
Former ‘hippy' hotel is sold to Saudi businessman
The Cluny Hill hotel, on a slope above the town of Forres in Moray, served as a retreat and learning centre for the Findhorn Foundation (FF), Scotland's biggest and best-known alternative lifestyle charity.
With its faded Victorian glamour, the 76-room former spa was once dubbed 'the Vatican of the New Age'.
The building, first opened as a 'hydropathic establishment' in 1876, is now to be returned to its original purpose after Abdullah Alshiddi, a 27-year-old Saudi hotelier, bought the property as the FF winds up its educational work.
The estate agent Christie & Co confirmed the sale of the building, which comes with its own woodlands.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Times
4 hours ago
- Times
The best holiday deals for summer and beyond, from Malta to Montreal
We're right in the middle of summer now, a time when some of you will still be arranging last-minute high-season escapes as others plot cheaper, less crowded holidays during September or October. This week's best deals include options for both, plus — firmly in trip-of-a-lifetime territory — a chance to save money on one of those extravagantly priced Antarctica cruises departing next spring. This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue Highland Coast Hotels is offering 10 per cent off the overnight Summer Escapes package — which includes £25pp dining credit — at six of its elegant, characterful properties around northern Scotland. As well as options near Skye, on the outskirts of Inverness and overlooking the Kyle of Tongue, the contenders include Brora's Royal Marine Hotel. Above a knock-out sandy beach on the northeast coast, close to lochs, distilleries, glens and great links golf courses, this 21-room affair pairs bold, colourful design with a high-quality Scottish restaurant. B&B doubles now start from £260 ( • Revealed: 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2025 The cottage specialist Isle of Wight Hideaways has discounts of up to 20 per cent across three rentals this month. All have space for short breaks now but there is also availability in the second half of August at 16 Beatrice Avenue, close to Shanklin's sandy beach. With an attractive, modern kitchen, two decks and two lawned gardens, this three-bedroom home is well placed for trips to Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Carisbrooke Castle or Blackgang Chine, the UK's oldest theme park. Seven nights' self-catering for six costs from £2,199 ( Corinthia Palace, one of Malta's best hotels, is opposite the presidential palace and nicely shielded from Valletta's busy streets, yet guests are only a free shuttle from the buzzy capital's Unesco-listed limestone lanes and handsome harbour. Set around a restored 19th-century villa, there are beautifully landscaped gardens, the sanctuary-like Athenaeum Spa, an outdoor pool and four restaurants, headlined by the Michelin-starred Bahia. With a saving of £135pp, seven nights' B&B in mid-August costs from £1,219pp, including flights, transfers and luggage. • Corinthia Palace Hotel review: a plush getaway in the quiet heart of Malta Reduced by £300pp to celebrate its launch, Inntravel's new self-guided cycling holiday crosses Tuscany from Pisa to Florence, riding on quiet, not-too-hilly routes. Stopping at a series of good hotels — including historic city stays and a family-run agriturismo among vineyards — it introduces lesser-known highlights such as beautiful Lucca, where you can ride along the Renaissance ramparts, and unspoilt Vinci, the medieval town where Leonardo was born. Seven nights' B&B starts from £1,270pp, including bike hire, route notes and one dinner; book by October 23 ( Fly to Pisa. French-flavoured Montreal enchants in summer. The Canadian island-city thrums with festivals and concerts on outdoor terraces; picnickers fill parks as kayakers pootle along the Lachine Canal. Also worth seeking out is Cité Mémoire, an art installation projecting 80 images of bygone days onto old buildings. Close to downtown galleries, the luxurious Hotel Omni Mont-Royal affords fine views from its skyscraper and throws in a bistro and spa for good measure. Saving 15 per cent if you book by the end of tomorrow (August 3), five nights' room-only in August costs from £1,339pp, including flights and luggage. Until August 15, AE Expeditions is knocking up to 40 per cent off the price of 14 of its Antarctica voyages next season. Cheapest — not that trips to Antarctica are ever cheap — is the Antarctic Explorer cruise, which spends a week on the peninsula, illuminated by expert lectures on board your comfortable expedition ship. You'll fly out over the Drake Passage before sailing back across it. Departing on March 17, 2026, 11 nights' full board costs from £9,420pp, including activities, wi-fi and one night in Punta Arenas ( Fly to Punta Arenas. • 10 of the best luxury cruises to Antarctica


STV News
5 hours ago
- STV News
Aberdeen to make final decision on proposed 7% tourist tax
Councillors in Aberdeen are set to make a final decision over a proposed 7% tourist tax next week. It is hoped the introduction of a visitor levy would generate up to £7.5m per year, adding around £5 on top of the cost of an average hotel room in the city per night. In February, councillors agreed to press ahead with plans to introduce the levy and launch a public consultation on the scheme, giving residents and local businesses the chance to have their say on it. Now, those consultations have come back to the council for consideration, and the local authority's finance and resources committee is due to make a final decision on Wednesday, August 6. Councillors say that the additional income could help bring events like the World Rally Championship and Tall Ships Races back to Aberdeen. The cash could also be spent on improvements across the city, such as upgrades to the Winter Gardens and replacement Christmas lights. If the levy is approved, it is estimated that it could be in place by April 2027 at the earliest. 'I think this visitor levy, if we did choose to implement it, would offer a real opportunity in terms of boosting the Aberdeen and local economy,' said Alex McLellan, convener of the finance and resource committee at Aberdeen City Council. 'To contextualise, you're talking about the price of a coffee. You're talking about a few pounds on top of your cost per night, which could really boost the local economy in Aberdeen. 'The visitor levy offers a real opportunity for the council to generate additional revenue, which can be used to boost the visitor economy, bring people here, bring major events here, and really put Aberdeen on the map as a destination in Scotland.' The rate would apply to all overnight accommodation in the city, including hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering lets. Camping sites and caravan parks would also charge the fee. Exemptions would be made for homeless people, asylum seekers and refugees, and those who receive benefits, payments or allowances for disabilities. Those who are travelling to the city for medical appointments would also be excluded from paying the levy. Stephen Gow, general manager of the Chester Hotel in Aberdeen, said a visitor levy is 'not an unusual thing to have'. 'You go to most European cities and you'll find that there's a levy on the visitors coming in,' he said. 'We have to be careful that the percentage is not misinterpreted. The rates in Aberdeen are perhaps lower than they are in the Central Belt, who have suggested that they're going to have a lower percentage, but the actual amount of money paid will be higher.' The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill was passed in May last year, allowing councils across the country to charge a fee or tax on overnight stays. Glasgow's new tourist tax has already been given the go-ahead, with visitors to be charged on average £4.83 per night from January 25, 2027. Edinburgh councillors approved a similar 5% visitor levy in January, which will take effect from July 24, 2026. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country


The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Beach cocktail bar where you can sit right on the sand named one of the best in the UK
SCOTLAND'S only cocktail beach bar has been named one of the best in the UK. The Times revealed its top seven beach bars in the UK, and this one on the Isle of Arran came in at number six. 5 Cladach Beach House is on the Isle of Arran in Scotland and was described by The Times as being "the most beautifully situated cocktail bar in Scotland." Its island location means it has incredible views across the Firth of Clyde, and visitors can enjoy a drink at a picnic table on the sand. The bar is about two miles outside of the village of Brodick. To get there will take around 40 minutes if you're walking, or under 10 minutes in the car. According to Google, the bar is open Thursday to Monday from 12pm to 6pm. The cocktail bar has said that depending on the weather it can feel like you're in the Mediterranean - some guests have even likened it to being in the Caribbean. Or in the winter when you can have a drink wrapped up in a coat and underneath a cosy blanket, it's more like a ski lodge. There are classic cocktails, but unique ones too as the bar turns local plants and flowers into delicious drinks. Some drinks contain hogweed seed, sea lettuce, fuchsia, lemon balm, meadow sweet and blackcurrants. It's a popular spot with locals and tourists who grab a drink and sip it on picnic tables set up on the sand. 5 5 One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "Cocktails, good vibes & sand between your toes. A little off the beaten track, this gem of a bar is quite unique. "A stunning location with great vibes - we could have been in the Caribbean." Another who went in winter described it as being a "unique little beach bar, cosy with log burner, dog friendly and great position at beach. Staff very friendly and make delicious cocktails." During the winter months, some enjoy a dip in the sea before or after their drink. According to Facebook, the stretch of sand often has Stonesthrow Sauna, a mobile sauna, parked up to warm the punters up afterwards. To get to the nearby village of Brodick, visitors can take a direct ferry from Ardrossan which takes around 55 minutes. In top spot for the best UK beach bars was The Watering Hole in Cornwall, which sits on the long sandy stretch. It's been run by the same family since the 1970s, it has a big sports screen, live music and a recently added rooftop set up too. Take a look at our UK's best beach bars – with DJ sets, sunset views and signature cocktails. And the UK's most popular seaside towns with a California-like beach bar named one of the best in the country. 5