A SCOTS tourist hotspot with stunning beaches and a mild climate has been rated one of the best places to visit in 2025.
Prestigious fashion outlet Vogue UK curates a top list of desirable destinations each year and one region of Scotland has been ranked alongside some of the best in the world.
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And with demand for unique travel experiences growing at the same rate as global concerns about ‘over-tourism’, editors at the mag said this year’s focus is not just on where people “want to go, but where they should go.”
This year’s list of hot destinations include Kyoto in Japan, Tasmina in Australia, and the US state of Montana – as well as European destinations such as Romania, Melides in Portugal and the German Black Forest.
But one area of Scotland sparks the attention of the luxury brand.
The Inner Hebrides on the west coast is considered one of the best places in the world to visit this year according to Vogue.
The archipelago is made up of the islands of Tiree, Coll, Skye, Rona, Raasay, Longay, Soay, Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Mull, Eorsa, Iona, Seil, Luing, Scarba, Colonsay, Oronsay, Jura and Islay.
Vogue predict one spot is set to become an “it” destination after one Isle drew the attention of luxury fashion and liquor conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH).
The Glenmorangie Company, which is part of the LVMH group – and owns the nearby Ardbeg Distillery – purchased the Islay Hotel for an undisclosed sum.
They are now in the process of transforming the venue into a “moody seaside retreat”.
The new property – set to be ready for bookings this year – is designed by the same firm who transformed the popular Fife Arms in the Cairngorms – and will include guest rooms, a new restaurant and a high-end statement whisky bar.
On the hotly anticipated new hotel, Vogue writers said: “How do you know a place is about to be an “it” destination?
“It has drawn the eye of LVMH. The luxury fashion and liquor conglomerate purchased a hotel on Islay, near its Ardbeg Scotch whisky distillery, and is in the process of transforming it into a moody seaside retreat.
“The 2025 property is designed by Russell Sage Studio – who also did The Fife Arms over in the Cairngorms – and includes guest rooms, a new restaurant, and a statement bar that will serve high-end whisky and then some.”
LVMH bought the Islay Hotel in 2022 and have spent millions revamping the location in Port Ellen.
The hotel was previously reopened in October 2011 after being bought by Roland Worthington-Eyre in 2004.
It had lay derelict for over 20 years.
And the new premises – renamed Ardbeg House – will lie about three miles away from visitor centre and distillery on the island’s southern coast.
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