Located just 15 km from the Balmoral Castle this former hunting lodge of Queen Victoria reopened in December 2018 after a two-year renovation by famous Swiss gallerists and hotel owners Manuela and Iwan Wirth.
Built in the 19th century, The Fife Arms Hotel is a Braemar landmark and is a category B listed building. Its size is evidence of the popularity of Braemar in the wake of Queen Victoria’s visits and her purchase of Balmoral, just 15 minutes from the hotel. Art is central to The Fife Arms experience. As co-founders of the acclaimed global gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Iwan and Manuela Wirth have been passionately dedicated for many years to modern and contemporary art. More than 14,000 pieces including both antiques and specially commissioned artworks have been thoughtfully integrated into every room, corridor, and corner.
With 46 rooms and suites done in a resolutely Victorian style, The Fife Arms is a hotel with a unique charm.Each room has its own decor, and highlights a piece of the hotel’s history and art curated over 3 years: A quaint fireplace, a pub that’s been the local living room for as long as the locals can remember, an armoury, a watercolour created by Queen Victoria herself or the woody scent that drifts along the corridors and recalls the area’s plants and flowers… It’s a place where time seems to stand still, and adding to this surreal scene is the hotel’s spa, and restaurants , which are highlights in their own right. There is The Clunie Dining Room where the art of wood-fire cooking comes to life, and The Drawing Room, with walls covered in Scottish art and antiques, while elsewhere, Elsa’s Bar brings a little Art Deco glamour to the mix, inspired by the signature style of fashion icon Elsa Schiaparelli who frequently visited.
