From the editors of Condé Nast Traveler:

Located just outside Glasgow, this handsome Gothic manor is the perfect place to play out English Patient fantasies, since it was once the Princess Louise Scottish Hospital for Limbless Soldiers and Sailors. Everyone else must content himself with an Aveda spa and 53 rooms done in soothing schemes of taupe, brown, white, and Wedgwood blue, with soaking tubs, power showers, and separate CD and DVD players. In The Cristal restaurant, chef Jim Kerr does excellent market-driven menus centered around Scottish beef, salmon, and shellfish, although the service could benefit from being a bit more relaxed. The stunning main hall, with its elaborate neo-Gothic ceiling and oak floors, is the setting for a first-rate tea every afternoon. An 18-hole golf course will open in 2006.—2005 Hot List

When to go: Late summer and early autumn.

Which room to book: Those that overlook the back garden have the best views; avoid those in the spa annex

Amenities: Bar/lounge, Gym, Pool, Spa, 24-hour Room Service, Wheelchair-accessible