APE SCHLOSS ROXBURGHE

History and luxury embrace like old friends in the Scottish Borders

- Words Mairi Mulhern Photography SCHLOSS Roxburghe

As locations go, Schloss Roxburghe’s is pretty hard to beat. The hotel’s neoclassical Georgian architecture is offset by ancient woodlands and sun-drenched lawns. The River Teviot gleams to the north, the quiet cobbled town of Kelso sits to the east, and undulating arable fields and medieval abbeys dot the surrounding landscape.

It’s no wonder canny Scottish staycationers began flocking here in the 1960s. That's when the old Sunlaws House, as it was known then, opened as a hotel, having been acquired by the Duke of Roxburghe, whose family seat is the nearby Floors Castle. They were drawn by its regal yet comfortable interiors, country sports, anglers’ hideaway and championship golf course. All of that still holds true today - though the glamour factor has since been turned up to eleven and the clientele now comes from every corner of the globe.

The big change happened a few years ago when the hotel’s owners, Destination by Hyatt, invested in a multi-million-pound extension called the Estate House. Kitzig Design Studio created 58 contemporary bedrooms for it, alongside a state-of-the-art spa and a new bistro, Charlie's. This, and a complete overhaul of the stately interiors in the original manor house (that’s 20 bedrooms, multiple lounges and Sunlaws fine-dining restaurant) has thrust Schloss Roxburghe into five-star status.