Dalhousie Castle Luxury Country Hotel, Edinburgh

...get your first glimpse of Dalhousie Castle you know you're in for something special. The hotel sits on its own and in daylight looks beautiful, at night, lit up by the lights in the ground, its breathtaking.

Dalhousie is a 13th century castle steeped in history and situated in acres of forest and parkland beside the River Esk Bonnyrigg, around 20 minutes drive from Edinburgh, close enough if you want to visit the city but far enough ...
...a smaller wedding. Dalhousie seems to be a very popular place for a wedding and its understandable why. There are 2 function rooms on the first floor which usually have a wedding on. And ofcourse no Scottish Castle wedding would be complete without a piper, and Dalhousie provide one :-)

THE ROOMS
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So to the rooms..... the bedrooms are split over several levels, the DeRamsia Suite (honeymoon suite) ... more

As soon as you turn off the main road and get your first glimpse of Dalhousie Castle you know you're in for something special. The hotel sits on its own and in daylight looks beautiful, at night, lit up by the lights in the ground, its breathtaking.

Dalhousie is a 13th century castle steeped in history and situated in acres of forest and parkland beside the River Esk Bonnyrigg, around 20 minutes drive from Edinburgh, close enough if you want to visit the city but far enough away to feel like another world.

When you walk in the front door, you're greeted by several sights. First the stair case leading to the upper deck floor. The stairs are to the left and right and meet up on the top forming an arch at ground level, through which is reception. Reception its self is small and cosy with armchairs should you have to wait and plenty brochures about other hotels and attractions. It also leads to the Dungeon restaurant, but more of that later.

After youve checked in a porter will show you to your room, at the foot of the stairs is a door leading to the hotel chapel. a small private. intimate and quite beautiful place, which would be perfect for a smaller wedding. Dalhousie seems to be a very popular place for a wedding and its understandable why. There are 2 function rooms on the first floor which usually have a wedding on. And ofcourse no Scottish Castle wedding would be complete without a piper, and Dalhousie provide one :-)

THE ROOMS
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So to the rooms..... the bedrooms are split over several levels, the DeRamsia Suite (honeymoon suite) is on the lower ground with a number of standard rooms. Dalhousie has standard rooms and themed rooms, the themed rooms are named after famous people in Scots history and are decorated to the highest standard, with beautiful antique furniture and luxurious canopied and 4 poster beds. Each one is quite unique and individual.

The Dalhousie room is probably the most unusual, the door to the room has a doorbell, something which puzzled us at first but becomes clear when you see the room. On entering there is a good sized bathroom to your right and a small inshot with an arm chair under a window. to your right is a corridor some 200 foot long and lined with beautiful tapestries, the corridor takes you to the Dalhousie room its self. A set of stairs take you into the turret and the stunning bedroom which is round shaped and decorated in rich reds, a large 4 poster bed dominates the room, with armchairs and a coffee table at the foot of the bed and a small table and chairs nearby, perfect for a lazy breakfast in the room. The turret also has fully working shutters on each window which if are all closed brings a new kind of darkness to the room! And the doorbell? Its needed because the door to the room is so far from the bedroom!

The deRamsia suite, the honeymoon suite, is on the lower ground floor. A large hallway leads to a good sized bathroom which hosts an enourmous jacuzzi bath, robes and slippers are provided! The siiting room has a sofa and several chairs, some beautiful antique furniture and a door leading onto a private bit of the castle grounds. The sitting room is lovely but the real WOW factor on this room is without a doubt, the bedroom. Stairs lead to it from the sitting room The bedroom walls and ceiling are stone and the room is described as a vaulted ceiling room, its hard to describe but the walls and ceiling are rounded (see photo below) there is a large bed and the antique furniture adds the finishing touch. The one amazing thing this bedroom has is its host to the castle well! The well is covered over by a thick glass for safety and is situated just near the foot of the bed. Definitely an unusual feature.

