Review: Greywalls Hotel & Chez Roux, Gullane, East Lothian – Scotland on Sunday Travel

Golf lover or not, spending some time at this historic and peaceful hotel is well worth the trip, finds Rosalind Erskine.
By Rosalind Erskine
Published 19th Feb 2023, 04:55 BST
Updated 27th Feb 2023, 15:28 BST
Greywalls, Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian, was designed in 1901 by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Pic: ContributedGreywalls, Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian, was designed in 1901 by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Pic: Contributed
Greywalls, Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian, was designed in 1901 by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Pic: Contributed

It’s always nice to get away from the city for a weekend in the country or by the sea, which is what Greywalls offers those in nearby Edinburgh or from further flung destinations. Located in Gullane, it’s as close to Muirfield Golf Course as you can get, and, from some rooms, has lovely views across the Forth. Greywalls was designed in 1901 by Sir Edwin Lutyens, and has a wrap-around formal walled garden, something that guests are encouraged to explore. It was built as a holiday home for its original owner, the Hon Alfred Lyttelton. Lyttleton, another keen golfer, who insisted that the house be built ‘within a mashie niblick shot of the eighteenth green at Muirfield’. The hotel has warm honey-coloured stone from the local Rattlebags Quarry, and is built in a crescent shape, meaning it looks like something out of a E M Forster novel. In 1924 Lt Col Sir James Horlick, bought the house and the Weaver family used it as their summer holiday home until the beginning of the Second World War. Greywalls is now a small luxury hotel, with a Roux restaurant.

Budget or boutique

Rooms come in around £230 per night, so this is a boutique location with a price tag you might expect from such a grand venue.

Books, artwork and antiques fill the interior of Greywalls. Pic: ContributedBooks, artwork and antiques fill the interior of Greywalls. Pic: Contributed
Books, artwork and antiques fill the interior of Greywalls. Pic: Contributed

Room service

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Each of the 23 rooms are individually decorated in a classic style sympathetic to the period of the stately home. Much like the whole house, which is full of books, artwork and family photos, each room gives off the feeling of a home rather than a hotel and the decor is a comforting mix of patterned or floral fabric, heavy curtains, fringing and an array of cushions. It’s country living, Colefax and Fowler style.

Our double room had a huge bed, chaise lounge and the type of large, walnut wooden wardrobe you could only dream about finding at an antiques market. Accessories were rust and beige, with tartan cushions and floral curtains. A small cast iron range could be found in the fireplace, and there’s a range of artwork. The bathroom was a more modern affair, with a power shower, tub and LED mirror.

Wining and dining