Hotel with extensive art collection, unique rooms & Scottish experiences



































































Mar Rd, Braemar, Ballater AB35 5YN, United Kingdom Get directions

"Housed in a stately Highland hunting-lodge–turned-hotel, The Fife Arms blends imposing exterior charm with cozy interiors for the holidays—offering afternoon tea on Christmas Eve, a parade of Cairngorm Reindeer, chestnut roasting, tree decorating, and a traditional Christmas Day breakfast and four-course lunch that anchor the hotel as the social heart of the village." - Judy Koutsky

"If I’m folding Dundee into a Highlands loop, I will splurge on a night at the Fife Arms in Braemar to get a grand, storybook Scottish experience alongside city exploration." - Caitlin Morton

"In the Scottish Highlands I was invited to design my own tartan at the Fife Arms in Braemar: with expert weavers I chose colors and stripes to reflect milestones or memories — forest green for a landscape, navy for a childhood home, or gold thread in honor of a grandparent — then had the design registered and woven into fabric. The finished piece, whether a scarf, throw, or keepsake swatch, serves as a textile memoir. Rooms from $623; tartan workshop from $4,057 per person." - Jordi Lippe-McGraw
"I stayed at The Fife Arms, a characterful hotel that serves as the hub of activity in Braemar." - Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel is a writer with more than eight years of experience editing and writing for both brands and online publications—with a particular focus on travel, fashion, and lifestyle. She’s also the founder of the travel site justpacked.com. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

"In the far‑flung village of Braemar, even the smallest corners brim with Highland character, and the Croft Rooms are the coziest hideaways: each fitted with a traditional cabin bed, generous for one or romantically snug for two, hand‑painted by artists—some with Cairngorms scenes—and crafted with local folklore in mind in collaboration with poet‑artist Alec Finlay. For creative souls, the Artist’s Studio offers a one‑off retreat with masterpiece‑worthy views over the national park and a cabin bed enclosed by bedroom and bathroom walls drenched in hand‑painted motifs, channelling the Bloomsbury domesticity of Charleston House in the free‑spirited vein of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant." - Chloe Frost-Smith