farm, and a brasserie.

Monachyle Mhor, Lochearnhead

This remote restaurant-with-rooms is unexpectedly stylish, with the odd wacky touch, such options as a ferry cabin and yurts in the grounds, and sophisticated modern Scottish cooking.

Allanton Inn, Allanton

In a sleepy village in the Scottish Borders, Katrina and William Reynolds’ ‘friendly village inn’ is an ‘excellent-value’ base for walkers, cyclists, fisherfolk and visitors in search of a rural break.

Bridgend Hotel, Bridgend

On the Islay Estate at the heart of an Inner Hebrides Island famed for its malt whiskies, this stone-built Victorian hotel in ‘glorious gardens’ sits amid lochs, deserted beaches, and hills roamed by red and roe deer.

Coll Hotel, Isle of Coll

Beside the ferry landing, with views to Mull and Staffa, this family-run hotel and island social hub has smart, uncluttered bedrooms, and short menus of locally fished and farmed produce.

The Balmoral, Edinburgh

Kilted doormen greet you at Rocco Forte’s stonking Victorian former railway hotel, with its iconic clocktower, lavish public spaces, bedrooms designed with Olga Polizzi's light-touch elegance, a choice of dining, a spa and legendary Palm Court tearoom.

Atholl Hotel, Aberdeen

The spires of this Victorian Gothic Revival building make this traditional hotel in a quiet location an easy-to-spot beacon.

The Bonham, EDINBURGH

In one of the New Town’s elegant terraces, within 10 minutes of Princes Street yet ‘sufficiently quiet for a good night’s sleep’ the stylish Bonham fills three Victorian townhouses.

Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry

Old-world charm abounds at this Victorian mansion approached by a private drive through wooded grounds, with traditional and contemporary bedrooms, and a restaurant serving hearty Scottish produce.

Loch Melfort Hotel, Oban

Choose a lodge rooms with sea-facing balcony or decking, or a more traditional house room, at this Victorian mansion beside Arduaine Garden, with bistro-style cooking and views across Asknish Bay.

Kilcamb Lodge, Strontian

Wildlife spotters are in their element at this 18th-century lodge in ‘a beautiful setting’ on the shores of Loch Sunart.

Glenapp Castle, Ballantrae

A tree-lined drive leads to this splendid Victorian Scottish baronial pile and luxury hotel in landscaped grounds, where dinner can be a grand occasion or a more informal affair.

Hotels for Christmas not in the Guide that you may want to consider

Atholl Hotel

Aberdeen

The spires of this Victorian Gothic Revival building make this traditional hotel in a quiet location an easy-to-spot beacon.

Check availability

babyfriendly
child_friendly
conferencemeeting_friendly
disabled_facilities
golf
parking
vegetarian_friendly
weddings
wheelchair_accessible
wifi

Toravaig House

SLEAT

Ten minutes’ drive from the ferry, Anne Gracie and Ken Gunn’s whitewashed hotel has ‘fine views’ across the Sound of Sleat.

Read our review

weddings
walking
garden
value
fishing
wifi
parking
seaside
rooms_with_a_view
view

Saorsa 1875

Pitlochry

A thoughtful take on modern hospitality, the McLaren-Stewart family’s vegan hotel and restaurant bring together a deeply considered environmental ethos with contemporary style.

Read our review

child_friendly
dog_friendly
garden
veganfriendly
vegetarian_friendly
wifi
boutique
ecofriendly
foodie

The Inn at Whitewell

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Hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Knockinaam Lodge - July £100 Discount Special Offer

Portpatrick

Forss House - Dinner B&B Special Offer

Thurso

Shieldaig Lodge - 'Food Lovers Package' Special Offer

Gairloch

More of the best Christmas hotels in Scotland

Hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Hotels for Christmas not in the Guide that you may want to consider

Hotels for Christmas in Scotland

Atholl Hotel

Aberdeen

Toravaig House

SLEAT

Saorsa 1875

Pitlochry

Other hotels in this group

Similar hotels

Best Review Wins A Free Night for Two!

BUY THE 46th EDITION OF THE GUIDE

JOIN THE GHG

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