Crossbasket Castle

Crossbasket Castle

Behind the 15th-century stone walls of Crossbasket Castle, on the edge of Glasgow, nine rooms sit above a restaurant built around the seasonal menus of Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jnr, in Foveran's, the palm court-style dining room open all day, and Trocadero's, the evening venue for cocktails and dinner running Thursday through Sunday. That combination, a working castle kitchen shaped by a chef of that stature, is not something the city's other historic hotels can claim. The estate sits about 12 kilometres from the centre, nearer the University of the West of Scotland and Calderglen Country Park than the city's museums, so this suits travellers who want a slow arrival and a car rather than someone chasing a five-minute walk into town. Rooms spread across just two floors, each one individually decorated, with pillowtop beds, Egyptian cotton sheets and private bathrooms stocked with designer toiletries; room sizes vary from compact to expansive, with the Standard Suite nearly four times the size of the smaller Standard King or Small Queen rooms. There's a garden and terrace for the slow hours, a library, a playroom and babysitting for families who bring children, and staff who'll take a dog for a small fee. Afternoon tea is served daily across the estate, booking required, and a spa built around the estate's own waterfall is due to open this autumn. Breakfast starts at 7am and costs extra. Anyone wanting nightlife on the doorstep should look elsewhere; anyone wanting to disappear into a Scottish castle for a weekend will not find much to fault. Nine rooms above a restaurant shaped by Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jnr, inside a 15th-century castle 12 kilometres outside Glasgow. Dogs and children are both welcome, nightlife is not on the doorstep, and a waterfall-fed spa opens this autumn. This suits a slow weekend, not a city break.