A grand stag sculpture stands at the entrance to Mar Hall, while golf buggies zip around the roundabout and roads, ferrying players to and from the course. The historic mansion makes a striking first impression, but so far you could still be thinking this is a typical, traditional golf hotel. Inside, though, something clearly different is going on, starting with the grand staircase that leads up the lobby – with it’s patterned pink carpet, lined on either side with candles and palm trees, it feels more like you’re entering a cool club than a gold hotel.
Over the years, I’ve often found golf hotels to be on the conservative side, with lots of beige, creams and greys. But the vibe inside Mar Hall is arty and modern, with dramatic, bold, bright red, patterned, red ‘statement’ wallpaper in some of the corridors, lots of intriguing artworks from Glasgow and across Scotland throughout the hotel, and cool lounges and bars, where the cocktails are just as creative.
All this marks a new chapter in the life of the hotel. Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort is a newly transformed 5-star country estate, just 10 minutes from Glasgow International Airport and about 30 minutes from Glasgow city centre. It sits within 240 acres of ancient woodland, with views out over the River Clyde.
Mar Hall was originally commissioned in the early 19th century by Major General Robert Walter Stuart, the 11th Lord Blantyre, designed by Sir Robert Smirke, the renowned architect behind the British Museum in London. The mansion was intended to be a fashionable, ostentatious residence, inspired by Lord Blantyre travels with the army. Construction began nearly 200 years ago, in 1828. The building was later used as a hospital during World War I to treat wounded sailors and soldiers. Later still, it became a luxury hotel, but in recent years its grandeur was reported to have faded.
In 2024, the Dubai-based Dutco Group acquired the Victorian mansion, the hotel reopening in May 2025 after a £20 million renovation. It’s now a mix of historical opulence and creative modern design. There are currently 74 guest rooms and suites, with seven categories, ranging from Classic Rooms to Grand Suites that have the feel of private residences, complete with grand pianos or pool tables, as well as Spa Garden Suites in the wellness area with private, secluded outdoor spaces. There are also two restaurants, two bars, a spa, and the main reason why many people come here, an 18-hole championship golf course. More is still to come, too, with private woodland lodges currently being constructed, alongside plans for a revamped clubhouse and expanded spa facilities.
This being Scotland, and particularly the area around Glasgow, the welcome is immediately warm, friendly, chatty and helpful, as staff help us inside on a rainy day for check-in. We’re staying in Erskine, a vast, impressive, yet still homely suite. The main lounge has wooden floors and an atmospherically orange-lit set of high bookshelves stretching up to the ceiling that are filled with Scottish novels and books on Scottish art and history, including shipbuilding that this area is known for. Reddish walls feature a selection of artworks, from portraits to abstract pieces. There’s a comfy sofa and a marble table, with snug armchairs positioned next to the front window that looks over the golf course to the Clyde. Another window, to the side of the room, has a view of the striking Erskine Bridge. There’s also a Bentley grand piano in the corner – not something you get in many hotel’s suites.
Next door, there’s a spacious bedroom, with a comfy double bed and a single bed set up for our young son, as well as a large TV mounted on the wall. Across a central corridor, there’s a cloakroom area with more-than-ample wardrobe space, then a bathroom, white, crisp and clean in design, with a central white bathtub, a walk-in shower, and a window that again makes the most of the view of the outdoor greenery and river.
Rainy conditions means golf isn’t really on the cards – I’m not much of a golfer anyway. Instead, we go for a swim in the spa area’s 20-metre pool, then make our way to The Slàinte Bar, which is named after the Gaelic toast to ‘good health’, positioning ourselves next to a window looking down towards the river and working our way through a few of the very appetising, occasionally theatrical cocktails, with names like The Highland Hero. The best of the bunch that we try is The Piper’s March, a smoky, dark drink made with Mezcal, coffee liqueur, Pinot Noir vermouth, agave and black walnut bitters – tasty in its own right, but the way it’s served, in a glass cabinet filled with fragrant smoke that’s released when the little door is opened, makes for a fun experience.
