GLENEAGLES TOWNHOUSE EDINBURGH

With smart new members' club the Townhouse, Gleneagles has landed, says Steve King

- Steve King

It's impossible to think of the new place, the Townhouse, without thinking of the old place, Gleneagles. For almost a century Gleneagles has held a position of unique prominence in the landscape of Scottish hospitality. It's more than a great big country-housestyle hotel with a famous golf course. It's part of the nation's furniture. Everyone I spoke to around the time of my visit to the Townhouse, when it finally opened this summer after long delays, was quick to ask: "What's the new one like?" Not so much in the sense of "Is it all right?" as "To what extent does it resemble the old one?"

It's a good question. The best answer I heard came from the Townhouse's genial head chef, Jonny Wright. "Gleneagles is Prince William," he said. "The Townhouse is Prince Harry." This seemed about right to methough since its 2015 acquisition by Ennismore, Gleneagles has had a massive injection of energy and fun and made admirable progress in getting back in touch with its inner Harry. I doubt it's ever looked better or felt livelier at any point in its history. Nevertheless, these are two very different propositions-one a 232-room baronial behemoth on 850 rolling acres of rural Perthshire, the other a bijou 33-room members' club located in the stony heart of Edinburgh's spickand-span New Town.