Balbirnie House Hotel, by Glenrothes Fife

History

Balbirnie House dates back to 1777, having been commissioned by The Balfour family who was a very influential agricultural and coal mining family at the time.

The house was originally designed by the architect John Nisbet in 1777 and was then extended by Robert Crichton in 1815, and is now listed as Grade A of architectural and historical importance, most probably built as one of the largest and earliest Grecian style houses in Scotland.

Food & beverage

The hotel has a choice of dining options, enjoy the Bistro created from the old kitchens of the house. The Bistro offers casual dining, fantastic value, delicious and authentic Bistro cooking. Or for more formal dining why not sample The Orangery which offers classic Scotland on a plate, and has become one of Fife’s most special destination restaurants. All dishes priced individually allowing you to choose as you wish.

Voted one of Scotland's five most romantic restaurants by The Scotsman newspaper and past recipient Scotland's Hotel Restaurant of the Year.

The Chef's Room is a totally unique private room for up to 6 guests, located directly alongside the main hot kitchen plating area with a full-length mirror to watch the Chefs at work (one-way glass, they can’t see you!). The Tasting Room can be booked just like a normal restaurant table but certainly offers something a bit different for a night out to remember! 

Enjoy after afternoon picnic - should you wish to explore the surrounding countryside, the hotel's are delighted to provide a range of picnic hampers to take with you.

Indulge in a traditional cream tea available at Balbirnie between 3-5pm daily.

Grounds & Gardens

For the property's guests who prefer to stay within the perimeter of the estate during their stay, many pursuits are available, including doorstep golf on the challenging par 71 parkland golf course, jogging trails and woodland walks. For those who have a keen interest in history, Balbirnie even has its own stone circle and stob cross. The park is home to an abundance of wildlife (including a family of deer) and to a vast selection of plants and trees, including the East of Scotland’s largest single collection of specimen rhododendron trees. Within the park is also Balbirnie craft centre selling handcrafted gold and silver jewellery, pottery, leather goods and metal works.

Other facilities

All bedrooms include the following facilities; ensuite bathroom with shower/tub combination, complimentary tea/coffee making facilities with homemade cookies, Arran Aromatic luxury Scottish toiletries, super-comfy duvets and fluffy towels, 24-hour room service and porterage service, broadband access and complimentary WiFi, direct telephone cabling, plasma TV with a variety of channels, movies on demand, radio and hotel information. Same-day laundry and dry cleaning service. Hypo-allergenic bedding, bathrobes, and a wake-up call on request. 

Therapy treatments are available at Balbirnie in the privacy of your own room.

All treatments are provided by Lorna Mitchell, owner and founder of Elite Therapies. Lorna is able to conduct many popular massage treatments for the hotel's guests, in particular a variety of different massage therapies using a combination of aromatherapy oils and beeswax balms.