Hotels in Kelso

Kelso's accommodation runs from a five-star country estate with its own golf course and spa to simple, well-run guest houses just off the Square, reflecting the town's dual role as a working Borders market centre and a genuine tourist destination. At the top end, a handful of properties set in their own grounds a few miles outside town offer the kind of country house luxury associated with a special occasion, including championship golf, extensive spa facilities and dining rooms that draw guests from well beyond the immediate area, while the town centre itself holds a smaller number of longer-established hotels built around historic buildings on the Square or Bridge Street.

The middle ground is covered by a group of traditional coaching inns and hotels within a short walk of the Square, several of them dating from the eighteenth century when Kelso was an important stop on the coaching routes between Edinburgh and Newcastle. These properties combine straightforward, comfortable rooms with lively bars and restaurants that double as some of the town's better places to eat, and suit visitors who want to be able to walk everywhere without needing a car once they arrive.

Kelso's guest houses and B&Bs, several in handsome Georgian townhouses close to the river, tend to offer the best value and the most personal welcome, often run by owners with deep local knowledge of fishing, walking and the surrounding estates. A short distance further out, a handful of restaurants with rooms in nearby villages provide an alternative base for anyone prioritising a serious dinner over walking distance to the Square, while still keeping Kelso itself within easy reach for a day of sightseeing.