Hotel of the Week: A Maximalist, Art-Filled Retreat Steps from the Royal Family’s Scottish Getaway
The founders of Hauser & Wirth continue to add immersive Scottish experiences to Fife Arms, their magical destination near Balmoral Castle
A visit to Fife Arms in Scotland has been on my bucket list since Iwin and Manuela Wirth, the art world insiders behind mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth, first opened the hotel in December 2018. The extraordinary mix of art, antiques, and design has been drawing art and design aficionados to Braemar, a village in Aberdeenshire about a two-hour drive north of Edinburgh. I was excited to experience this special place they had conjured; however, I had the bonus of combining it with another personal passion—golf. My visit fell during the Kilted Open, an annual golf tournament the Fife Arms hosts with two days of play, including a round on the historic course on the royal grounds of Balmoral Estate.
Originally opened in the 19th century, the hotel began as a coaching inn built by the Duke of Fife to house the many guests who flocked to the area when Queen Victoria acquired the Balmoral estate in 1852. The Wirths, who own a home nearby, lovingly restored every square inch of the Grade II building, enlisting designer Russell Sage to oversee the project. As a result, all the public spaces and each of the 46 rooms and suites is a visual feast—mixing history, local culture, and contemporary art with wit, whimsy, and style. Filled with over 16,000 pieces of art and antiques, every detail is carefully considered and collected—and the wonderfully friendly staff is more than happy to regale visitors with stories of these special treasures. It’s a maximalist’s idea of heaven, complete with ornate draperies and an intricately carved chimney piece depicting works by Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Upon arrival, the Fife Arms presents itself as being quite traditional. There’s an impressive pencil and watercolor work by Queen Victoria above the guest book on the way to the reception desk as well as loads of tartan and burnished wood—all so very cozy and charming. However, the first thing that revealed the hotel’s offbeat, creative magic to me was Richard Jackson’s Red Deer Chandelier (2018) hanging defiantly through the center of the grand stair. This twisty concoction of glass antlers and bag pipe drones illuminated by neon light brilliantly sets the tone for the spirit of the hotel—and how past and present can beautifully complement one another.
After noticing this stunning sculpture, I spun around to take in the rest of the reception area as one of the many friendly ghillies whisked my luggage around. A Steinway & Sons piano, a traditional hotel lobby staple, looked as if it had been lit aflame. Not just any musical instrument, this one is a collaboration between Mark Bradford and the composer Robert Glasper called Apollo/Still Shining (2015) and is covered in a special decoupage technique that creates an otherworldly skin. Adding to its appeal is that it’s a player piano that entertains guests every evening with a surprising mix of songs from a wide range of genres and periods.
Nearby is Pablo Picasso’s Tête de Femme (1938), a rare example as it includes one of Picasso’s own poems. Considered one of the prolific artist’s best works, the canvas depicts his mistress Marie-Thèrése Walter. Another Picasso hangs in the drawing room atop a wall swathed in the house tartan, designed specifically for the hotel by textile artisan Araminta Campbell. Overhead, the ceiling is aswirl with a colorful mural by Zhang Enli. The Chinese artist looked to Scottish agates and Cairngorm crystals for inspiration, and the result is hallucinatory. Other works by Martin Creed, Man Ray, Louise Bourgeois, and many others make appearances throughout the property.
The Kilted Open tournament kicked off with welcome drinks accompanied by bagpipes in the courtyard followed by dinner in the Fog House under a chandelier of 500 stag antlers. Teams from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, and the US were represented—and all were happy that the rounds were to be relaxed and played with a friendly competitive spirit in a Texas Scramble format where golfers play each hole from the team’s best tee shot. Many retired to Bertie’s, the dark and moody whiskey library, to sample from over 400 rare and exceptional whiskies on hand as well as experts ready to curate special sips for those accustomed to the spirit.
The next morning, everyone was decked out in their finest kilts and sporrans, the accompanying belted pouch, which is perfect for holding tees. The tournament began with an actual shotgun start, and I was personally thrilled to find that Braemar Golf Club doesn’t have sand traps. The course did however boast exceptional views of the local landscape, every vista worthy of a painting.
A day of golf called for a visit to the hotel’s Albamhor Spa, where a Bharti Kher triptych Cipher I, II, III (2018) recall the bindi patterns, which populate much of her work—including a mesmerizing piece that can be viewed from the sauna. Treatments here also rely on Scottish tradition with Moss of Isles products along with Methode Physiodermie techniques. Wellness offerings go beyond the hotel as well. At first, I was skeptical about “wild swimming,” which is very popular in the area and even part of many locals’ daily routines. Following local expert Annie Armstrong, I climbed down slippery rocks into the extremely cold crystal-clear waters and went for an invigorating swim for about five minutes (which felt like a lifetime) and then hopped into her wood-fired dry sauna in the remote wilderness. Repeating the cold-hot cycle several times proved to be more invigorating than anything I could have imagined.
Understandably hungry after a day of so much activity, I reveled in the proliferation of locally sourced items on the menu—hand-dived Orkney scallops, Scotch lamb saddle, Macfuff lobster raviolo, Invercauld Estate venison, and Isle of Wight tomatoes. The setting was equally captivating with murals by Guillermo Kuitca lining all the walls of the grand room. His abstract forms inspired by the Clunie River which flows just outside made for such an unexpected yet incredible backdrop for a large-scale canvas by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. In the Flemish style of the 16th century, the detailed painting depicts peasant life during that time in incredible detail, filled with multiple scenarios unfolding in a rural village all at once. It was enchanting to see how both works transformed as the summer sun set as the meal unfolded.
The next day playing golf at Balmoral was an absolute dream. The nine-hole course with 18 tees is located on the historic grounds and punctuated by garden sculptures dedicated to royal family members. Grazing pastures as well as a picturesque cottage animate some of the holes. While this course might not be on the radar of die-hard golfers traveling to courses played by the pros on tv, there’s a rare beauty that transcends yardages and slopes that connects you to the essence of the sport. It’s exactly this kind of connection that permeates every aspect of the Fife Arms and makes a visit there such a deeply meaningful experience.