Why We Built Hidden Escapes

We didn't set out to start a hospitality business. We set out to fix a specific problem we kept having — that on the rare weekend we managed to get away, we were always somewhere that felt less restful than home, with more interruptions, fewer of the things we actually wanted, and at considerably more expense.

Hidden Escapes is the place we wanted to find and couldn't. Quiet, designed, private, in good country, with the bits that matter (a proper bed, a working kitchen, a hot tub that's screened from view) done well — and the bits that don't (concierges, restaurant menus you're locked into, set hours) absent entirely.

Three things we wanted to get right

Privacy as the first design choice

The site is small. Each lodge sits within its own enclosed plot. Outdoor spaces are screened. Access is controlled. We knew from the start that we'd never run a resort, and the architecture reflects that. You will not bump into another guest in a corridor here.

Warm materials, low light

Interiors are oak, linen, deep upholstery. Lighting is layered — no overhead fluorescent fixtures, no bright kitchen pendants. Beds are king-size with proper linen. We spent more on the things you touch and sleep on than on the things people photograph.

Nothing required of you

We don't run a schedule. We don't host activities. We don't put a menu under your door. Some guests want a hot tub the moment they arrive — we'll have it warm for you. Some want a stocked fridge and a bottle of something local — we can arrange that too. Most just want to be left alone for two or three days, and that is the default.

Why Carmyllie

Carmyllie is a fold in the Angus countryside fifteen minutes inland from the coast. Small fields, a few neighbours, a horizon that stays largely empty. It's the kind of place where the loudest sound is usually wind. It's also strategically well-placed: ten minutes to Carnoustie's golf and the Angus coast, fifteen to Dundee, an hour and fifteen from Edinburgh. You can be properly remote without being inconvenient.

More on the setting in our location page.

The lodges, named for people

The Ava is the four-person, two-bedroom lodge with a sauna, hot tub, fire pit and outdoor bar. The Bonnie is the open-plan two-person lodge, smaller, quieter, designed around a single intimate space. Both are private, both are year-round, both have everything you need to forget for a few days that you have anywhere else to be.

What's next

More lodges are coming. We're working on a third for autumn, and a fourth that will be substantially different in character — a building made for slower, longer stays. We'll write a longer note here when those are closer to opening.

If you want to come and see the place for yourself, the easiest way is to book a stay. If you have questions first, drop us a line.