6 Best Hotels in Aberdeen and the Northeast, Scotland

This simply renovated old church, with some interesting architectural features preserved in its public areas, is a comfortable enough base for a night or two in Ballater. The residents-only lounge bar is a cozy sanctum, serving a wide range of malt whiskies. Tables are set outside for summer evenings.

This contemporary bed-and-breakfast couldn't be in a more convenient location or have better views. There are standard rooms on the lower level and, upstairs, two larger rooms, one with its own kitchen and balconies overlooking the sea. Each room is individually designed with original artwork and modern furnishings. Huge, healthful breakfasts are served in the Big Moon Coffee House downstairs, which also serves excellent cakes.

This once-abandoned manse (minister's house) looks as if it has always been loved and lived in: huge bedrooms with wooden floors, antique fireplaces, and large beds dressed in Harris tweed throws are married to contemporary bathrooms. Downstairs the peat fire fills the spacious living room with the smell of rural yesterday. Ample breakfasts are served in the old-fashioned dining room, which looks out onto the front garden. Dinner is available with prior notice.

This very-Scottish hotel prides itself on its whisky bar and its friendly welcome. The good-size guest rooms are nothing fancy, but there is a fine standard of upkeep, especially in the bathrooms. The restaurant serves stomach-lining Scottish meals like haggis and steak-and-ale pie. You are sure to gravitate toward the bar, a belt-and-braces affair that stocks 180 malts: the barman will happily talk you through each and every one of them. Between November and February, connoisseurs who spend £50 a night each on whisky (very doable if you stick to high-end, high-priced malts) earn two free nights' accommodation.

Curvy yet sturdy, this former station hotel, now a smart B&B with a popular restaurant, is the social hub of the village. The bedrooms, named after local distilleries, are vivid and fresh, decorated with deep hues and an abundance of snow-white pillows and duvets.

With touches of period charm, this Victorian-era house offers old-fashioned hospitality and simple, understated comfort. The bedrooms are conservatively decorated but pristine, with bathrooms that shine. The lounge and library are all comfort and crackling fires. The conservatory dining room serves an excellent breakfast: the porridge with Drambuie is fit for a queen.