Tennis fans already know Dunblane as the town where Andy Murray learned the game. What fewer realise is that it is also home to Cromlix, a Victorian mansion turned 20-room country hotel that the Murray family has quietly turned into one of central Scotland's most appealing luxury retreats.
Andy and Kim Murray bought the property in 2013 and brought it back under self-management a decade later, prompting a full makeover in 2023. The hotel then closed again this year to add two headline features: the Garden Room, a glass-fronted restaurant, and the Woodland Retreat, a compact spa outhouse. The result reads less like a corporate five-star and more like a wealthy friend's country manor — which makes sense, given the building spent its earlier life as a laird's private home.
Rooms run from cosy doubles to a ground-floor apartment with a wet room, plus the Gatehouse at the estate entrance, now a one-bedroom self-catering lodge. The reviewer stayed in a Turret Suite: a private corridor linking bedroom, living room and a bathroom with a brass roll-top bath, alongside a complimentary minibar and shortbread made to Andy's Granny Erskine's recipe. Kim Murray led the interiors, skipping tartan clichés in favour of floral wallpapers, pastel sofas and vintage dressers. One caveat worth knowing: as a historic building, there's no air conditioning, though Dyson fans appear in hot weather, and no lifts in the main house.
Food is a genuine draw. The Garden Room serves a locally-sourced menu — goat's cheese soufflé, crab crumpets, wild turbot — using produce grown on the 34-acre estate, and it's popular with Dunblane locals as well as guests. The 16-cover Cradle is the fine dining option, a Scottish tasting menu running Thursday to Sunday, and afternoon tea appears daily in the Glasshouse. Book the Woodland Retreat ahead: massages, facials, a sauna and cold plunge overlooking a small loch, with Crocs and Dryrobes provided. There's also a tennis court in unmistakable Wimbledon green and purple, next to a pickleball court.
Practicalities are thoughtful rather than flashy. Dogs get a "very important pup package" with bed, bowls, a hamper and a canine room-service menu. Children are welcome, with under-fives staying free and five-to-15s at £65 a day for bed and breakfast; there's a kids' package with a teepee and bedtime storybook, but no kids' club — this is a base for exploring, not a resort with entertainment laid on. Three accessible ground-floor rooms exist, though the listed building limits some access, and check-in is 3pm with an 11am checkout.
Who is this for? Anyone after a slow, comfortable countryside escape within easy reach of two cities — Glasgow and Edinburgh airports are both under an hour by taxi, and Dunblane station is a scenic train ride from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, with hotel transfers on request. It suits couples, dog owners and relaxed families far better than travellers chasing packed itineraries. The reviewer's verdict: come for the loch-side sauna, stay for the haggis breakfast.
