Spa Weekend Scotland

Spa Weekend Scotland – I’m most excited about the quality spa hotels offering truly excellent deals, but this list of great spa breaks includes luxury, budget, family friendly and even dog friendly venues. I’m only sharing properties I’ve stayed at and I recommend them for different reasons. Not every spa hotel offers a pool, so I’ve made clear each one that does. Now relax, and I’ll start with my favourite deals in Scotland

MY TOP 3 – Best Value for Money – Spa Weekend Scotland

These hotels are the best to me because they offer SO much quality, such smart rooms and beautiful spas at very reasonable prices. You will find cheaper (with more lived in accommodation) and more luxurious (with a price tag to match) but these properties blow my mind in terms of quality, experience and affordability. These are my top two.

Gailes Hotel, Irvine, Ayrshire

MINI POOL This place is amazing, especially considering the price point. The Gailes Hotel in Irvine, Ayrshire has modern, contemporary rooms, £2 million was spent on its Si! Spa, plus its Coast restaurant area is spanking new too. The restaurant dishes up family favourites, from steak and ale pie to wraps and fish and chips, so an affordable menu is a bonus. There are also golf courses and the beach nearby but you can book some fantastic deals here.

Apex City Quay, Dundee

POOL A five minute walk from the railway station (plus the hotel has vast parking) you can’t argue with the Apex’s location. It’s also within walking distance to the city’s main attractions. Dundee’s Apex City Quay hotel is also really reasonably priced. The pool area boasts a whirlpool, steam room and sauna too.  Its Yu Spa is fantastic (and uses Elemis products). I thoroughly recommend booking their 55 minute ‘Signature Treatment’ where you get a bit of everything – back massage, facial and scalp massage.

In terms of accommodation we’re talking smart, modern rooms, and spacious family rooms. The Apex’s vast lobby, bar and restaurant serves up a whirl of cocktails and good food with set menus offering two courses for £20, or three courses for £26.

Sandman Signature, Aberdeen

You can find great prices, deals and packages for the four-star accommodation at the Sandman Signature, plus great offers on sites such as Itison. This hotel is wonderfully central, the rooms are contemporary and smart and the public areas are beautiful. Take a peak at the lobby with its colourful umbrellas, and stylish Chop Restaurant that serves an array of seasonal cocktails and bar food such as burgers and fish tacos. It’s not fine dining, expect generous plates of Canadian favourites.

The spa itself offers an array of treatments using ishga products, plus a calming white relaxation room (with complimentary tea, coffee and water) and a compact sauna and steam room. I had a wonderful therapist called Emma, so I’d definitely recommend her. The ishga Face and Body Experience, combining a facial, scalp, back and shoulder massage, was absolutely delightful.  Take your time here, there’s no rush!

Budget – Spa Weekend Scotland

At these venues you can’t argue with the price!

Aberdeen Altens Hotel

POOL – The Aberdeen Altens Hotel generally comes in at a great price. Treatment rooms, plus a pool with all the extras, make it a solid option. On the outskirts of Aberdeen city, with ample parking, it’s worth considering. In depth review here.

Stirling Highland Hotel

POOL The Stirling Highland Hotel is a converted former school in a remarkably central city location ideal for exploring Stirling. It offers a swimming pool with whirlpool, steam room and sauna, plus a host of spa treatments. The family rooms are brilliantly laid out, with kids sleeping in an ensuite bedroom with bunkbeds. Informal quality dining, and, weird fact, the hotel has an observatory on its roof. Request access in advance if you wish to take a peak. The hotel offers expansive FREE PARKING in the centre of town. For more info on Stirling click here.

Moness Resort, Aberfeldy, Perthshire

POOL Set just outside Aberfeldy, the Moness Resort offers both hotel and self catering accommodation, alongside a pool, spa treatments, whirlpool, sauna and steam room. For a full review click here.

Ardoe House Hotel, Aberdeen

POOL You can also get surprisingly good deals at the Aberdeen Ardoe Hotel. Its exterior looks like something straight out of a fairytale, and the spa indulges you with Ishga products.

City Break

Edinburgh Holyrood

POOL Edinburgh Holyrood offers capital adventures, plus guests can access the pool and steam room or book Elemis treatments such as couple’s massage, facials, body wraps and eye treatments.

Malmaison Aberdeen

I love the modern decor of Aberdeen’s Malmaison, and some rooms have baths in your room, which I’m a real sucker for. Plus you can get some fantastic mid week rates at this hotel so check them out. The restaurant is stylish and the ideal spot for steak. The spa is open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm, and the full spa menu is here.

Foodies – Spa Weekend Scotland

Douneside House Hotel, Tarland, Aberdeenshire

POOL – Treat yourself.Douneside is the most delicious hotel I’ve ever stayed at. This Royal Deeside hotel dishes up utterly delightful food, and I thoroughly recommend booking the tasting menu with accompanying wine flight. Add in a swim, steam, sauna and jacuzzi, plus a cheeky spa treatment and you’ll feel absolutely heavenly. For a full review click here.

Luxury – Spa Weekend Scotland

Kimpton Blythswood Square, Glasgow

As the Kimpton Blythswood Square’s award winning spa undergoes renovation (set to launch in Spring 2023) step into THAW, Glasgow’s only outdoor spa winter garden. We’re talking two saunas, outdoor hot tub, steam room and complimentary hot chocolate in the sheltered canopied courtyard of this five star property. Don’t miss dinner and drinks at the sublime iasg restaurant either!

