Explore: Andy Murray Delivers Ace Experience at His Scottish Country Hotel

Tucked away in the lush green landscapes on the borders of Stirling and Perthshire lies Cromlix, recognised as one of Scotland’s top country hotels.

Built in 1874, it was originally a private family home for 107 years before it opened as a hotel in 1981. When it came up for sale in 2013, it caught the eye of tennis pro-Andy Murray.

This is unsurprising as it has quite a history with the Murray family Andy’s grandparents lay claim to having the very first function at the hotel (their 25th wedding anniversary), Andy’s brother Jamie and their father Willie both married in the hotel’s chapel, and Andy and Kim hosted their wedding reception at the hotel in 2015.

Cromlix Hotel Andy Murray
WRITER, MARIA BOYLE AND HER DAUGHTER DAISY PLAY PICKLEBALL. PIC: SUPPLIED
‘I wanted to save it from falling into the hands of an oligarch who would never use it despite everyone advising me against it,’ Andy has said.

On arrival at Edinburgh Airport, Keith, one of the hotel’s friendly drivers, gave me and my daughter Daisy the warmest welcome. He whisked us into the Cromlix chauffeured car and told us tales of the area’s rich history, pointing out notable landmarks and ancient castles on the 50-minute scenic route.

We drove up the hotel’s long and windy drive and entered its reception. The whole hotel has just undergone a major refurbishment and offers comfortable sofas, a roaring fire and pops of colour everywhere, not to mention the eye-catching art. We immediately sniffed a fabulous aroma of white pepperwood, later finding out it was a bespoke blend created especially for Cromlix.

Starving, we went straight into its light-filled Glasshouse restaurant, which has views over the rolling hills and woodlands. We enjoyed a champagne afternoon tea, with delicious sandwiches on homemade focaccia, tasty savoury bao buns, followed by a selection of scones and sweets, and a tasteful choice of teas and coffee.

We were curious to explore the hotel, which felt like a family house with its relaxed atmosphere and understated elegance. It’s evident that a lot of care and investment has gone into the much needed refurbishment.

Masterminded by Kim and the talented Irish interior designer Suzanne Garuda who also did the Murrays’ Surrey home out went the tired tartans and in came striking wallpapers, plush crushed velvets, bottle-green leather bar booths, and incredible pieces of Scottish art which sit alongside the Murrays’ private collection.

Its 15 appointed suites and bedrooms have been individually designed, reflecting their own personality, and making the most of the different characteristics in each room as well as the countryside views.

Rooms are spacious and comfortable, bathrooms are bright and airy, and many have freestanding bathtubs with handmade amenities by Edinburgh-based skincare brand MODM.

Refreshingly devoid of tennis memorabilia, the only clues guests have that Andy and Kim own the hotel is a discreet little note from Kim in the room guide, the immaculate tennis court in Wimbledon colours and tasty room treats labelled ‘Andy’s Granny Erskine’s shortbread secret recipe’ in each room.

Communal areas include a stylish drawing room, where guests can enjoy reading the papers and magazines, try afternoon tea or just lounge by the fire. Here interiors are zesty and invigorating — duck egg blue walls, a yellow ceiling, original lighting fixtures with stylish shades and sofas recovered with botanical themed materials.

There’s also a very cool bar serving a wonderful selection of cocktails and a full-size billiards table and games room to enjoy an afterdinner drink and tempting sweets in jars.

Andy and Kim Murray at Cromlix.
ANDY AND KIM MURRAY AT CROMLIX. PIC: SUPPLIED.
Cromlix offers the ideal setting for unwinding and truly disconnecting from the hustle and bustle, a luxury that can be hard to come by in busy cities like Glasgow or Edinburgh.

While the temptation to simply relax was strong, we were curious to explore the 34 acres of woodland it sits in, so we borrowed wellies from the hotel reception and went for a romp, getting pleasantly lost along the way all part of the fun!

As we wandered through the woods, we stumbled upon the hotel’s loch, with gliding swans and busy coots. It felt like we were in a perfect oasis of calm, a precious luxury in today’s fastpaced world.

Venturing beyond the estate, we embarked on a scenic car tour of the surrounding area, discovering the historic charms of Stirling, Andy’s hometown of Dunblane and Bridge of Allan, a former spa town at the foot of the Ochil Hills.

Its main street is full of independent shops and after a lovely walk around, we enjoyed an excellent dinner at the buzzy Nairn’s restaurant, with mouth-watering dishes including butternut squash and sage ravioli with pine nuts, market fish with langoustine and nduja butter sauce, cooked to perfection and served beautifully.

Another night we had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, The Glasshouse. We dined on heritage beetroot, baked and pickled with home-smoked ricotta followed by melt-in-your mouth fillet steak.

The menu is vast, designed by executive head chef Darin Campbell, and uses the finest Scottish produce. The food was Michelin standard and some of the best we’ve eaten in Scotland. Breakfast at the hotel was also excellent top tip, do not miss the porridge brúlée made with whisky, cream and demerara sugar. It is divine.

For guests like us who like new experiences, Cromlix has curated a range of bespoke activities. The first one we chose was a pickleball lesson with instructor John on Cromlix’s new court. We had never tried the game, which is a gentle cross between tennis, badminton and ping pong. We had a brilliant lesson it is an easy game to pick up, we discovered, and we had a lot of fun learning all about it.

Cromlix also arranged for us to have a private shopping experience with Scottish designer-weaver Araminta Campbell at her atelier, located in a Regency gothic turreted farmhouse just outside Edinburgh. We spent a fascinating two hours learning about the intricate process of handweaving and the technicalities of the craft.

WRITER, MARIA BOYLE, WITH A TRADITIONAL LOOM AT CROMLIX. PIC: SUPPLIED
We saw how Araminta and her highly trained team work with British alpacas to craft one-of-a-kind scarves and throws and tried our hand on a traditional loom take it from me, it’s harder than it looks.

At the end of the experience, we had the chance to browse pieces for sale and clients can walk away as proud owners of a one-off piece with each creation including information about the fleeces used, tracing it back to an individual alpaca’s name.

As the sun set on the final evening, we had dinner at Wedgewood in Edinburgh’s Old Town. Chef Paul Wedgewood crowned Scottish chef of the year in 2023 creates his menu to align with the changing seasons, using the finest local Scottish produce, urban foraged ingredients alongside seasonal haggis and on occasion invasive species such as grey squirrel.

Cromlix Hotel Andy Murray
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN AT THE HOTEL. PIC: SUPPLIED
We started with succulent Shetland scallops and my daughter chose Douglas fir cured salmon followed by perfectly cooked Peterhead monkfish and Avon Valley roe deer loin. As it was our last night, we could not resist the lure of chocolate Sacher torte and very sticky toffee pudding. Food heaven.

Our weekend gave us a newfound appreciation for Scotland’s rich heritage, artisans and first-class hospitality not to mention a new pickleball hobby.