The hotels in Scotland voted the best in the UK in top 40 list at prestigious awards

Three Scottish hotels have been named among the greatest in the UK at a prestigious award ceremony.

The winners of the Condé Nast Traveller 2023 Readers' Choice Awards were announced on Tuesday, and hotels in Edinburgh and Fife feature in the top 10 for hotels outside of London. Ranked by overall average levels of satisfaction, all three received scores of more than 95 out of 100.

The highest-placing Scottish hotel, coming in at number two in the UK outside of London, is The Balmoral Hotel at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh. The luxury hotel received a satisfaction score of 96.87, putting it just behind the Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa in Wiltshire.

Following behind in third place, with a satisfaction score of 96.70, is The Fife Arms in Braemar. A former Victorian coaching inn that has been imaginatively restored, the boutique hotel features 46 individually designed guest rooms and suites.

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Meanwhile, The Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian was crowned the fifth best hotel in the nation outside of London. The 120-year-old hotel, which is situated on Princes Street in the heart of the capital, received a satisfaction score of 96.36.

Nitin Ramtri, General Manager of The Caledonian, commented: "It is an honour to have been recognised again this year in the Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards, amongst the Top 5 Hotels in the UK!

The Fife Arms features some truly eye-catching interiors — The Fife Arms was praised for its unique interior, which "mixes traditional with eccentric", in a recent Tripadvisor review (Image: Sim Canetty-Clarke/Fife Arms)

"I would like to take a moment to thank our incredible and dedicated hotel team, without their commitment to creating exceptional experiences this recognition would not be possible.

"Thank you to all of our guests near and far who have supported us in this year's awards, we look forward to welcoming you all back to Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh for many more memorable moments to come."

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Looking at travel website Tripadvisor, all three hotels are very popular amongst visitors. The Balmoral Hotel has an average rating of 4.5 out of five based on 5,299 reviews, while The Fife Arms has a score of four out of five based on 444 revies and The Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian has a rating of 4.5 out of five based on 5,872 reviews.

One recent review of The Balmoral Hotel reads: "Quality of rooms were great — clean, roomy, mattresses were great. Staff were all helpful and friendly.

The Waldorf Astoria Caledonian Hotel at the west end of Princes Street Edinburgh (Image: Callum Moffat / Daily Record)

"Location of hotel was good. We experienced no problems at this hotel. Breakfasts were excellent quality."

Meanwhile, a recent visitor to The Fife Arms wrote: "Superb and original five-star experience. The interior design mixes traditional with eccentric, flawlessly.

"Friendly, unstuffy atmosphere and exceptionally gentle service. The art collection includes Picasso, Freud, Man Ray and all in a homely setting that makes you, the admirer, feel suitably spoilt."

Finally, a Tripadvisor review for The Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian states: "This hotel and its staff is impeccable! We stayed on our Hilton Points and were still treated like royalty.

"They asked if they could help us celebrate something and then they did in a big way. Our 35th Anniversary was amazing. We felt so special and we will be back!"

The full list of winners of the Condé Nast Traveller 2023 Readers' Choice Awards can be found on the Condé Nast Traveller website.