Gleneagles

Built by a railway company in 1924 as a 'Riviera in the Highlands', Gleneagles has always been more playground than retreat: an 850-acre Perthshire estate with three championship golf courses—including the Ryder Cup-hosting PGA Centenary—plus shooting, fishing, riding and its own falconry school. A sweeping refurbishment restored the art-deco glamour of its heyday, and the hotel now hums with a young, tweed-and-trainers energy.

Interiors mix original 1920s details with rich contemporary tailoring: hushed greens, patterned wools, marble bars and roaring fires. Rooms range from snug estate doubles to grand suites overlooking the Ochil Hills, all comfortable in a deeply British, un-flashy way. Families are embraced wholeheartedly, with a dedicated kids' zone and endless outdoor programming.

Dining runs from Scotland's only two-Michelin-starred restaurant experience within a hotel of this type to a grand brasserie and an American-style bar that mixes some of the country's best cocktails. The glass-roofed pool and country-club spa cover wet weather handsomely. Few places on earth do so much, so well, in one estate—Gleneagles remains Britain's great sporting hotel.