Best Places To Stay In Galashiels
Hotels, Guesthouses & Inns
There are some nice places to stay in Galashiels, including a choice of Hotels, Guesthouses & Pub Inns. Accommodations available give a decent breadth of styles, features & prices.
Galashiels, or "Gala" as we locals call it, is a quaint town in the Scottish Borders region of the United Kingdom. The area is steeped in history; most notably referenced alongside Sir Walter Scott.
There are those who want to indulge in the lavish luxury of a Hotel, a cosy Inn with a bar, or the simple quiet of a small guesthouse.
Galashiels may be a small town, but it enjoys high quality places to eat & sleep; while travelling in the area, sightseeing or simply enjoying a quiet break walking your dog in the Scottish Borders countryside. Whatever grabs your fancy, you'll find these top places to stay.
Quick Facts
Food Prices:
- £6 - £10
- Traditional Pub Grub
Room Price Tariff:
- Single Room £70
- Double Room £98
Payment Accepted:
- Cash, Visa, Mastercard
Offers the following amenities:
- Room Service
- Breakfast
- Private Function Room
- Restaurant
- Close To Golf Course
- 12 Accommodations
- Bar & Eatery
Traditional Pub Inn
The Salmon Inn is an interesting place, because it features a traditional British pub bar, restaurant eatery & rooms for rent all in one place. The food available is modern pub grub with real ale on tap to quench the thirst of the most parched traveller.
Rooms vary in price for single or double rooms, but they do include complementary breakfast, which can be eaten in the library. As well as breakfast, they offer lunch & dinner menus for affordable prices.
The bar eatery allows dogs, which is handy for those not wanting to leave their pooch tied up outside. I love walking with my dog, & it's nice to have a bar that supports dog walkers.
If Real Ale is your tipple of choice, then there are a few different brands on tap. Of course tea & coffee & other refreshments are available.
It's a snug little place, & a great place to relax after a hard day hill walking. The Scottish Borders do offer far more variety in activities, including many outdoor sports:
- Climbing
- Mountain Biking
- Horse Riding
- Golf (of course)
- Fishing
- Shooting (game or clay)
- Quad biking
The Borders are a great place for hill walkers. There are about 1500 miles of walking routes & 6 national walks including parts of the Southern Upland Way. More information, can be found on the Website:
http://www.southernuplandway.gov.uk
Summary
All in all, the Salmon Inn has a great deal to offer the weary traveller, with combined restaurant eatery, traditional pub & 12 accommodations available. It saves having to run around trying to find somewhere to eat, sleep & be merry.
Online Ratings
- Review of The Salmon Inn, Galashiels
Called in here because they are happy to let dogs in. What a lovely surprise, it was really great. The food is freshly cooked, locally sourced and well presented. The owner was very welcoming and accommodating. All in all one of the best lunches we h
Kingsknowes Hotel
While The Salmon Inn boasts a hip, modern pub style atmosphere, for those looking for a change of pace in an historic setting; then Kingsknowes Hotel in Galashiels would be the answer to their woes.
The hotel is set within an estate with original Victorian period architecture. The estate has gardens to walk in, & also features an Edwardian period sun room. The hotel isn't part of any corporate hotel chain, but is in fact owned by the family who run the establishment.
Quick Facts
Food Prices:
- £4 - £6
- Starters, Soup or Salad
- ---
- £9 - £12
- Main Course, Deserts
Room Price Tariff:
- Single Room £75
- Double Room £110
Payment Accepted:
- Cash, Visa, Mastercard
Offers the following amenities:
- Room Service
- Breakfast in Bed
- 3 Private Function Rooms
- Restaurant
- Close To Golf Courses
- 12 Accommodations
- Cocktail Bar
- Wedding Venue
- Historic Location
Dining Rooms
The bar is a smaller venue, which is fine for lunch, high tea in the afternoon or dinner. The hotel make fresh baked goods like pastries or scones, or you can get a larger traditional Scottish meal.
There's a cocktail bar for those whom would fancy a tipple. The ceiling has a painted mural showing the four seasons & signs of the Zodiac.
There's a large fireplace which makes it feel very cosy. This is a great place to enjoy a Scottish malt whisky.
There are two larger dining areas. One which seats around 40 people, & another larger function room that can hold around 70 people. In the summer months the hotel opens it's conservatory as a dining area. With all the glass in the conservatory it's bright & clear, giving views of the estate & surrounding countryside.
Accommodation In The Hotel
Although the setting & style of the building is 19th century, all of the rooms are modernised & have the features you'd find at a regular modern hotel.
With 12 accommodations available, the hotel has furnished some of their larger rooms with antique period pieces which compliment the mystique of staying in a Scottish hotel.
'Breathes there the man'
Breathes there the man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
"This is my own, my native land!"
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd
From wandering on a foreign strand?
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept,
unhonor'd,
and unsung.
Sir Walter Scott
from 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel'
- 'Breathes there the man'
(Featured in 1993 movie, "Groundhog Day" - Attribution: Scottish Poetry Library)
Whilst walking in the gardens you will see views of the Scottish Borders countryside & Abbotsford House, which was home to Sir Walter Scott, the famous writer.
For those of you not native to Scotland, you may not have heard of him.
However, you may have heard a snippet from one of his works which appeared in the 1983 comedy romance movie, "Groundhog Day"; starring Andie MacDowell & Bill Murray.
Summary
The hotel has an historical background & unique architecture. A stay here would certainly suit those accustomed to hotel service, but with a traditional Scottish twist.
The ability to host larger wedding parties, or private functions does help it to win a place here in the best places to stay in Galashiels.
Online Ratings
- Review of Kingsknowes Hotel, Galashiels, Scotland
A group of 9 friends, we were in the area for the Melrose rugby 7's tournament. We had a great stay at this family run hotel - Two nights dinner & breakfast. Service very good
© 2014 Hilary