Scottish locations a hit in TripAdvisor awards

Luskentyre Beach was named the best in Scotland, and eighth in the UK overall. Picture: Getty

There was recognition for both Edinburgh and Glasgow, along with a handful of Scotland’s most beautiful beaches and bays.

Pitlochry’s Fonab Castle Hotel was named in four awards lists while the Chester Residence hotel in Edinburgh claimed first place in the list of the UK’s top 25 luxury hotels, along with two other commendations.

The Links House Hotel in Royal Dornoch made two lists while two other Pitlochry hotels - Knockendarroch House Hotel and The Green Park Hotel - were highly praised, along with the Douglas Hotel in Brodick, on the Isle of Arran.

Edinburgh's Chester Residence hotel, in the West End, was highly praised by TripAdvisor reviewers. Picture: Contributed

Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Yacht Britannia featured highly among the UK’s top 10 landmarks, with the castle also named among Europe’s top 25 landmarks.

The castle was named second in the list of the UK’s top 10 landmarks behind the Tower of London and ahead of the likes of Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

The Royal Yacht Britannia, moored at Ocean Terminal in Leith, placed third in the list.

Nick Finnigan, Executive Manager of Edinburgh Castle, said: “Pairing centuries of history with an iconic setting, at the heart of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh Castle offers a truly unique experience for our visitors, and to be named the second top-rated landmark by our customers in this UK-wide awards initiative is testament to the on-going dedication and enthusiasm of our castle staff.”

Edinburgh Castle features among the top UK and European destinations. Picture: Wiki Commons

And Chester Residence general manager Jill Darling said it was a ‘great honour’ to be recognised by TripAdvisor’s reviewers.

The plush West End hotel saw off competition from a host of other highly-regarded hotels to be named the UK’s top luxury hotel, and also featured in the lists of the UK’s top 25 small hotels and the UK’s top 25 hotels for service.

Ms Darling added: “It means so much to our team to be recognised by our guests for all their hard work and dedication.

“We will continue to take great pleasure in ensuring their future stays with us are as comfortable and memorable as possible.”

Comments on TripAdvisor about the Rothesay Place hotel included: ‘A real gem and very high quality’ and ‘it exceeded all expectations... the setting is fantastic’.

The Fonab Castle Hotel in Pitlochry was named among the UK’s top 25 hotels for romance (7th); Europe’s top 25 hotels for romance (22nd); the UK’s top 25 luxury hotels (3rd) and Europe’s top 25 luxury hotels (11th).

The Green Park Hotel and Knockendarroch House Hotel were named among the UK’s top 25 hotels and the UK’s top 25 hotels for romance respectively.

The Links House Hotel at Royal Dornoch was named at number seven in the UK’s top 25 luxury hotels and 24th in the top 25 European luxury hotels.

Beaches in Scotland made up one-fifth of the UK’s top 25, with Luskentyre Beach on Harris the pick north of the Border.

Nairn Beach (13th); Durness Beach (19th); Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull (20th); Arisaig’s Camusdarach Beach (24th) and Kiloran Beach on Colonsay (25th) made up the remaining Scots entries.

One TripAdvisor review of Luskentyre read: “Golden sands stretching as far as the eye can see, surrounded by emerald hills. With a high wind and grey skies it was a wild and beautiful walk” while others described it as ‘heaven on earth’ and ‘ridiculously pretty’.

Glasgow was named in the list of the UK’s top 10 destinations, while Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum made the list of the UK’s top 10 museums.

The National Museum of Scotland, which came sixth in the list of UK museums, also featured in Europe’s top 25 museums, coming in 22nd ahead of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and London’s Churchill War Rooms.

Edinburgh itself was named the UK’s second most popular destination, and also made Europe’s top 25.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said: “We are delighted to hear that Scotland features prominently in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards.

“In particular, it is a pleasure to see Edinburgh Castle, the crowning glory of our Scottish capital, rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème of Europe’s top attractions.

“Our awe-inspiring landscape, golden sandy beaches, rich history and heritage prove an irresistible draw for visitors from both at home and abroad.

“Just last year there were an incredible 15.52 million trips made by domestic and international visitors. To know these awards have been chosen by those visitors who have experienced Scotland’s wondrous attractions first-hand makes them all the more special.”