Where to stay near the best golf courses in Scotland and Ireland

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If you’re the kind of golfer who has a bucket list, then experiencing the sport’s first — and probably still most thrilling — courses in Scotland and Ireland, where the game was born, is somewhere near the top. But until recently, a trip like that meant staying in accommodations that didn’t always match their spectacular settings.

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.

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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.

That is until his wife intervened.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SCOTLAND

Seaton House

St. Andrews

Close to: The Old Course and Kingsbarns

The Old Course at St. Andrews is considered the first golf course and to many still the most inspiring and inventive, making it a must-stop on every golfer’s wish list. This boutique hotel, which opened in February, features rooms decorated with dark wood furniture and tartan blankets on the bed. Creamy marble bathrooms have soaker tubs that promise to work out the kinks in your back if not your swing. The in-house Ondine Oyster & Grill is also a brightly appointed affair entirely free of kitschy, “19th hole” vibes. For a nightcap, hit the Bow Butts Bar, where rich mahogany and leather seating will take the chill out on sight alone. From £740/night.

Fingal Hotel

Edinburgh

Close to: The Musselburgh Golf Club and Gullane Golf Club

Scotland’s capital is within striking distance of excellent golf and abounds with luxury offerings, but Fingal House, a permanently berthed floating hotel in the Port of Leith, is worth seeking out. It was built by the Northern Lighthouse Board in 1963 to ferry lighthouse keepers and supplies to the west and north of Scotland. Older than most hotels on this list (it opened in 2019), the Fingal wisely avoided nautical clichés — no ships in a bottle on the desk or that sort of thing. Instead, warm, intimate rooms with blond wood and crisp white sheets have a Scandinavian feel. In addition to cabin rooms, the hotel also offers four two-story duplex rooms and several luxury suites if you need a little more space on board. From £323/night.

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Close to: Mortonhall Golf Club and Kilspindie Golf Club

Another option that puts you only two hours from the famed courses of the Scottish Highlands, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh opened in 2022. High-ceilinged rooms are bright and elegant with colorful accents. Cherry-red (Virgin’s signature color) SMEG fridges in the suites do double duty as bar carts. Even golf obsessives won’t want to miss afternoon tea on the weekends at the top of the cupola in the circular Oculus Lounge. From £391/night.

Ardbeg House

Isle of Islay

Close to: Another Place, the Machrie and Ardfin

Distilleries abound on Islay, but there’s a fine golf course there, too, and another on the nearby Isle of Jura. Ardberg House, formerly the Islay Hotel, was purchased by the Ardberg Distillery in 2022 and will reopen in September after a revamp from Russell Sage Studios. Sage reimagines the quaint 12-room hotel with striking, surprisingly groovy interiors, including rooms with dark patterned ceilings and accented by brightly colored headboards and seating. The bar promises a “spectacular range of malts” befitting the old-whisky legacy of Scotland. From £561/night.

IRELAND

Cashel Palace Hotel

Cashel

Close to: Cork Golf Club

Dating to 1732, this former palace sits in the shadow of the Rock of Cashel. After an extensive renovation that began in 2017 (and ran until 2022 thanks to COVID-19 delays), the hotel won a Michelin Key in 2024. It’s now a dreamy mix of cozy antiques and elegant contemporary decor; carriage house rooms feature exposed beams. The hotel is family friendly, with an outdoor pool and on-site babysitting. A lush spa and a one-star Michelin restaurant, the Bishop’s Buttery, are sure to please the grown-ups. From €395/night.

Lough Eske Castle

Donegal

Close to: St. Patrick’s Links and Narin & Portnoo

In 2024, Lough Eske completed a €5 million renovation that added 25 luxury rooms known as the Donegal Suites, which are ideal for multigenerational groups traveling to the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s also a great home base for those seeking some of the better golf in Ireland. At night, head down to Whiskey Cellar, near Father Browne’s Bar, for a whisky tasting. From US$363/night.

The Leinster

Dublin

Close to: Portmarnock Golf Club and the Island

The Leinster, opened in March 2024 in the Merrion Square neighborhood, and is the perfect place to revel in Dublin’s literary heritage while also serving as home base for the best golf on the eastern coast. Famed golf writer Bernard Darwin (grandson to Charles) said of nearby Portmarnock, “I know of no greater finish in the world than that of the last five holes at Portmarnock Golf Club.” Headboards upholstered in graphic florals coordinate with red velvet benches. The Jean-Georges Rooftop Restaurant is the celebrated chef’s first restaurant in Ireland. From US$375/night.

Adare Manor

Adare

Close to: Ballybunion Golf Club

Adare has a reputation for being one of the most luxurious hotels in Europe. The stately gray manor, set on 840 acres of parkland, rises in the distance as you approach. The exposed castle walls in the Michelin-star Oak Room restaurant will remind you of the hotel’s past, as will the large tapestries hanging over your headboard. The comforters seem as thick as the mattress. There is an on-site chocolatier at the Harry Lowes cottage, named for a former groundskeeper, where handmade treats can be found each day. Although Adare Manor is not new, it will soon be top of mind with golfers as it is set to host the 2027 Ryder Cup,the international golf event that pits the best golfers from Europe against those from the US. The event has grown into one of the most exciting sporting events of the year, and if a stay at Adare Manor is feasible, find your way to County Limerick. From US$1,400/night.