A HOTEL in Dumfries served up a winner when it snatched the title of Independent Hotel of the Year from tennis ace Andy Murray.
The Cairndale Hotel, which opened a £2m spa last July, was awarded the prestigious title at the Scottish Excellence Awards in Glasgow last night.
Andy and wife Kim’s Cromlix House Hotel in Dunblane won the title at last year’s awards – regarded as the country’s most prestigious annual hospitality competition.
The Cairndale fended off challenges from two other finalists in the category – Killiecrankie House in Pitlochry and Old Manse of Blair, at Blair Atholl.
The 86-bedroom Cairndale’s two-storey adults-only spa was voted one of the three best new Spas in Britain last November in the Good Spa Guide awards.
Facilities include a thermal pool with jets, water blades and airbeds, Mud Rasul, herbal steam room, Himalayan salt and infrared saunas, ice bath, Hammam, private bathing suite, six treatment rooms and a dedicated café and juice bar.
Owned and run by the Wallace family for more than 40 years, the hotel is about to extend its culinary offering with a new casual dining restaurant, the Oak.
Judges said: “The Cairndale was a worthy winner due to its investment in the Spa and its staff, its support of the local community, excellent customer feedback and its focus on sustainability.”
The five-star Cromlix Hotel, which Andy bought in 2013, was the setting for two-time Wimbledon champ’s wedding to wife Kim in 2015 and under their ownership the hotel has won several awards, including a Michelin key. It was also named the best hotel in Scotland at the AA Hospitality Awards for 2024.
Sir Andy Murray inside his Cromlix House Hotel[/caption]
At the 2025 awards The Hilton Glasgow was voted Group Hotel of the Year 2025 ahead of the Sonas Collection’s Knipoch Hotel, near Oban, the 243-bed Radisson Blu Glasgow and the Rutland Hotel in Edinburgh.
The Dipping Lugger, a tiny restaurant on the shores of Loch Broom in Ullapool, was named the best dining place in Scotland. It seats just 16 guests around two tables and has just three guest rooms.
Co-owner Robert Hicks said: “Big isn’t always the most beautiful. Sometimes small and perfectly formed is the answer.”
Calum Montgomery, Chef-Patron of the four-AA-Rosette Edinbane Lodge on the Isle of Skye, which won the Best Restaurant Award in 2023, was named Chef of the Year, a category in which he was a finalist last year.
Described by judges as “a true champion of Scottish food and hospitality,” he saw off strong challenges from Gary Townsend of Elements in Bearsden, near Glasgow, Dean Parker of Celentano’s in Glasgow’s Merchant City, and Colin Nicholson of Mingary Castle.
The Pub Excellence Award was won by The Drift Inn on the Isle of Arran.
