A spectacular weekend at The Fife Arms in Royal Deeside, a region beloved by Queen Victoria for its majestic landscape and wildlife.

Located in the historic Scottish village of Braemar, The Fife Arms is a five-star Victorian coaching inn that has been imaginatively restored with a contemporary sensibility. Built in the 19th century, The Fife Arms Hotel is a Braemar landmark - its size evidence of the popularity of Braemar in the wake of Queen Victoria's visits and her purchase of Balmoral. Now, The Fife Arms contains over 16,000 antiques, artworks, and curios including several site-specific works by world-renowned contemporary artists.

On offer is two nights in the Fife Arms' Nature and Poetry room, adorned with artwork and objects made from natural materials such as heather, horn, and tweed. The room features a beautiful wooden headboard with words by Scottish poet Alec Finlay carved into it. During your stay, enjoy a tour of the world class fine art collection found throughout the hotel, which ranges from Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, Gerhard Richter, and Bruegel to site specific commissions from contemporary art stars and watercolors by Queen Victoria and Prince Charles. This includes contemporary textiles designer, Araminta Campbell, who created a bespoke Fife Arms tweed and tartan to serve as a unifying theme throughout the hotel. Araminta Campbell's custom design services in lot #201 would pair exceptionally well with this offer - and a consultation can even be arranged during your stay!

The Fife Arms hotel is surrounded by spectacular vistas of Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms, overlooking the River Clunie. Spend a day outdoors in this majestic landscape with two members of the National Trust for Scotland's Archaeology Team - Derek Alexander, head of archaeology for the Trust, and Daniel Rhodes, head of archaeology at Mar Lodge Estate - exploring the landscape and touring the illicit whisky stills at Mar Lodge, just a short drive from your accommodations at Fife Arms. Now uninhabited, the estate has a rich history of townships and farms that were once a place where people went about their rural lives, producing and exchanging the things they needed to see them through each year. Many of these places have been mapped, but for the first time the Trust is investigating how whisky - both its making and smuggling - formed a part of life in this region. Join Derek and Daniel as they walk you through the archaeology sites, revealing evidence of exactly how people went about the clandestine production of Scotland's most famous drink.

Accommodations are for two nights for two guests, subject to availability. Tours are subject to availability at a mutually agreeable time. Offer is valid until December 31, 2022.

Generously donated by The Fife Arms and Derek Alexander and Daniel Rhodes of the National Trust for Scotland archaeology team.

Images 1-4: Fife Arms

Image 5: Illicit whisky still archaeology site