Here's a fun new destination for tennis fans in Scotland: Next April, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will open a hotel about three miles from his hometown of Dunblane, to be called Cromlix.
In February, Murray purchased a Victorian mansion set within 34 acres of secluded woodland. Since then, the property has been renovated into a hotel that will have 10 individually designed bedrooms and five suites, each of which has been named after great Scots both past and present – from William Wallace and Robert the Bruce to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sean Connery.
The hotel will have several common areas, including the dining room, two drawing rooms, conservatory, library, reception hall, whisky room, bar and even an on-site chapel. The chapel can be reserved for small weddings of up to 30 people, and larger functions of up to 300 guests can take place either inside or outside the mansion. Corporate meetings can be scheduled in one or more of five rooms.
Foodies will have plenty to appreciate at Cromlix: Local chef Darin Campbell, who hails from the neighboring town of Doune, has joined Cromlix as Executive Head Chef at the main restaurant. (Campbell most recently held that title at the Hotel du Vin One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow.) Campbell and his team will focus on locally sourced produce when creating menus for Cromlix.
For those guests hoping to get in touch with their inner Andy Murray, the hotel has a tennis court and practice wall. Other on-site activities include archery, outdoor garden games, billiards, and in-room spa treatments. Fishing can be arranged nearby, as well as hunting and golf options.
Cromlix will be managed on behalf of Murray by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI), which also manages seven other independent properties around Scotland (including The Atholl in Edinburgh, Blanefield House in Ayr, Greywalls Hotel in Muirfield, Inver Lodge in Lochinver, Inverlochy Castle Hotel in Fort William, Rocpool Reserve Apartments in Edinburgh, and Rocpool Reserve Hotel in Inverness). All seven of these properties are also members of Connoisseurs Scotland, and Cromlix will be the newest entrant to the group.
Cromlix has already started accepting reservations.For more information about the hotel or to make those reservations, visit www.cromlix.com or www.luxuryscotland.uk.