Prestonfield is number one for lovers

Scotland’s most indulgent retreat is Britain’s Room for Romance Hotel of the Year 2005

Prestonfield - Scotland’s most glamorous and theatrical address - is Britain’s top hotel for lovers. The opulent 17th century Edinburgh mansion has scooped the Room for Romance Hotel of the Year 2005 award in the weeks before Valentine’s Day.

The definitive guide to Britain and Ireland’s sexiest hotels, Room for Romance is tailor-made for lovebirds planning nights of bedded bliss. The glossy 196-page book - published this month - features 140 shamelessly romantic places to be swept away in, from castles and moated manors to mountain hideaways and intimate inns.

With its lavish decor, velvet-upholstered walls, extravagant damask sofas, leopardskin throws and candelabra, Prestonfield was the top choice of the guide’s reviewers for the coveted Room for Romance Hotel of the Year 2005 title.

Described as 'a Baroque extravaganza packed with the Wow factor,' and 'a shamelessly OTT pleasure palace', Prestonfield won glowing praise for its dramatic decor and indulgent ambience. 'It’s visual high drama from the word go - expect to be stopped in your tracks,' readers are told. Bedrooms resemble 'boudoirs on a Gothic film set', while 'rooms ooze sex appeal', and seductive dishes in the hotel’s signature Rhubarb restaurant 'are pure ‘eat me!’'

Announced on Burn’s Night, Prestonfield’s award tops a year of success for the flamboyant Scottish property. 'Prestonfield is a uniquely individual, magical and romantic place that our guests seem to love, so it’s great to be recognised by this top award from Room for Romance' says owner James Thomson. 'Edinburgh is the most beautiful and romantic city in Europe, so we are delighted that even more visitors will discover its charms when they come and stay at Prestonfield.'

Room for Romance publisher Mairiona Cotter says 'Prestonfield makes the perfect lovers’ lair - it’s just dripping with decadence. The hotel is the ultimate in glamorous Baroque and is tailor-made for both sweethearts and liaisons dangereuses.'