Cromlix Hotel: A Conversation with Kim Murray

Originally built in 1874, the Victorian-era mansion that is Cromlix Hotel was once a grand family home, before being transformed into the elegant country retreat it is today. In 2013, faced with the possibility of closure, the hotel was brought back to life by Kim and Andy Murray, who stepped in not only to save a local landmark, but to reimagine it as something extraordinary.

Now, over a decade later, Kim Murray, the creative force and owner, has led a new chapter in Cromlix’s evolution. With interiors inspired by the surrounding Scottish landscape, a menu shaped by seasonal and foraged ingredients, and a deep respect for the estate’s history, the hotel is a heartfelt reflection of the family behind it.

We recently sat down with Kim to talk about the part she’s played in the reimagining of the Cromlix, her favourite spots to meander in the surrounding area, and what you can expect from a stay at the stunning Scottish estate.

Yes, that’s right. The hotel was originally built as a family home in the Victorian era, and part of our inspiration when we did the refurbishment was to take the hotel back to that heyday of it as a country home, rather than a country hotel. We actually came into possession of a wonderful visitors book from the house in the 1800s, which has these amazing hand drawn pictures of guests of the time. One of my favourite illustrations in the book is of the main staircase in the house, which, just by chance, is very similar to how it is decorated now, even though we saw the image after the recent refurb had already taken place. 

Andy had visited the hotel a number of times growing up, and in 2013 it was facing closure. Andy felt like he wanted to protect it, as it’s an important destination for people in the local area. Many of them visit for family occasions, but it’s also a source of jobs too. So, we decided to buy it, despite being advised by lots of people that it was a bad idea! 

We did an original renovation back then in 2013, but that was totally managed by a management company, who did a great job at the time. I didn’t have much input into it at that stage. I was quite young, and didn’t really feel I could have my say in the same way as I did in 2023 when we refurbished it again. 

Andy’s retirement hasn’t really made much of a difference to be honest, although he does now get the chance to visit more often. And I’m sure with his golf ‘career’ taking off he’ll probably want to visit Scotland even more! 

We do have a tennis court at the hotel which is painted in the Wimbledon colours, and it features an umpire chair from a match Andy played against Roger Federer in Glasgow. We also have a pickleball court at the hotel. We actually didn’t want the hotel to be a homage to Andy and tennis though, we want it to be a great hotel that just happens to be owned by Andy - so there aren’t too many references to him inside! 

Yes, that’s definitely a passion for Andy and I. We love being outside, whether that’s being in the garden, walking the dog, or chasing a ball. The interiors of the hotel reflect the beautiful Scottish countryside, so there are lots of bold, botanical prints, and all of the rooms are named after flowers you can find on the estate. We encourage our guests to go outside to explore as much as possible. We have wellies, umbrellas and waxed jackets to borrow, and our reception team can advise on the best local walks in the area. We also have a fantastic kitchen garden which helps to stock our restaurant, and our Executive Head Chef forages in the woodland for ingredients. 

The interiors are really based on the beautiful surroundings in which the hotel sits. Cromlix has 34 acres of private grounds and woodland and they are spectacular all year round, whatever the season. The colour palette we used inside really reflects that and we’ve used rich textures and fabrics as a nod to the Victorian heritage of the building. There isn’t much tartan but we’ve shown our Scottish side in different ways, for example, through the Scottish artwork we have on the walls, and the locally sourced food we serve in the restaurant. 

When we refreshed our restaurant, The Glasshouse, we wanted to move away from the heavy French dishes that had been served previously and have a lighter, slightly healthier menu. The menu uses the best local produce, choosing in-season ingredients, and we use as much as we can from our own kitchen garden. Our current Head Chef has only been with us for a few months, so he’s putting his own stamp on the dishes we serve. The duck with poached rhubarb is excellent and I always say you can’t go wrong with our steak - it’s genuinely the best I’ve ever had. 

The hotel is in the Scottish central belt, between Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, a few miles outside Dunblane, which is the small city where Andy grew up. If you are a Murray fan, it’s worth a visit to see the new mural and the gold post box! Stirling is a place we often head to - Stirling Castle and the Wallace monument are favourites with American guests at the hotel, and we also love Loch Lomond which is about an hour away and spectacular in the Summer. 

Yes we have plenty of routes from the hotel. The grounds themselves are really lovely. We have a Lochan with a pair of breeding swans (there are nine signets currently up there!), so that’s worth checking out. We also have lots of red squirrels and other wildlife in the woodland, so guests often go out spotting those. We recently added a hide into the grounds for those that take wildlife spotting a bit more seriously! Otherwise, our hotel reception can advise on slightly longer or more challenging routes in the local area. 

In recent years we’ve tended to stick to enjoying the grounds at Cromlix because we have young children, some of whom are not that keen on walking very far! But this Summer when we visit we are planning to explore a bit more. I know the children are keen on the Blair Drummond Safari Park and we’ve heard that the Lost Shore surf resort is lots of fun.

Thank you so much to Kim for taking the time to chat to us all things Cromlix. If like us, you fancy a trip to Dunblane after reading this then you can plan your visit to the Cromlix here.