Gleneagles, Perthshire

POOL Gleneagles is an beautifully elegant five star resort in rural Perthshire with a fantastic restaurant by the late Andrew Fairlie. The spa boasts twenty treatment rooms, a steam room, a hot sauna cabin, a warm, dark vitality pool, a light-filled relaxation courtyard and a healthy Spa café. It is set at a high price point but if you can’t justify an overnight then spa days are available to non residents.

Dunkeld House Hotel, Perthshire

POOL I attended Dunkeld for a very elegant wedding, which says so much about how welcoming and smart this hotel is. The scenic location near cute-as-a-button Dunkeld is a draw, and the pool and spa provide indulgent pampering.

The Marcliffe, Aberdeen

Indulge at the 5 star Marcliffe Hotel Spa with ‘Comfort Zone’ plant, flower and marine based beauty products. Spa treatments include Facials, Body Treatments, Luxury Manicures and pedicures, Swedish Massage, Aromatherapy Massage and Hot Stone Massage. Be sure to dine here too, the food is excellent, exemplary service, and the afternoon tea is lush as well.

The Fairmont, St Andrews

POOL The Fairmont is a Fife gem – smart and stylish yet offers intimate five star service and comfort. Using a mix of Espa and Ishga products across the spa’s ten treatment rooms, plus pool access, this is an indulgent treat. Taking afternoon tea in the atrium under the sixty-metre lighting sculpture ‘Zephyr’ is also hugely popular. For a full review click here.

The Fife Arms, Braemar, Aberdeenshire

This five-star Royal Deeside gem is a Mecca for art and design. The rooms and public spaces are creative artistic spaces in their own right, and look out for renowned pieces of art from Freud and Dali to Queen Victoria. The Albamhor Spa offers a range of treatments, ideal after a day of hiking. Staying and visiting here is an inimitable, unique experience but it is really quite expensive! Remember to look out for the Flying Stag in the bar. For a full review click here.

Family Friendly

Crieff Hydro, Perthshire

2 POOLS Complimentary childcare for wee ones is a headline attraction. Plus, this is one of Scotland’s oldest spas. As the name suggests, people have always flocked to Crieff for wellness and therapy. In terms of facilities, there are two pools, one is an elegant adults only affair (with a beautiful ceiling of artwork) making the second pool a family friendly zone. LOTS of activities for all the family, plus evening entertainment that includes little ones. The spa menu is here, and includes post and pre natal pampering.

Auchrannie Resort, Isle of Arran

2 POOLS – Arran’s Auchrannie Resort has a fantastic resort hotel that delights all generations, and it’s only a few minutes from the ferry terminal and runs a free shuttle bus. Auchrannie has two fantastic swimmings pools. The first one is the House Hotel pool with heated stone spa seats, steam room and jacuzzi – it’s dimly lit and atmospheric. The second is the Spa Hotel Pool with the coolest children’s play area featuring waterfalls and water fountains. The spa is called ASPA and uses Espa products. It’s uber smart and modern yet deeply relaxing, offering a range of packages from Island Escape to Island Getaway. Read more about Arran and Auchrannie here. This hotel is also dog friendly.

Dalmahoy, nr Edinburgh

POOL Although top names like Joe Biden have stayed at Dalmahoy Country Club and Hotel it’s notably family friendly. A playground, pool and children’s afternoon tea welcome little ones. Even in-room camping for children is offered – read more here. In terms of the spa, it’s located within the resort but independently run and managed. it’s called Beauty Essentials, and will change hands at the end of February 2023. Here’s the current website but watch this space for changes.

New Lanark Mill Hotel

POOL This is the most educational spa break you could possibly imagine. New Lanark Mill Hotel simultaneously tells the story of mill life (even including wee ghosts) in this wonderfully immersive town. Yet you can also stay at a hotel on site, take a dip in the pool and explore the bubble pool, steam room, sauna, a health and fitness studio, and a gym. Spa treatments on offer include a range of massages and facials, reflexology, body treatments such as waxing and tinting and manicures & pedicures. Read about the full experience here.

Gleneagles, Perthshire

POOL I’m mentioning the luxurious Gleneagles again, because, despite its grandeur it’s ridiculously family friendly. When we visited it even offered complimentary childcare for mini residents

Macdonald Inchyra, Falkirk

POOL The Macdonald Inchyra hotel is ideally located after Falkirk adventures at the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. After a dip in the pool, choose from the spa’s extensive ELEMIS treatment menu here.

Dog Friendly

Golf View, Nairn

POOL – This smart beachside Nairn hotel is really focussing on its spa clientele after a considerable recent investment in all its Coast spa facilities. The Golf View Hotel pool is also child-free for the most part (check the timing for the hours little ones are permitted in the pool). The outdoor hot tub, with views out to sea, is lush. Also take time to experience the sauna, steam room and Stone Bath. Browse treatments here. And remember, four legged pals are v welcome in the hotel too.

With a Golf Course

Gleddoch Hotel and Spa, near Glasgow

POOL If you enjoy golf, or if your partner does, you can head to the Imperia spa after a few rounds. Gleddoch Hotel & Spa Renfrewshire has a splash of Glaswegian glamour. We loved the pool area’s outdoor hot tub with views over the Clyde, the heated lounge seats, and the sparkling chandeliers! Read a full review here.

This is a full list of the hotels we’ve personally visited so we know what to expect. There are SO many good spa hotels to choose between, at very different price points so I’ve tried to split them up as sensibly as possible. Enjoy your relaxation.

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