As part of our spring break trip to Scotland, my family of four spent one night at the beautiful SCHLOSS Roxburghe. It’s a Destination by Hyatt property, so I was able to redeem Hyatt points for our stay. What’s better than staying overnight in a castle? Staying overnight in a castle for free! Here’s what I thought…

 

Booking Our Stay

SCHLOSS Roxburghe is a category 4 Hyatt property. That means award nights will run you anywhere from 12,000-18,000 Hyatt points/night. Even better, as a category 4 you can redeem Hyatt category 1-4 free night certificates at this property.

As we were there in mid-March, our one-night stay was an off-peak night. We booked two rooms for our family of 4—one king bed courtyard room for 12,000 points and one Castle Suite for my husband and me. The Castle Suite was just 21,000 points for the night which I thought was a steal! They do have a standard suite that sleeps a family of four (the Courtyard Duplex Suite), so being in one room is a possibility if that’s what you’d prefer.

 

 

Getting There

Renting a car is your best option for getting to SCHLOSS Roxburghe. We spent four nights in Edinburgh before our stay, so we rented a car at the Edinburgh airport through Enterprise. SCHLOSS Roxburghe is about an hour and a half south of the Edinburgh airport and is located near the town of Kelso. The roads leading to the hotel are narrow (and you’ll be driving on the left), so it was a bit of a stressful drive. But well worth it once we arrived!

Parking is free for all guests at SCHLOSS Roxburghe.

 

The Rooms

As I mentioned, I booked a standard king courtyard room for Ella and Molly. They were upgraded to a Castle king room, and it was well-appointed and had plenty of space for the two of them. It had a king bed, vanity, and seating area with views of the estate.

 

 

Just down the hall was the Castle Suite I booked for me and my husband. It. Was. Amazing. I had a “pinch me” moment when I realized we were staying in this magnificent suite inside a castle tower for free. It had a beautiful king bed, two seating areas (including one with views of the front of the castle which we loved), and a large bathroom with shower, tub, and heated floors. I only wished we were staying for more than one night.

 

 

The Spa

The spa is what really sets this hotel apart. It has a large lounge area, a heated outdoor pool, two saunas, and a hot tub. There are also treatment rooms, and Ella and I splurged on massages during our stay. When your rooms are free, you have more money left over for experiences!

 

 

The pool does have set swimming hours for children (9-10am and 4-5pm). We took advantage of them the morning of our departure (from 9-10am), and we all loved swimming in the heated pool!

 

 

Inside the lounge area are dozens of loungers, fireplaces, water, and tea. I highly encourage you to visit the spa at least once as it’s free for hotel guests.

 

The Food

If you like free breakfast, you’re in luck because breakfast is included for all guests all SCHLOSS Roxburghe (even if you don’t have status with Hyatt). All guests can enjoy complimentary breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, Charlie’s. Alternatively, you can have breakfast delivered to your room for a £5 fee.

We chose to have breakfast delivered to our suite. Ella and Molly made a note on the form to deliver theirs to our suite also, and we paid just £5 total. It was worth it to be able to enjoy breakfast in our robes and without leaving the room.

 

We also ate dinner at Charlie’s the night we arrived. The town of Kelso is about a 10-minute drive from SCHLOSS Roxburghe, but there isn’t much to see in the immediate vicinity. We decided to stay in and enjoy a meal at the hotel’s signature restaurant.

We all really enjoyed our food, and they even had a kids’ menu for my picky 10-year-old. Kids’ entrees ranged from £5-12 and adult entrees ranged from £22-30.

 

 

Other Activities

Our stay was so quick that we didn’t get a chance to enjoy much of what SCHLOSS Roxburghe has to offer. I would have loved the chance to try their afternoon tea in the drawing room (yes, they have a drawing room…it’s giving Downton Abbey).

They also offer other activities like fly fishing, clay pigeon shooting, archery, and croquet.

 

Bottom Line

We loved our stay at SCHLOSS Roxburghe. I plan to return the next time we make our way to Scotland (but for 2-3 nights). We did not see any other children while we were there, but my 10-year-old enjoyed it nonetheless. It’s not the most kid-friendly property, but they do have a kids’ menu at the restaurant and designated swimming hours at the spa for children. Do you dream of staying in a castle for $0? If so, you must add SCHLOSS Roxburghe to your list!