I stayed at a surprising luxury boutique hotel on Scottish island's idyllic nook

This four-star hotel is in a perfect spot

When I visited the four-star Marmalade Hotel, I was expecting something, well, a bit more orange.

It seems silly now, but that’s the power of word association.

However, it turns out to be quite the opposite from my imagined tribute to Paddington Bear. In fact, this 34-bedroom hotel, on the leafy fringes of Skye’s biggest town of Portree, has a resolutely grey signature colour scheme, which ranges from dove to elephant, and runs from the Chargrill Restaurant, via reception and the lounge, to our room.

However, that doesn’t mean that this grade B-listed Georgian building doesn’t have zing and zest.

It’s named after the orange trees that were grown in the building’s original incarnation, as the grand Portree House manor, which was built in the early 19th century.

The current owners, Perle Hotels - who also have destinations in Oban, Glencoe and have new hotel Edinburgh 16-20 opening in the Capital soon - spent £1m on extending the building back in 2020. Our quiet and well-equipped Premier Double room is in the newer three-storey wing, which is light, bright and still has a box-fresh feeling.

As well as a desk, a comfy seating area and a shower room, there are patio doors, out to a terrace, the lawn and a canopy of mature trees.

However, our biggest thrill is the discovery that we’re right next door to the Relaxation Lounge.

After a five-hour journey from Edinburgh, we’re very keen for a bit of heat therapy.

To take advantage of this perk, you book a time at reception, then you can use one of two huge saunas in the garden. We spend a couple of hours unknotting out here, or sitting in the comfy - grey, naturally - indoor seating area, with sofas that are separated by diaphanous curtains. Neither of us are brave enough to pull the rope on the outdoor cold bucket.

Dinner is served in Chargrill Restaurant, which is situated in the original part of the building.

As the name might suggest, the focus is steak, which are sourced from Lochaber Larder in Fort William. However, we go for the lighter options - a duo of Scottish salmon followed by cod pave with lemon butter, and locally caught scallops with remoulade and Granny Smith apple, then chicken supreme with haggis croquette and peppercorn sauce.

We’re back to a different table at breakfast, except this one blindsides us with an unexpectedly dramatic view of the Cuillin.

They start the earlybirds off with a shareable cake-stand of morning paraphernalia, including a yogurt and compote pot, a wee muffin and melon slices, then you can order something else from the menu, like porridge with cream and honey (and, perhaps, whisky) or a full Scottish.

We fill our walking boots, as we’re going to have a busy Portree day.

The town centre is about eight-minutes walk from the hotel, downhill all the way.

We make a beeline for number 50 in the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, Birch, for a fortifying flat white, then we peruse the wares in gift shop Or, where there are some proper treasures, from knitwear to ceramics. I love the pretty wall sconces, which were created through a collaboration between Pantry Pots and Or’s founder, Jen Pearson.

Then we check out the harbour, with its sugared-almond-coloured houses and crystalline water.

I peruse the menu that’s stuck outside fine-dining destination Scorrybreac - oooh, lobster lasagne - and make a note to visit this iconic restaurant the next time I’m in Skye.

There are plenty of walks to take from this town, but, as there’s already a mizzle, we decide on the less challenging Scorrybreac Circuit, which is described as easy-to-moderate online. I don’t think it’s going to be a Quiraing sort of day.

Our 3km route takes us by the water, through an assault course of bracken, where we were followed by a gallous fledgling robin, who was still covered in baby feather bum fluff, and along a woodland path beside fields. This is the sort of walk I enjoy, with a wibbly-wobbly route and mixed terrain, plus lots of botanicals, including gorse, thrift and foxgloves.

It’s surprisingly quiet, and we only spot two other couples to say howdy to.

When we return to Portree, we head straight to Summer, where they offer focaccia sandwiches, and I try a vegan Coronation chickpea number, and he opts for a cheese, pear and walnut slab.

Another coffee? We’ll need it to power us up the hill. Back to our cosy hotel, to rest our eyes in shades of grey.

Orange is overrated anyway.

Bed and breakfast at Marmalade Hotel (Home Farm Road, Portree, IV51 9LX, perlehotels.com) start from £90 per night in low season.