Review: SCHLOSS Roxburghe, Hyatt’s new Scottish resort hotel

This is my review of SCHLOSS Roxburghe, a new addition to the Hyatt portfolio located in the Scottish Borders near Kelso.

SCHLOSS Roxburghe is a former residence of the Dukes of Roxburghe. In 2018, what was then a manor house hotel was bought by a German investment group (hence I guess “SCHLOSS” instead of “castle”) which already owned high end properties in Germany, Sardinia, Ibiza and New York.

The property was completely refurbished and a new modern wing (Estate House) added, tripling the available rooms. For clarity, despite the SCHLOSS name, there is nothing German about the food and drink, the rooms, the spa or the staff!

In January 2023 Hyatt officially announced the opening of SCHLOSS Roxburghe as the debut of the ‘Destination by Hyatt’ brand in the UK.

The hotel website is here.

We have split the review into two parts because there is a lot to cover and, because it is a Scottish hotel, it is more accessible to HfP readers than many of the overseas properties we cover.

The hotel provided my room and meals for two nights as well as a spa treatment but HfP paid for my travel.

Getting to SCHLOSS Roxburghe

I visited last time this part of Scotland nearly 30 years ago – I was still living in Germany then and Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford made a lasting impression on me – so I was particularly looking forward to this trip.

To get to SCHLOSS Roxburghe from London I took the train from London Kings Cross to Berwick-upon-Tweed followed by a 45 minute taxi ride costing £61. If you want to hire a car, Edinburgh and Newcastle are circa one hour drive away and may be a better place to start.

This is a country house resort with a wide range of outdoor activities on site such as golf, clay pigeon shooting, fly fishing and hiking. The surrounding countryside is undoubtedly lovely. Further afield – but really not that far – are Kelso Abbey, the famous Floors Castle and the already mentioned Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford. Even the beaches of Northumberland are not that much of a drive.

Above is a view of the old manor as you come up the drive, welcomed by a carpet of snowdrops (not in the pic).

There was no doorman to greet me or help with my luggage, which seemed a missed opportunity to make a grander first impression which the inside fully justifies. The reception area takes you back a century with a big fireplace (not in pic) and a welcoming feel (I loved the wallpaper):

To the left of the reception is the library, which contains one of the three bars in the property and is where whisky tastings take place. The whole room makes you feel as if you’ve gone back in time by 100 years – as long as you were part of the upper crust of course.

Straight on from the reception is the old hallway with striking wallpaper, tartan carpet and a hugely ornate fireplace. As you have probably realised by now, this is absolutely not your typical ‘big brand’ hotel.

The other side leads up to the rooms and suites in the original manor house:

From the hallway you can go to a number of public spaces. The picture below is of the Drawing Room (the old Conservatory is behind the milk glass doors). Unfortunately on my last day this area was closed off for a private event.

Another option is the State Room Lounge which also has a bar. Most of the public rooms have fire places which were lit in the evening.

Adjacent to the State Room Lounge is another snug:

There are a lot of places to hang out at SCHLOSS Roxburghe, which is a particular benefit in the winter months if the weather is inclement. You could spend a happy few days getting through your unread pile of books in front of a roaring fire.

From the snug you continue to the modern wing, the Estate House. As well as two floors of rooms and suites this also houses the main restaurant and the spa. This is an outside view to the Estate House from the park:

The Courtyard, one of the historic buildings on the estate, is utterly charming. The Courtyard also houses rooms and one suite, and is only a few steps from the main hotel / restaurant.

During my stay there were a lot of dogs in the hotel. I think I have never stayed in a hotel with so many dogs running around, but they were all very well behaved and no disturbance at all. If you’ve got a dog of your own, this is a place where they will be welcome.

My King Bed Estate Park View room

My room was in the modern wing with a view to the park. This is the preferable side – and slightly more expensive as a result – as the rooms across the hall overlook the staff and golf club car park, albeit with the golf course and countryside beyond.

The room is decorated in teal blue with matt brass on the poster bed and in the bathroom. This is a very contemporary combination and tastefully furnished.

The room was not very spacious, to be honest, but had a small desk and an armchair as well as a very stylish window seat. I was missing a bedside lamp but this was not a massive drawback as there is a reading spot light on the wall.

The blue paint may prove tricky to maintain. My wardrobe door couldn’t open fully without banging into the bedside table, and the suitcase bench in the same colour already had a few chips. The resort will need to be vigilant if the teal paint is to remain in good shape.

The coffee machine is in the wardrobe on a shelf which can be pulled out. It didn’t pull out far enough to give you access to the water tank, however, and it was quite fiddly to actually get it going.

The bathroom had a walk-in shower (no bath) and one sink. The amenities were in large bottles from Molton Brown. The glossy ocean green tiles went well with the sink top and brass furnishings.

Manor House and The Courtyard rooms

If you don’t want to stay in the new wing, you can choose from the Manor House and The Courtyard.

The rooms and suites here are all individually decorated in a traditional style in keeping with the building. The hallways sport a tartan wallpaper:

I asked to see a Junior Suite in the Manor House and was shown the suite called ‘Galalaw’. The suite has a wooden four-poster bed, heavy curtain hangings and a lovely cosy atmosphere. The thoughtful use of colour, both in the room and indeed throughout the resort, really catches the eye.

The suite is also very spacious and looks out to the front of the hotel:

In contrast, the bathroom is modern with a shower but no bath. It all looked very fresh and had a high-end feel.

A King Suite in the Estate House

I was also shown a King Suite with a park view in the newly built wing. As well as being very spacious and elegant, this suite has a good sized balcony with table and chairs which will come into its own in summer.

This is the living room space:

The bedroom was similar to my King Bed room but considerably larger – however there were no bedside table lamps here either!

The real plus is a very generous bathroom with double sinks and ….

…. a free-standing bath in addition to a shower:

This is the end of Part 1 of my SCHLOSS Roxburghe review. In Part 2, click here, I look at the restaurant, bars, the spa, the pool and the holiday cottages which are also part of the estate.

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