Best for traditionalists

£ £ £ THE BALMORAL

Edinburgh’s original grande dame, this opulent Victorian railway hotel stands proudly at one end of Princes Street near Waverley station, and can’t be beaten when it comes to elegance. From the tam o’shanterclad doormen who usher you into the marble foyer, to the ‘scent butler’ who provides a masterclass in fragrance for guests staying in the botanically inspired Bowes-Lyon Suite, it ticks all the luxury boxes. There’s even a Gaelic poet-in-residence. The Balmoral has plenty to appeal to gourmets, too: guests can sip Champagne in the Palm Court dining room, settle in for a dram (500 varieties and counting) in the bijou whisky bar, Scotch, or tuck in to AA Rosette-winning fare at Number One restaurant. It’s sheer class.

ROOMS: From £200. roccofortehotels.com