Trump Turnberry is sprawling 930 acre estate with 2 championship golf courses, a spa, restaurants and plenty of activities.
Donald J. Trump may be a controversial figure but there is nothing controversial about the Trump Turnberry hotel and Spa in Ayreshire Scotland.
America’s former president bought Turnberry Hotel and golf courses from Leisurecorp in 2014 for $60 million when the resort was renamed Trump Turnberry. He then passed control to his sons Donald Jr and Eric just before his inauguration as President and it seems his boys are doing a great job in maintaining the luxurious standards of the property and golf course.
Trump Turnberry and its low-rise, white-washed architecture topped with a red brick roof, stretches over an elevated 850 acres of land that lords it over the rugged Firth of Clyde Ayrshire coastline from the isles of Arran, Ailsa Craig, and the Kintyre peninsula. On a clear day, you can just about make out the Irish coast.
Reception is on the other side where a dramatic fountain marks the point. It looks particularly lovely as night falls. We were greeted by kilt-clad (the tartan is a Turnberry exclusive) hosts who offered us a drink and shortbread biscuit while we were being checked in.
At 6pm the hotel’s resident bagpipe player walks around the building filling the air and treating residents to Scottish tunes. Quite a treat.
Trump Turnberry exudes Edwardian grace with comfortable lounges, spacious and elegant rooms and plenty of opulent chandeliers around the place from bedrooms to the ballroom.
A shocking fact is that the ballroom alone has eight magnificent Swarovski chandeliers each valued at £250,000 – that’s a staggering £2 million pounds hanging from one ceiling. This is a chandelier city.
Service is on point, friendly, and very smoothly done. You feel noticed and important.
Who for
Trump Turnberry is a well-turned-out pile, luxuriously put together and yet relaxed and social. There’s plenty of romance in those rooms and views, and many activities so that an avid golfer can be accompanied by a spa lover or someone who prefers quad biking or horseriding, or to just spend the afternoon relaxing on one of the sumptuous armchairs in the lounge.
Accommodation
There are 198 rooms and suites, a range of cottages, and self-catering apartments.
There’s also a functioning lighthouse with a suite on its ground floor located directly on the seafront where the Atlantic crashes against the rugged rocks of the Ayrshire coast. It’s pretty for sure, but not that private as this is also the location of Halfway House where golfers meet for a tipple.
In the hotel spacious, airy rooms are adorned with chandeliers (of course), wool carpets, petrol blue walls, and high-end furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow for the most panoramic of views.
Ours was room 324 which though wasn’t in the main hotel – it was in the extension near to the spa – it donned the same colour scheme and the huge wall-to-ceiling windows meant our view was sensational. It was a joy to sit in an armchair peacefully reading a book and looking up every now and again to see the green of the course and the blue of the sea beyond.
Beige marble bathrooms with gold fittings have free-standing bathtubs and separate showers, and all have tea and coffee stations, minibars, satellite televisions, bathrobes, and safes.
Facilities
There is a fabulous spa facility at Trump Turnberry which includes treatments, two pools – one is a 65-foot heated glass-walled infinity pool, saunas, and a gym. It’s a beautiful space with calming day rooms to rest before and after treatments and a Relaxation Room, featuring a sensory shower, ice fountain, sauna and steam room. I had the joy of experiencing a massage that delivered on its promise of true relaxation.
There are also activities to be had including quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, kayaking, paddleboarding and horse riding. There’s also shooting on nearby estates as well as miles of walking and jogging trails.
I took to clay pigeon shooting. It took place next to a field of nonchalant cows. Incredibly after some intense tuition, I managed to hit those discs coming out from all directions. No response from the cows who no doubt had seen it all before, but imagine the satisfaction.
And mostly there is golf. The estate has a golf academy, two Open Championship golf courses, the legendary Ailsa that hosted four British Opens and the Robert the Bruce and according to the hall of fame photography, a multitude of the greatest names, celebrities and presidents have teed off at one or the other.
Food and Drink
There are several dining options. Adjacent to the reception is The Grand Tea Lounge & Bar, which has extensive casual day and evening menus as well as a lavish afternoon tea. Sunday brunches are hugely popular.
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