Just nine miles from Balmoral, Braemar is one of Britain's highest, coldest villages. Its grandest old coaching inn, built in 1856 and once a place where Queen Victoria swapped her horses, stood shabby for decades until art dealers Iwan and Manuela of Hauser & Wirth spent four years (and many millions) reinventing it. The result? A Highland inn that's part traditional village pub, part serious art gallery (there's a Lucian Freud and a bronze Bourgeois spider among the 16,000 works), and part psychedelic Highland dream. Nothing else in Scotland comes close... In fact, possibly nowhere does!
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The rooms are each themed to a Braemar person, event or quirk, from the compact Croft rooms with their hand-painted cabin beds to the four Royal Suites. Nature & Poetry rooms have headboards carved with old Scottish verse, while Victoriana suites come with freestanding copper baths. Your key arrives in a book-box explaining the room's history. Expect tartan, antiques and original art on the walls, plus rain showers and views over the village or hills. Finishing touches include crystal decanters of Fife Arms whisky, notebooks and pencils, and exquisite chocolates from the Braemar Chocolate Shop just down the road.
The art isn't roped off behind glass. You can take afternoon tea in a squashy armchair with a real Picasso for company, and nobody bats an eyelid!
In winter, book the sheepskin-lined fondue hut out in the courtyard and enjoy a melted cheese feast ensconced in the warmth and accompanied by a fantastic view.
This is a village inn as much as a hotel, so day-trippers wander the public rooms and the locals prop up the bar.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
The Fife Arms 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 The Fife Arms 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 The Fife Arms start from around $350, or US$350, 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.
The undisputed Home of Golf and Scotland's oldest university, all within a cobbled square mile.
