A stylish Scottish hotel has been hailed as one of the best across the globe.
Ahead of 2025, The Fife Arms in Aberdeenshire has earned a spot on a list of the “best hotels and resorts in the world” by esteemed travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller. The boutique hotel is situated in the village of Braemar in the Cairngorms National Park.
As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, The Fife Arms was described by Conde Nast as “flamboyantly cool”. Owned by Swiss art aficionados Manuela and Iwan Wirth, it overlooks the picturesque Clunie Water river.
Once a Victorian hunting lodge, The Fife Arms features nine en-suite bedrooms. It is also home to a restaurant, bar, and even a separate pub.
Condé Nast Traveller commented: “Reasons to love the Fife Arms? Yes, the 16,000-odd works of art – including a pair of Picassos, Richard Jackson’s neon chandelier, a taxidermy haggis, and watercolours by Queen Victoria and King Charles III.
“Add in the fact that no one in Braemar seems to have a bad word to say about the Swiss art dealers Ivan and Manuela Wirth, relative outsiders when they took over this tired Victorian coaching inn in Cairngorms National Park.
“But the real joy of the Fife Arms is that it’s great fun: you’ll find everyone here, from out-of-towners to locals with their dogs – not to mention a team of wry, wise-cracking staff ready to make an event out of everything from whisky tastings at Bertie’s Bar to bracing wild-river swims followed by horse box sauna sessions.”
Back in October, the magazine also crowned The Fife Arms the UK’s best hotel. It marked the second time in three years that it received the honour.
Digital Director at Condé Nast Traveller Sarah Allard added: “For anyone who has ever visited Scotland it should come as no surprise that it continues to rank highly as one of our readers’ top destinations and for those that haven’t, well, consider it high on their bucket list for 2025.
“From checking out some of the best hotels in the UK (including this year’s winner – The Fife Arms) it’s impossible to have a bad time in Scotland.”
Other hotels named in the European section of Condé Nast Traveller’s list include luxury stays in Santorini, Madrid, Florence, and Paris. More information can be found on the Condé Nast Traveller website.
The best hotels in Europe
- Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris, France
- Palazzo Margherita, Bernalda, Italy
- Severin’s Resort & Spa, Sylt, Germany
- The Connaught, London
- Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg, Germany
- Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin
- Adare Manor, Ireland
- Canaves Ena, Santorini, Greece
- Cap Rocat, Mallorca, Spain
- Ett Hem, Stockholm, Sweden
- Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Florence
- Gran Hotel Inglés, Madrid
- Gstaad Palace, Switzerland
- Hotel Castello di Reschio, Lisciano Niccone, Italy
- Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens
- Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi, Italy
- Kalesma Mykonos, Greece
- La Posta Vecchia Hotel, Ladispoli, Italy
- Le Bristol Paris
- Les Roches Rouges, Saint-Raphaël, France
- Lime Wood, Lyndhurst, United Kingdom
- Marbella Club, Spain
- Splendido, a Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Italy
- The Fife Arms, Braemar, United Kingdom
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