Baby, it’s cold outside, but Scotland’s top hotels excel when it comes to offering the cosiest spots to ‘coorie in’ as the nights grow longer and darker. By Janice Hopper

The Coorie Inn, Muthill

Where better to start than the Coorie Inn itself, a cosy restaurant and rooms in the small Perthshire village of Muthill? This former Eighteenth-Century coaching inn welcomes residents and non-residents for a Scottish gastronomic experience that includes bar lunches, fine dining and Sunday roasts. The owners, both chefs, cut their teeth at Gleneagles, The Savoy and Turnberry. The boutique hotel offers six richly decorated bedrooms plus there’s a drying room for those who make the most of the beautiful surrounding countryside. 
Doubles from £155, includes breakfast. 
coorie-inn.com

Douneside House, Tarland

Combine excellent fine dining in an intimate library setting, situated within a country house peppered with antiques, artworks and the personal belongings of the MacRobert family who formerly lived here. Douneside’s renowned six-course tasting menu includes fruit and veg from the estate’s esteemed RHS partner garden. The library restaurant has had its 3 AA rosettes confirmed for the sixth year running, plus it’s just been awarded a rare AA Red Star award.
Doubles from £210, includes breakfast. dounesidehouse.co.uk

(Image: The Old Manse of Blair)

The Old Manse of Blair, Blair Atholl

Anne and Archie Macdonald offer guests a warm Hebridean welcome in rural Perthshire. Highland cows greet guests who can join the daily feeding and grooming sessions in the front paddock. Outdoor options include exploring the restored Walled Garden or walking to the House Bruar and Bruar Falls that inspired Robert Burns to pen The Humble Petition of Bruar Water. Coorie in within the mansion house’s selection of elegant suites and double rooms. Alternatively, opt for the  botanically-themed Walled Garden rooms with their Scandinavian vibes, or bed down in the cute Stable Snugs. End the night dining in the four-star Orangery restaurant, newly headed up by Scott Davies, former head chef of The Three Chimneys. 
Dinner, bed and breakfast from £349. theoldmanseofblair.com

Cullen Bay Hotel, Cullen, Moray

Nothing gives off cosy vibes like a warming bowl of soup after a walk on the beach. Head to Cullen for its signature smoked haddock and potato dish served at the Cullen Bay Hotel. The hotel owner, Ian Watson, has won the Cullen Skink World Championships four times (twice for his traditional dish, and twice for ‘Cullen Skink with a Twist’), so guests really are in the best of hands. 
Doubles from £135, includes breakfast. cullenbayhotel.com

Glenfinnan House Hotel, Glenfinnan

Cross Loch Shiel from the proud Glenfinnan monument to discover the historic Glenfinnan House Hotel that dates back to 1755. Embrace the location by booking a ‘Highland Dip and Dine’ package (from £225), swim in the clear waters of Loch Shiel, before cosying up with a hot chocolate or even a spiced whisky and savouring the three-course dinner.
Doubles from £150, includes breakfast. glenfinnanhouse.com

(Image: Fonab Castle)

Fonab Castle, Pitlochry

Experiencing five-star luxury in a castle certainly blows away the winter blues. Fonab Castle’s  ultimate hideaway is the fourth-storey penthouse with its handsome arched dark wood ceiling and views out over Loch Faskally. Combine Scotland’s winter with a welcoming bolthole by relaxing in Fonab’s Woodland Spa outdoor hot tub, before retreating to the pool, whirlpool, sauna and steam room. Fonab’s intimate wood-panelled 3 AA Rosette Sandeman’s restaurant promises warming familiar classics with a twist. 
Doubles from £221, includes breakfast. fonabcastlehotel.com

The Station Hotel, Rothes

If you fancy a dram in front of the fire Rothes’ Station Hotel offers around 60 distilleries within a 50-mile radius. This 15-bedroom four-star boutique hotel nods its head to the local industry and whisky stills, with flashes of copper lighting up the cosy interiors. Pagodas Restaurant is named after the distinctive chimneys that traditionally pierced the local skyline, and its two AA rosette dining is worth taking time over. After dinner get settled in the Spirit Safe bar that houses a generous whisky wall.
Doubles from £195, includes breakfast. stationhotelspeyside.com

The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool

Known for its live music and relaxed atmosphere, this Ullapool hotel offers simple, comfortable rooms. It’s the ideal place to cosy up with a book as there’s even a book shop on site, a small library area and a selection of curated books in each room. Check out the hotel’s Gig List to see which bands are coming up, or consider their Winter Deal offering two nights bed and breakfast, with a two-course dinner each night, for £370, based on two sharing. 
Doubles from £169, includes breakfast. theceilidhplace.com

(Image: Cairndale Spa)

Cairndale Hotel and Spa, Dumfries

Cairndale’s new spa opened for 2024 after a £2million investment. Feel the heat by swapping Scotland’s winter for a thermal pool, aroma steam room, herbal steam room, Himalayan salt sauna, infrared sauna, herbal lounge, hammam and private bathing suite. Hearty meals are dished up in Reivers Restaurant, and this family run hotel has notably friendly staff so expect a warm Dumfries and Galloway welcome. 
Doubles from £120, room only. Wellness Spa Stay (includes DBB, 60 minute treatment and spa access) from £229 per person. 
cairndalehotel.co.uk

Macdonald Highland Resort, Aviemore

One for the families here. After visiting the polar bears at the Highland Wildlife Park or running the kids ragged at Landmark, the Macdonald Aviemore child friendly resort keeps the fun going. Keep it cool by ice skating at the community ice-rink, pack the little ones into the four-storey soft play, cosy up in the cinema to watch movies, swim in the pool and fling yourself down the flume (or simply heat up in the sauna and steam room). Grab piping bowls of spaghetti and pasta at Giovanni’s Italian or try the hotel’s new Highland Fish Bar restaurant where finger lickin’ fish and chips are the order of the day. Plus point: the kids will be shattered!
Doubles from £126, family rooms from £162, includes breakfast. 
macdonaldhotels.co.uk/aviemore