Starry skies: places to stay with hot tubs in Scotland
If holidays in Scotland mean days spent getting in touch with nature on long rambles through wild and rugged landscapes, then evenings mean pure relaxation and indulging in good food, warming fires and, better still, a hot tub to ease sore muscles. At our places to stay in Scotland with hot tubs, you’ll always find a generous supply of logs, scented potions and cosy robes, and perhaps an added sauna or treatment room. Feel your cares melt away under the ministrations of warm water.
Reiver’s Hideaway, Scottish Borders
An award-winning log cabin with a grass roof, wood-burning hot tub and wonderful views of the Eildon Hills, just outside Melrose. This chunky cabin, built with local Douglas fir, has an air source heat pump while underfloor heating and superb insulation keep you toasty. Views of the hills will keep nature lovers and wildlife spotters very happy.
Fling open doors from the open-plan living room for sunny days on the terrace with a barbecue, hot tub and fire pit for later on when dark skies will entertain you. You’re left an endless supply of logs for the wood burner and also for the hot tub – which takes about three hours to heat up. Walks from the door are gorgeous and you can wander down to the Tweed.
“You’re a 15 minute stroll or two-minute drive from the charming town centre of Melrose with its array of independent shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants.” – Owner, Rob
The West Nest, Isle of Skye
Style and comfort abound in this cottage set on the hillside with views to North Uist. Come for big skies, grand walking and hilly cycling, and a wood-fired hot tub to ease aching limbs. With underfloor heating and a wood burner you’ll feel cosy even if the weather is blowing a hooley – lovely to sit back on the huge L-shaped sofa and watch the drama unfold through the picture window.
It’s a generous place: Skye gin and Talisker whisky are waiting, the logs are unlimited (you’ll find loads in the stack outside) and Ishga organic soaps and shampoos scent the bathrooms. Sleep under Richard Haworth sheets with soft wool throws from Skye Weavers – the next door neighbours. Spill onto the decking for spectacular sunsets, light the fire pit, open the wine and watch each star turn into a blanket.
“A visit to Neist Point is a must! You can walk to the working lighthouse, spend an hour dolphin spotting and stay around to watch the sun go down behind Uist and Harris.” – Owner, Gordon
Trigony House Hotel and Garden Spa, Dumfries & Galloway
A family-run hotel with good food and a small spa in the garden with treatment room, sauna and a hot tub with super views. The house dates to 1700 and comes with Japanese oak panelling in the hall, a wood burner in the sitting room and an open fire in the dining room, where doors open onto the terrace for dinner in summer. Breakfasts are legendary (homemade granola, fresh fruit, the full works) and Adam cooks rustic dinners with a new menu everyday.
Bedrooms – some big, some smaller – have warm colours, crisp linen, good beds and spotless bathrooms. All are dog-friendly, those at the front have the view, the suite opens onto a private garden. Wander down to the river Nith, walk to the covenanters’ graveyard, visit Loch Arthur farm shop.
“There are some lovely riverside walks around Trigony and hill walking along the Southern Upland Way and into the Lowther Hills – maps and walking guides available.” – Owners, Adam & Wendy
Stay at Trigony House Hotel and Garden Spa >
The Tabernacle, Highland
A serene spot for this 1800s corrugated iron tabernacle, gorgeously furnished inside and with wide views over Loch Lyon and the river Tay. On fine days you’ll be eating outdoors or simply easing into the hot tub and admiring the views. Inside, vast arched windows allow light to pour into the living space, cosy with wooden floors and filled with lovely things from the owners’ travels in Tibet, China and India.
Two big sofas, books, games, fluffy blankets and sheepskin rugs will make rainy days feel like a stroke of luck and there’s an Esse wood-burning stove if you want an extra blast of heat. Footpaths criss-cross the countryside and you can swim in the loch, or walk up to waterfalls and cascades. Sleep soundly on Simba mattresses under feather and down. Nothing disturbs the peace.
“A delightfully warm and wonderful place to stay in a fabulous spot overlooking the long valley and surrounded by mature trees hopping with birdlife, including owls to hoot you to sleep.” – Inspector, Nicola
The Woodshed, Midlothian
A romantic cottage for two in the Pentland Hills, with views for miles and your own private garden with a wood-fired hot tub. It’s a mile-long drive down a bumpy farm track (with gates to open and close) but you’re rewarded with a charming timber-clad cottage for two. Inside is double-height and open plan with large French windows leading out to the garden and, beyond that, stupendous views of the Pentland Hills.
Jenny leaves you freshly baked scones and all the logs you want for the wood burner. From here, you can walk the surrounding heather-clad hills or head for Edinburgh, only ten miles away with regular buses leaving from the nearest town, Penicuik. Get back to fire up the hot tub and watch the stars come out.
“Edinburgh, Scotland’s compact, hilly capital city is jam-packed with great things to do and it’s only a 10 mile drive from the Woodshed to the centre!” – Owner, Jenny
Knoydart Hide, Highland
On Scotland’s west coast, with sea and mountains all around, a stylish bolthole for two with walls of glass open onto a decked terrace, where you can soak in a hot tub while screened from the world by pine trees. A contemporary wood burner warms the sitting room, the neat kitchen has ample cooking stuff, there’s a lovely big bed looking out to sea, then a bathroom that’s hard to beat with a double-ended bath, a walk-in power shower and an infrared sauna.
Pop open your bottle of prosecco and enjoy. If you don’t want to cook, a chef can do it for you – lazy breakfasts, afternoon tea, seafood barbecues. Further afield, the wonders of Knoydart: wild orchids, sea eagles, mountains to climb. You can kayak, cruise the sea loch or do nothing at all. Stars fill the night sky, the Northern Lights come in winter.
“Our trip to Knoydart was an epic experience from start to finish and was made all the more incredible by being able to stay in the heart of the village at Knoydart Hide.” – Guest, Vin
