I stayed at this elegant luxury hotel on the leafy side of a busy Scottish island

This hotel is a tranquil retreat

The first time I saw Duisdale House Hotel was on the telly.

It was featured on the BBC programme, Great Escapes, back in 2024.

The plush decor stuck in my head, along with the grand Victorian property, which was built in 1867 as a hunting lodge. After a spell as a hotel in the Thirties, it was requisitioned during WWII under the Royal Navy, and returned to operating as a hotel in 1947. Sonas Collection, who own four other Scottish hotels including Skeabost, took it over in 2007, and restored the building.

Thanks to its moment of fame, it already feels familiar, when we pull into the gravel driveway of this 22-room four-star honey-coloured stone property, which is situated on the Sleat Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. We’re even more at home, when we meet the very chatty Kai, who works on reception and has Duracell bunny energy levels of enthusiasm for the island. Ask him anything.

He checks us into our room, up on the first floor, via a thickly carpeted checkered staircase with a contemporary chandelier, and a model yacht by a window.

We’ve got a crow’s nest view from our huge and smart bedroom - across the freshly mown stripes of the lawn in the hotel’s garden, to lush treetops - then the Sound of Sleat and Knoydart.

The decor is nautical (but nice-icle) in navy, coral and white, with boat motifs and a glamorous vintage telephone on my side of the bed. They’ve left us some chunks of tablet, the ingredients to make a couple of gin and tonics, and a mini bottle of Isle of Raasay Distillery whisky. However, we’re most happy about the fact that we’ve got a bath. It’s the first place we’ve stayed at on Skye that’s had a proper tub. After all the steps we’ve taken, we’ll be needing that.

But first, we dump our bags and explore the area, which locals have told us is otherwise known as the garden of Skye, as it’s so lush. Indeed, it seems softer and less dramatic than the rest of the island. It’s also a great area for arts and crafts, and we’d popped into about three pottery shops, including Maggie Zefara by the Armadale Ferry Terminal, on the way here. Nothing bought, though we have a few lingering regrets about that.

For a quick stretch of the legs, cross the road and head down to the bay, where the hotel has its own moorings. It’s rocky down here, with the occasional shard of Victorian crockery among the smooth pale pebbles. We spotted a seal, just commuting through.

If you want to explore further, the closest visitor attraction to the hotel is Armadale Castle - the seat of the Macdonalds of Sleat. There’s not much left of the castle, which is an ivy-clad ruin, with the grand central staircase incongruously intact, but the estate’s gardens are thriving, with monkey puzzles, conifers, redwoods and oaks, and snaking pathways that lead you to various sculptures, ponds and benches.

The admission price includes entry to the Museum of the Isles, which covers the history of Clan Donald and the Highlands and Islands. Expect treasures galore, from a gun that was thought to be used in the Battle of Culloden, to broadswords, Bonnie Prince Charlie memorabilia, and even artist William Brodie’s original plaster model of Greyfriars Bobby, which is safely ensconsed behind glass so nobody can get at his nose.

There’s a restaurant here, but we’ve already committed to visit the recommended Cafe 1925, since it’s just a 15 minute drive away.

It’s a lovely spot, with a phone box right next door, and the staff seemed to know all the customers personally. We can vouch for their chocolate Guinness cake.

That kept us going until dinner at the hotel restaurant, which has two AA rosettes. I had the Isle of Skye scallops, pancetta jam, and Arbroath Smokie sauce, then the rump of Scottish braised lamb belly. He went for the chanterelle dumpling, mushroom tea, and ponzu jelly, then a main course of trout, with langoustine ravioli.

If you want post prandial drinks, you could try the hotel’s Chart Room Bar, where they serve a cocktail called Camas Nam Mult that’s named after a local bay and features ingredients including Barra rum, bitters and saline.

The next morning, we were back to the same table, with its view out to the wooden terrace and the manicured garden with its architectural-looking New Zealand flax.

Breakfast is fab. All I really care about is a decent range of fruit, yogurt and a sturdy granola, and their version was nutty and gorgeous. Then, I had a dreamy smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, while Mr Hollow Legs had the full Scottish.

We were impressed by this place and its location.

For those who want to explore the lusher reaches of Skye, it’s the ideal spot to drop anchor.

A night at Duisdale House Hotel starts at £119 per room, see www.sonascollection.com