Gleneagles has spent 100 years as Perthshire's home of golf and gundogs - and now it has a sassy little sister, right on St Andrew Square in the well-heeled grid of Edinburgh's Georgian New Town. Located in the old Bank of Scotland building, the Gleneagles Townhouse is announced discreetly by a tiny plaque on the stone wall outside, but step inside and you'll enter a vibrant world of giant palms, Murano chandeliers, jewelled velvets and hummingbird-bedecked walls. The past is everywhere, too: cocktails in the grand old Telling Room, a spa built into the strong rooms once used for storing gold and silver, and a roof terrace guarded by magnificent Georgian statuary.
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All 33 bedrooms are individually designed, with wooden floors, antique rugs, painted-panel walls and King-size beds dressed in sumptuous fabrics. They range in size from the cosy Nook Rooms in the eaves (small) up through House and Town categories (slightly larger) to the Master Bedrooms, the largest of which look over St Andrew Square and come with a free-standing bath to soak in. They're also pin-drop quiet, despite the city beyond the glass. Some rooms even take dogs (labrador-sized and under), should yours object to being left behind.
Indulging in a spa treatment inside the former vaults. There's an infrared sauna, a cryotherapy chamber and treatments from Dr Barbara Sturm behind the original steel doors.
Time your stay for the last Sunday of the month and indulge in the infamous brunch - and the dessert room, a doughnut station, chocolate fountain and pick-and-mix sweeties, all at once.
The rooms are snug, even in the hight categories, and the attic Nook Rooms have slanted ceilings and next to no view for a not-so-snug price.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
Gleneagles Townhouse can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made UK trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended UK trips featuring Gleneagles Townhouse or get advice and suggestions from one of our UK specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.
Stays at Gleneagles Townhouse start from around $270, or US$270, per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.
Scotland’s alluring capital city of ancient architecture, charm, culture and cuisine in spades.
