The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links

The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links

On Islay's west coast, the Atlantic runs flat to the horizon in front of The Machrie, and behind the hotel a seven-mile beach curves toward the dunes of An Tràigh, eight kilometres from town. The championship links course, laid out by Willie Campbell in 1891 and reworked by David J. Russell in 2018, draws golfers wanting proper Scottish terrain, while non-golfers head for the wood-fired hot tubs and outdoor sauna in the wild garden, or a hike along the shore. What sets this 47-room hotel apart is the art: original pieces by Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin and Banksy hang beside Scottish names like Peter Howson and Elizabeth Blackadder, spread through corridors and lounges rather than roped off in a gallery. Dinner at 18 Restaurant & Bar leans on Islay produce and seafood landed nearby, sometimes served on the terrace. Rooms carry mini bars, bathrobes, blackout blinds and hypoallergenic bedding as standard, and pets travel for a 15 GBP fee, with extra beds at 65 GBP a night for families who need them. There's a playroom for children, a fitness room, free parking and free Wi-Fi throughout, and the building is wheelchair accessible with a lift. This suits golfers building a trip around the links, couples after quiet dune walks and hot tub evenings, and anyone curious enough to want art by Emin or Gormley over the bed rather than in a museum queue. It will do less for travellers wanting nightlife or a fast city base, given the eight-kilometre run into town. Few links hotels anywhere let you finish a round and then find a Banksy on the wall behind the bar. On Islay's dune coast, The Machrie pairs a championship links course with an art collection running from Gormley to Banksy, hung through the corridors, not a gallery. Wood-fired hot tubs and a seafood-driven restaurant fill the hours off the course. It suits golfers and couples more than anyone chasing nightlife.