Small Luxury Hotels of the World Adds Four UK Properties to Portfolio

Small Luxury Hotels of the World has added four hotels in the United Kingdom to its portfolio of impressive properties.

With the simplicity, value and security that staycations provide travellers in the ever changing world of COVID19-related travel restrictions and costs, the four luxury hotels in Surrey, Belfast, Edinburgh and Dornoch, are expected to be very popular as many decide to stay in their home country rather than travel abroad.

The Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast joins SLH as the only hotel in Northern Ireland. The hotel is located on the slopes of the Holywood Hills, overlooking Belfast Lough and the sprawling Country Antrim Coastline.

There are 98 well-appointed rooms and suites within the Gothic property, which was once the official palace for the Bishops of Down.

Last year the hotel unveiled a significant renovation to its leading spa, which features a Tylarium (steam and sauna combo), large pool, jacuzzi, and curated ESPA treatments.

Culloden offers three dining options, fine dining at The Vesper and more relaxed dining at The Lough Bar and Culloden’s own onsite pub - The Cultra Inn.

The hotel will reopen its doors on 17 May with rates from £280 per night including breakfast.

'Orkney in the City' is an apt description of Edinburgh's much-loved urban retreat, The Dunstane Houses.

Although only a 15-minute walk from Edinburgh city centre, the hotel owners hail from Orkney and have brought the spirit of Orkney with them, peppering the hotel with Orcadian gin, whisky, art and even breakfast produce.

The hotel is split between two meticulously restored Victorian townhouses which stand across the road from each other (Dunstane House and Hampton House) and provide 35 of the most generously sized rooms and suites Edinburgh has to offer.

Think warm hues of ochre, burnt orange, teal and a sumptuous combination of locally made tweeds and velvets, dotted with roll-top baths and open fires. Ba' Bar is the hotel's all-day Scottish dining offering and features one of Edinburgh's best spirit collections.

Beyond the characterful and evocative walls, the city's Old town awaits, just a 15-minute stroll away, but guests are only a short drive from some of Scotland's most sought-after beauty spots from the fabled peaks of the nearby Pentland Hills to the mystical shores of Cramond Beach, Gullane or Elie.

The hotel will reopen on 7 May with rooms from £211 per night including breakfast.

With its waterfront location and royal connections, The Mitre Hotel (pictured) can easily be described as ‘fit for a king’ or his friends at least.

The Grade II-listed property launched in September 2020 and was originally built in 1665 to accommodate King Charles II’s courtiers. It has been reincarnated numerous times throughout the centuries, currently, as the elegant 36-room hotel.

The Mitre Hotel enjoys an enviable position sitting on the banks of the River Thames in Hampton Court and provides a relaxed and stylish retreat where no two guest rooms are the same.

Interior designer Nicola Harding has given each room an individual stamp, with clever use of contrast and coordination. Her refreshing palette of bold colours and textures gives the hotel an uniquely playful ambience while paying homage to its heritage and neighbourhood.

Rooms and suites come with either views over the River Thames, Hampton Court Palace and garden or picturesque internal courtyards.

Food takes centre stage at the hotel with a 60-cover riverside restaurant (1665), a 70-cover brasserie and bar (CopperNose), an 80-cover Orangery, and a large riverside terrace home to the world’s first stand-alone Whispering Angel Bar. The boat house bar is perfect for enjoying sundowners with a cold glass of Whispering Angel rosé in hand.

The hotel reopens on 17 May with a packed programme of activities, including bike and private boat picnics, Live Jazz on the Terrace and a ‘Taste of summer’ supper club, amongst other entertainment.

Rates the 36-room hotel start from £180 per night including breakfast.

The award-winning Links House at Royal Dornoch effortlessly fuses tradition with a modern sensibility.

The hotel is Scotland’s most northerly luxury destination and sits in the rugged and romantic Scottish Highlands. It boasts 15 luxurious rooms, 8 of which are luxury suites and a lavish penthouse apartment – Glenshiel – the hotel’s most recent addition. All 15 rooms are named after salmon rivers in the North Highlands and feature underfloor heating, Hypnos beds and Italian linen.

Links House at Royal Dornoch is enveloped by beautiful grounds and manicured gardens, including a significant herb garden that supplies the hotel’s kitchens. Undoubtedly the allure of golf at the spellbinding Royal Dornoch is a big draw for guests, but beyond golf, Dornoch town has plenty of attractions, including The Dornoch Cathedral and the award-winning Carnegie Whisky Cellars.

Further afield, guests can enjoy salmon and trout fishing and drives around the North Coast 500 – a 500-mile route around the top of Scotland. The hotel officially opened on 26 April, with ‘a flavour of Mara’ launching the same day - a new dining concept led by Executive Chef James McDonald designed to celebrate the best of Scotland’s larder. It perfectly complements the hotel’s other eateries, The Courtroom and The Courtyard.

Rooms start from £250 per night including breakfast.

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