"Prince Charles spent much of his childhood at the Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey. No wonder then that His Royal Highness was keen to share the area’s wild magic, opening this charming B&B last year. It is housed in a renovated 17th-century granary, with ten elegant bedrooms, blazing fires and deliciously comfortable living rooms with sea views. The dining room is enchanting and low key, filled with a collection of antique grandfather clocks – as beautiful as you would expect. But a highlight of a stay here is the unparalleled access to the nearby castle and gardens for after-hours tours or a private dinner party in the royal dining room."

"It’s the Scottish hotel we return to again and again: sophisticated, totally indulgent and unapologetically fun. Aside from the exceptional interiors and endless country pursuits on tap (archery, clay shooting, fishing, falconry), it’s also home to the most sublime MD, Conor O’Leary, who can arrange lavish picnics by the lake, or served from the back of Gleneagles’ fleet of Defenders, or even a full-blown tasting menu cooked in a dreamy mountainside bothy – all the more enjoyable after a good morning’s hike."

"This intensely romantic gothic hotel in Ballantrae, Ayrshire, was once the family seat of the Earl of Inchcape. Concealed behind wrought iron gates, this hotel remains one of the country’s finest examples of the Scottish Baronial school of architecture: a feast of turrets, battlements and soaring domes. The gardens, meanwhile, are a horticulturist’s dream. Its exotic plants date back to Victorian times, there’s a forest of giant sequoias – even a surprisingly grand oak sprung from a seed originally planted by Charles II at Longleat."

"You have to be here to get the mystery, drama and the magic of the place – photography strangely cannot do the place justice. When the 170-year old Lady Glenorchy Church was converted into The Glasshouse Hotel, the group YTL Hotels transformed it into a stylish comfort zone: magic beds, down duvets and reassuring service. It’s all about the location: you can see Calton Hill and the entire glittering Edinburgh skyline below from most of the rooms – and that’s not to mention the astounding views from the sprawling two-acre rooftop garden. With the Edinburgh Fringe Festival scheduled to be taking place from 6-30 August, expect the Glasshouse to be humming with the great and good of the theatre world."

"This Victorian landmark has just been completely restored and revamped and is set to open this August, with a clubhouse vibe – dim lighting, lots of velvets and statement chandeliers, all set against a seductive colour palette of grey, purple and blue. It is also home to one of the oldest Scottish golf courses, not to mention a sleek spa and health club, pleasure-dome ingredients that make a stay here so spoiling. The golf course is especially impressive – even non-golf fans can't help but admire the rolling greens, restaurant and club, with epic views over the sea."

"Reportedly Scotland’s oldest inhabited house, dating back to 1107 and visited by 27 Scottish kings and queens (including Mary Queen of Scots), this is a B&B with a difference. Here, peacocks parade across manicured lawns and fabulous maze gardens, there are martinis and croquet, and log fires crackle in panelled drawing rooms. Beautiful antiques grace the four stately bedrooms, complete with canopied beds. Best of all is the Blue Bedroom, which has views onto Cupid’s Garden, making it the perfect romantic retreat."

"Peace and quiet are not your usual city-break accoutrements, but this lovely Kimpton property, away from the bustle on Edinburgh’s discreet Charlotte Square, breaks the rules. This is the most charming, intimate Edinburgh bolthole more akin to a chic, low key members’ club. It’s a mishmash of velvets and hanging tapestries, against a rich colour palette of blues, golds and reds in the hotel’s fabulous restaurant Baba, which is a much welcome change from the eurocentric dining options most Edinburgh hotels offer."

"Trust Iwan and Manuela Wirth (founders of the art empire Hauser & Wirth) to transform a sleepy Scottish town into the social epicentre of Caledonian cool. The Fife Arms, an old Victorian coaching inn, is an art-packed, exuberantly decorated funfair of a hotel. Outside, the misty beauty of the Cairngorms promises a bracing hike, foraging or skiing."