Glasgow
Scotland


The Experience

This little inn, set on a tree-lined street, is hardly the best place for taking in Glasgow's sights -- it's actually several miles from downtown. But if you don't mind a suburban retreat, it's hard to beat One Devonshire Gardens. The place dates to the 1980s, when Ken McCulloch, the mastermind behind the pioneering boutique hotel chain Malmaison, bought a row of five Victorian town houses and linked them into a stylish inn, with his decorator wife, Amanda Rosa, lending her over-the-top touch. It may be set on the city's periphery, but for reveling in discreet luxury, this is Glasgow's center.

The Rooms

Even the most modest of rooms here is decorated to the hilt with tons of fabrics, an abundance of pillows, voluptuous canopies, arresting objets d'art and all the expected toys, like Bose CD systems and wireless access. The biggest and newest suite, The Mews, can accommodate an entourage (like that of past guests Sting or Tina Turner) -- it sleeps up to eight and has two lounges, a secret garden, its own sauna and a private entrance to fool the paparazzi.

The Service

While the concierge may not have a huge desk to stand behind, he can arrange for tee time at the Old Course and a helicopter to get you there, or a private Ashtanga yoga session in your room. At night, housekeeping leaves homemade tablet and Scottish shortbread on your pillow.

The Highlights

This place is all nooks and crannies, lounges and retreats -- you can take tea by the fireplace in an oak-paneled drawing room or have an aperitif in the leafy terraced garden where tiny lights sparkle each evening. In September 2006 the hotel became a member of the Hotel du Vin collection, whereupon it opened a French-style bistro with a 600-bin wine bar and a glass-paneled room with 400 whiskies on display.

-- Kathleen Beckett

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