Dinner is served next door in the not-overly-imaginatively-named The Dining Room - a stylish, modern room with high ceilings, comfy tables and nooks, and shelves containing models of the QE2 (Queen Elizabeth 2) and other ships built nearby on the Clyde. The menu has lots of Scottish produce, from Argyll smoked salmon, Berwick crab and Orkney scallops to mains of trout, venison and lamb. I start with a burrata, a generous ball of the soft, creamy cheese served on a comforting mush of aubergine. For a main, I opt for the seafood-heavy West Coast Cullen, a creative take on Scotland’s classic Cullen Skink dish, with langoustine, scallops, smoked haddock and mussels in a creamy soup, along with crunchy chips. My wife enjoys the roast lamb with courgette, ricotta and mint, while our son picks from the kids’ menu. There’s a celebratory ‘occasion’ feel to the restaurant, the food hearty and satisfying. We celebrate with a refreshing Italian rosé.
Next day, we’re back in The Dining Room for breakfast, taking up our position by the window. The adjacent hall has counters loaded with juices, yoghurts, cereals, Scottish salmon and pastries. There’s also a menu of hot dishes, ranging from the Full West Coast (bacon, sausage, black pudding, haggis, beans, mushrooms, potato scone, tomato and eggs - enough to set anyone on their way) to crumpets with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs or waffles with fresh fruit and crème fraiche. I go for avocado and poached eggs on toasted sourdough, which comes with a nice hit of chilli.
With a break in the rain, we take the opportunity for a walk around the gardens, resting in egg chairs suspended from ancient oaks and checking out classic, old fountains. My wife and I take it in turns to head down to the spa to spend a bit of time in the pool, steam rooms and saunas. I relax with a thorough, full body massage, soundtracked with hypnotic music. Later, my son and I take a buggy tour of the grounds, across the golf course and along to Erskine Bridge, while my wife has a full-body massage down at the spa, returning to the room visibly relaxed and content. (If the one course here at Mar Hall isn’t enough for golfers, another renowned course, Erskine Golf Course, is just next door.)
Suitably chilled, we go for Afternoon Tea in The Gallery, the heart of the hotel, which has a marble-topped champagne bar, a grand piano, and lots of intimate seating areas, with a buzzy, sociable feel even on a working weekday afternoon. Our son’s eyes light up as the tiered trays of savoury and sweet delicacies are delivered to our table, along with our two pots of tea and his milk. It takes us some time to work our way down, through egg mayo vol-au-vent, brioche with hot smoked salmon pate, and sandwiches with crowdie cheese and cucumber, into a section of neatly decorated little cakes, including a dark chocolate gâteau, a Chamomile tart with honey cake and lemon curd, carrot cake, and, perhaps the winner, a strawberry cube with light strawberry mousse and a fine strawberry chocolate glaze. We’re not done: there are still scones, fruit and pain scones to tuck into, along with bowls of strawberry jam and thick clotted cream.
Later, we delay dinner, for obvious reasons, with a few more cocktails, including an excellent 180, a twist on a classic whisky high ball, before making our way back into The Dining Room for an inviting bowl of crispy gnocchi with sage, butternut squash and mushroom The day closes back in our bar-setting luxurious suite, enjoying the view for a while by the window.
We fit in a quick swim after breakfast next morning, before checking out and continuing on our way up into Scotland. It’s been a surprising, thoroughly enjoyable and indulgent stay at a golf hotel where it didn’t seem to matter at all whether we played golf or not.
Classic rooms from USD $437. Grand Suites, such as Erskine, from USD $1409. (prices subject to change without notice)
Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort, Earl of Mar Estate, Mar Hall Ave, Bishopton, Scotland, PA7 5PP: https://www.marhall.com/
Images courtesy of Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort
