Where to stay near the best golf courses in Scotland and Ireland
Article content
The typical 'cozy' inns you'd find had few, if any, memorable features and little approaching luxury amenities. Most rooms were small and either too drafty or too stuffy. Water vacillated between scalding and suitable for a cold plunge and required an engineer's precision to dial in to the right temperature — that was if you were able to navigate the dual faucet setup. Televisions the size of a cinder block (and offering about as many channels) were tucked high into the corner of the rooms and the en suite bathroom lacked a shower. Food was an afterthought at best.
Article content
But all this mattered little when you found yourself delighting in a round at Brora in the Scottish Highlands or at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland. In fact, when the late billionaire Julian Robertson set out to build Kauri Cliffs, his oceanside dream course in New Zealand, his own experience traveling to the storied courses in Great Britain and Ireland led him to conclude that great lodging wasn't part of the calculus for a great golf trip.
Article content
Article content
That is until his wife intervened.
Article content
It may be a common assumption that golf and luxury hotels go hand-in-hand, but on these windswept islands where golf took root, this wasn't always the case. In its ancestral home, the game is more egalitarian and democratic than it is in the US or, say, the Caribbean. But that's started to change as local courses try to capture all the rich Americans traveling abroad.
Article content
As Robertson's wife Josie wisely observed, golf trips have grown up, and people want hotels that match their budget and expectations. It's not just better sleeping quarters they crave; it's better food and service too. One hotel brand that's positioned itself to take advantage of this sea change is Marine &Lawn, which opened in 2021 with two hotels and now has six locations, including their newest property, Portrush Adelphi. All their hotels have a golf bent and are strategically positioned near some of the game's most coveted outposts. The North Berwick Golf Club, for instance, was until recently known only to the most astute golfers when the Marine & Lawn hotel there opened, and Dornoch Station, their hotel near Royal Dornoch, positions guests near one of the game's most architecturally interesting courses in a breathtaking setting.
Article content
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Adelphi, like other Marine & Lawn properties, leans on the golf heritage of its local course: a clubby atmosphere, with rich, dark hues on the walls, carpets and furniture. The property, as well as its sister hotels, feels less like a hotel and more like a curated home passed down through the generations, despite having opened this Aprilin time for this year's Open Championship, one of professional golf's four major tournaments. Its Red Sail Room Bar & Restaurant features fresh seafood and a Mediterranean-inspired menu along with plenty of red meat and fine whiskey. Rates start at £241 (US$283)/night.
Article content
But Marine & Lawn isn't the only new kid on the block. If you want to play on some of the world's best golf courses in the game's ancient home, you now have more options than ever that are charming, comfortable and even glamorous. Just don't get so comfortable that you miss your tee time.
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Where to stay near the best golf courses in Scotland and Ireland
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