Carrie Coolidge is a Pursuitist contributor based in Manhattan. From…
Tennis champion Andy Murray has opened Cromlix, a luxury hotel in a castle near his hometown of Dunblane, Scotland. Located in Perthshire, Cromlix is the latest addition to the Connoisseurs Scotland family of luxury accommodations, which includes 28 properties throughout Scotland.
A first glimpse into the interiors of the 15-bedroom hotel which is located on 34 beautifully landscaped acres of woodland and gardens can be seen below.
The Victorian mansion, just three miles from Murray’s hometown of Dunblane, was recently renovated to showcase much of the original heritage, including its own private chapel and loch, and furnished with an elegant blend of antique Scottish furniture. From the sky blue and gold leaf of the bar to the French navy and moss green of the glass-walled Chez Roux dining room and the shimmering handpainted baths, the house is a feast for the senses.
The accommodations include five suites and 10 bedrooms, all light-filled and subtly decorated, many with views over the manicured grounds and tennis courts. The suites, all named by Murray after famous Scots, including Burns, Bowes-Lyon, Bruce, Eden and Ferguson, each have their own individual character. Bathrooms feature gorgeous freestanding gold, silver and copper baths while bedrooms are equipped with 32-inch televisions screens disguised as mirrors.
The hotel also offers endless possibilities for dining, entertaining and celebrating. Chez Roux restaurant, overseen by legendary French chef Albert Roux and run by award-winning Executive Head Chef Darin Campbell, is housed in an elegant conservatory overlooking the grounds and offers diners a ringside view of the chefs at work in the extensive open kitchen.
Throughout the hotel there numerous other opportunities for private dining – including the intimacy of a small study seating up to 10 or the traditional atmosphere of the first-floor snooker room, where a full-size snooker table ingeniously flips over from green baize to a table that can seat 20.
Guests can also relax in the whiskey room, the drawing room with its muted sofas and open fire – one of nine open fireplaces in the hotel – or in the stunning bar where the pale wash on the walls is a perfect foil for the exquisite hand-painted gold-leaf peacock and blooms.
At the foot of the staircase are the exposed pipes of the organ, beyond which lies the chapel, which is a magical setting for a wedding party of up to 30.
The landscaped grounds include tennis courts and a practice wall in the Wimbledon colors of purple and green.
The hotel is being managed on behalf of Murray by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI). “Cromlix and Chez Roux combine to truly offer one of the best hotel and restaurant experiences in the country,” says Norbert Lieder, managing director of ICMI. “The interiors, service, food and attention to every detail of the customer journey will make sure Cromlix becomes as well known for its service as it is for its famous owner. We look forward to welcoming guests from all over Scotland, the UK and the world.”
To make a booking or for more information about Cromlix, call +44 1786 822 125 or visit www.cromlix.com.
Photos Courtesy of Cromlix
Carrie Coolidge is a Pursuitist contributor based in Manhattan. From 2009 to 2011, Carrie served as Co-Editor of Luxist, the luxury lifestyle website at AOL where she ran the Luxist Awards, a program that honored the very best in fine living. From 1996 to 2009, Carrie was a Staff Writer at Forbes magazine, where she covered real estate, personal finance and the insurance industry, among other areas. Carrie is also the author of six books, including "The Business of America is Business". Follow her on Twitter: @carriecoolidge