Our favourite room however is the Mary Queen of Scots suite. Another suite boasting a generous sized hallway & a large bathroom. The bedroom is done in reds purple and tartan. The walls are a rich red colour, the hand carved 4 poster bed is enormous (and has possibly the most comfortable mattress in the world on it lol) A TV is hidden in an antique unit in keeping with the feel of the room. There is ample storage with bedside tables, a chest of drawers and dressing table. The thick luxurious tartan curtains add the finishing touch. The bedroom and the sitting room both have window seats over looking the car park and onto the countryside and the sitting room has a 2nd one which overlooks the grounds of the castle. The sitting room hosts a settee, table, large storage unit and another TV, again hidden behind a unit. Just off the sitting room is another room which has a writing desk, its located in a very small turret which has a cannon hole (covered in glass) in the wall

Each room is very individual but all stylish and stunning in their own way. Pictures and descriptions can be found on the hotel website.

There is also a 100 year old lodge in the grounds which hosts a further 6 bedrooms, all these rooms have full access to all hotel facilities just the same as any castle bedrooms.

FOOD AND DRINK

And so to dinner. There are 2 restaurants, the Orangery, which does bar meal style dinners and the Dungeon Restaurant located deep within the hotel. Pre dinner drinks are in the library a large welcoming room on the 1st floor. There are a number of large sofas and chairs scattered around the room, and the bar is hidden behind a secret door. Included in your dinner price is a complimentary glass of bubbly which is given to you to enjoy while deciding what to order. Once your table is ready a member of staff will take you down to the restaurant. The restaurant is locatd in the barrel vaulted dungeon of the hotel. The stone walls, atmospheric lighting and the suits of armour and other weapons which (subtely) adorn the walls add to the general ambience of this quite unique restaurant. The dungeon is split into 3 areas, to the left and right are areas with about 7/8 tables in each and in the centre an area usually used for larger parties, holding up to 20 people

There is usually a canape before your starter, compliments of the chef. An choice of about 8 different breads is available with your dinner, and as for dinner itself......

A sample menu being:

Starters

Chefs Freshly Prepared Soup of the Day

Boudin of Veal wrapped in Pancetta with a Madeira Jus
on a Celeriac mash

Roast Partridge on a Rockette Salad
with toasted pine Kernels & Caramelised Shallots

Seared fillet of red mullet on toasted Cous cous
With a Saffron Vinigarette

Hot smoked Salmon with a Julienne of Vegetables

Rosace of Melon with a Pink Champagne Granite

Main Course

Hough of Scottish Beef in Red Wine
with Champ Potato & grand mere garnish

Loin of Venison with a Raspberry gastric
Dauphinoise Potato & wilted Spinach

Breast of Corn-fed Chicken stuffed with Morelles & Oregano
Pomme anna & a Morelle & Broad Bean cream sauce

Roast Loin of Monkfish with a Mussel beurre blanc
Puy Lentils & Parsley Puree

Fillet of Rainbow Trout with roast Langoustine in Tarragon
With a crushed pea & mint Risotto

Gnocchi in a Blue Cheese Gratin
with fried Asparagus

Dinner including dessert and coffee is £34 per person.

Coffee can be served in the restaurant or the library. The library is also the area used as the residents lounge.

Breakfast is served in the Orangery or you can have it in your room. The selection is amazing. Cereal, fruit, toast, pastries, fruit juice, coffee/tea, full Scottish you can have as much or as little as you like. There is also a 24 hour room service menu available.

MISC

Dalhousie Castle also has an Aqueous Spa in the building and a Falconry in the grounds, unfortunately Ive not had the pleasure of trying either.

There are a number of Dalhousie souveniers you can buy, from postcards to framed photos to a scale model of the hotel.

Room prices vary from £95 to £315 although its worth trying to book up on sites like lateroom.com

Weve stayed at Dalhousie 9 times in the past 2 years and the welcome we get is second to none, the staff are amazing for remembering detail which is a lovely touch. Weve rec'd complimentary flowers and champagne from the hotel which again all adds to the experience. The welcome you get is just wonderful and nothing is too much trouble.

Id recommend Dalhousie to anyone looking for something that bit special.... oh and look out for the ghost ;-) 

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