If you want to escape the busy city streets of Edinburgh, beat a hasty retreat to this historic hotel that has swank and opulence in spades.

After snaking our way slowly across the bustling traffic in Edinburgh’s city centre, we soon arrive at Prestonfield House Hotel. Who would have thought that just a few miles from the centre of town, in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, there would be such tranquillity? This immaculate five-star retreat, where I’m to spend an indulgent weekend with my wife, Aislinn, and our two-year-old son, Frank, sits in 20 acres of beautifully maintained lawns, manicured gardens and a golf course.

The building is elegant and handsome but gives little hint of the eye-popping extravagance inside. Entering the hotel, I notice a nice buzz, with leisurely afternoon tea and lunch gatherings in full swing across the hotel’s chic dining spaces. We are ushered to a luxe drawing room by the friendly front of house and plied with welcome drinks, including an excellent Valpolicella I’ll find myself ordering again later. The hotel interior is a lesson in opulence: all velvet furnishings, grand portraits, elegant antiques and luxurious textiles. You could spend hours just looking at the walls. I do fear knocking over a vase to find out it had been gifted by European royalty and cost more than my mortgage. Our suite, the Allan Ramsay, is named after the celebrated Scottish artist and frequenter of Prestonfield back in 1736. There isn’t an inch of the room left unadorned. It has views of the gardens, a spacious sitting room, bathrooms lined with marble and Venetian glass mosaic, and a smart four-poster bed. Prestonfield is an antidote to minimalist interior design – the thinking here is very much ‘more is more’, and it’s all the better for it

The building, its décor and the staff exude history, tradition, and warmth. None more so than house manager, Remo, who gives us a tour and potted history of the estate and its treasured animals. Peacocks roam the grounds and the estate’s cat, Raven, has truly landed on his feet, living a life of luxury and often napping in one of the hotel’s many nooks and crannies (rumours that he has been found in rooms by the guests are unconfirmed).

Remo even takes us to feed Treacle, Prestonfield’s shaggy, long-horned Highland cow, which goes down particularly well with Frank. We dine at the hotel’s intimate and romantically lit Rhubarb Restaurant, where the food is as good as the surrounds. The menu celebrates Scottish produce, each plate meticulously crafted with superb local ingredients. A highlight is a dish of Sound of Mull crab – an exquisite blend of sweet crab, smooth crème fraîche and tart Granny Smith apple, harmonised with lovage and finished with a sourdough crisp. A loin of Scottish Borders lamb and glazed confit neck, meanwhile, is cooked to perfection. We end on a high with a classic crème brûlée and an innovative dulce de leche mascarpone mousse, complemented by toasted sunflower seeds, pear and a tonka bean sorbet.

Prestonfield was built as the private residence for the Lord Provost of Edinburgh by Sir William Bruce, the King’s architect, after he completed the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 1687. It was bought by James Thomson OBE in 2003 who poured millions into its refurbishment – his vision ‘to create a bold alternative to some of Edinburgh’s bland uniform hotels’ has certainly paid off. A stay here can be as active or relaxing as you like. Play a round of golf on the neighbouring course, take a walk into town, hike up the south side of Arthur’s Seat or, if the weather’s chilly, relax with a glass of whisky by one of several log fires. Regardless of how you choose to spend your time here, the Prestonfield House Hotel is an experience that’s genuinely memorable