Scotland’s top independent hotel and spa has announced details of its new restaurant and bar.
The Cairndale Hotel and Spa in Dumfries, which captured both these titles in 2025, will open The Oak in August.
The latest enhancement to the 86 bedroom hotel follows the opening in July 2024 of its £2m adults only spa subsequently voted Scotland’s Spa of the Year.
A quirky casual dining restaurant, it features colourful bric-a-brac and mismatched furnishings with an array of fascinating conversation pieces.
“We are continuing to pull out all the stops to make The Cairndale a destination of choice for visitors to Scotland’s South West and far further afield,” said Director Matthew Wallace Junior. “It will also provide locals with a ‘Go To’ place to enjoy a great meal or drinks with friends.”
He added: “The Oak builds on the huge success of the spa but will be a great attraction in its own right. For decades our bar-restaurant, also called The Oak, was the heart of Dumfries – a place where townspeople got together for a drink and friendships were made. It has been re-imagined and re-created in keeping with guests’ expectations and latest culinary trends.”
A wide range of food and drink includes well known classics with surprising offbeat touches, Sunday lunches, and cocktails using local spirits and ingredients. An example is Sassenach Gin, developed by Outlander star, locally born Sam Heughan, who visited the hotel to help launch it.
Food and beverage offerings at the Cairndale, owned and run by the Wallace family for well over 40 years, also include its Reivers Restaurant and dedicated Spa lounge which serves teas, coffees, drinks, healthy lunches and afternoon teas.
Open seven days a week, the Oak is aimed at a wide range of customers such as family get togethers and celebrations, lunches, intimate date night dinners or small group outings.
Located in the centre of Dumfries, it has free on-site parking. The Cairndale is just a few hundred yards from the town’s railway station.
In March this year it was named Best Independent Hotel in the Scottish Excellence Awards, succeeding Andy and Kim Murray’s Cromlix House in his home town of Dunblane. Voted Best Spa in the 2025 Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards, it also holds the UK Good Spa Guide’s highest rating, the ‘Five Star Bubble’.