89
« on: February 02, 2015, 12:31:24 PM »
Fonab Castle Hotel, Perthshire
Set in the heart of Scotland, on the banks of Loch Faskally, this turreted castle dates back to 1892, but only opened as a hotel in 2013. Each of the rooms is decorated with an individual feature wall, but check into the penthouse on the fourth floor for high, vaulted wooden ceilings and original panelled walls. The bed is so large that steps are provided to help guests clamber in. All of the rooms promise great views, with the Fonab Brasserie looking straight out onto the loch, just a few steps away.
Foss Road, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5ND (01796 470140; fonabcastlehotel.com). Doubles from £220, half-board.
Balbegno Castle, Aberdeenshire
This self-catering castle is ideal for fans of the great outdoors, with access to an eight-hectare ornamental lake where you can hire rowing boats and fish. Shooting can also be arranged. Bedrooms scream retro-Britannia with Union flag motifs and stag-printed pillows. The 16th-century castle's kitchen comes stocked with essentials; food hampers can be pre-ordered. Rustle up dinner and eat in the Great Hall, whose ceiling bears 13 Scottish peers' coats of arms.
Balbegno Castle, Fettercairn, Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire AB30 1YD (01330 850689; balbegnocastle.co.uk). Three nights' rental (minimum) from £2,500, including breakfast; sleeps 13.
Blairquhan Castle, Ayrshire
As a filming location for the Oscar-winning film The Queen in 2005, this grand Ayrshire castle practically has the royal seal of approval. Completed in 1824 and reopened as a hotel in 1970, Blairquhan Castle has 15 bedrooms, where period furniture sits alongside contemporary bathrooms, and tall sash windows offer dreamy views of the grounds. For a more informal stay, check into one of the eight self-catering cottages in the castle's grounds.
Maybole, Ayrshire KA19 7LY (01655 770 239; blairquhan.co.uk). Doubles from £315, B&B.