no alt text

Best places to stay:

Last updated: 09 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Lucy Gillmore

This exquisite, honey-hued manse on the edge of the golf links and endless dune-backed beach in picture-postcard Dornoch, oozes luxury and old-world style. The passion project of an American businessman, he transformed what was a rundown property on the northeast coast into a palatial pad.

There are now 15 rooms, scattered across three buildings, all named after Scottish salmon rivers, and peppered with the finest antiques, gilt-framed oil paintings and trimmed with tartan and tweed. Along with a fine dining restaurant, Mara, they have a bistro, the Courtroom, in the village for more relaxed dining.

This sumptuous little hotel is the perfect choice for well-heeled golfers and classic car, top-down, wind-in-your-hair motorists on the North Coast 500.

Don’t miss 

Book in for a round of golf at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club – one of the world’s best golf courses. It’s right next door.

Please note - we hope to one day have live prices for you, but for now, here are some useful links for you to compare prices...

Check pricing & availability on:

Key facilities

Airport transfers: Not available
Beach: < 10 mins walk
Fitness centre
Fitness classes
Golf course
Hot tub
Kids club
Parking: On-site (free)
Pool (adults only)
Pool (indoor)
Pool (outdoor)
Pool (kids)
Spa
Tennis courts
WiFi: Free
Yoga

Food & drink

All inclusive
Kids menu
Restaurant on-site
Self catering
*
Additional charge

Room types

Apartments
Bedrooms
Cabins
Suites
Tents
Villas
Yurts

Room facilities

Air conditioning
Flat screen TV
Jacuzzi (private)
Pool (private)
Tea & coffee making facilities
WiFi

Bedding options

2+ bedrooms
3+ beds
Connecting rooms
Rollaway/sofa bed

Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Culloden Battlefield

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)[44.8 miles]

An atmospheric, historic battlefield with a state-of-the-art visitor centre that brings the bloody events of 1745 to life.

Best for ages: 13+ | £11

Cruise the Scottish Highlands

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)[46.3 miles]

Sail through Scotland’s mesmerising Highlands along the dramatic Caledonian Canal, taking in spectacular landscapes, craggy castles, whisky distilleries and glassy lochs, as well as the islands and waterways of the Inner Hebrides.

Best for ages: 13+ | Varies | 5-7 days

Website >
Overview >

Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first

Royal Dornoch Golf Club

Sutherland, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)[0.3 miles]

Wild, isolated and spellbindingly beautiful, Royal Dornoch is the third oldest in the world, with turtleback greens creating some real challenges.

Best for ages: 13+ | £250

Dunrobin Castle

Golspie, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)[12.7 miles]

A fabulous fairytale castle, designed to resemble a fancy French chateau, with ornate formal gardens, modelled on those at Versailles. It’s the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Sutherland.

Best for ages: 8+ | £14

Fort George
Experience

Fort George

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)[33.1 miles]

This 18th-century coastal fortress, still a working barracks, overlook the Moray Firth built after the Battle of Culloden to house the British army. You can wander around the complex, dipping into the regimental museum, checking out the historical tableaux depicting soldiers’ lives and climbing up onto the canon-peppered battlements.

Best for ages: 13+ | £10

Website >
Overview >
Cawdor Castle & Gardens
Experience

Cawdor Castle & Gardens

Cawdor, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)[39.9 miles]

A place of pilgrimage for Shakespeare scholars (Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor), this ancient fortress complete with drawbridge, turrets and towers dates back to the 14th century and is furnished with rare Flemish tapestries, oil paintings and fine antiques. The walled gardens peppered with contemporary sculptures are also a highlight.

Best for ages: 8+ | £14

Website >
Overview >

Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay

Scottish Highlands

Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (UK)

Magnificent mountain scenery slashed by silvery lochs and peppered with brooding castles: all laden with rich Scottish heritage, history and tradition.

Website >
Overview >