Hotels in Aberdeen

Aberdeen is built almost entirely from local granite, which glitters silver in sunshine and settles into serious grey the rest of the time — the nickname 'Granite City' is a plain description. It's the capital of Britain's oil industry, which keeps hotels busy midweek and often cheap at weekends, a quirk worth exploiting.

Old Aberdeen, with its cobbles and the medieval St Machar's Cathedral, is the prettiest quarter; the beach is a genuine two-mile sweep of sand minutes from the centre, bracing rather than balmy; and Footdee ('Fittie'), the former fishing village at the harbour mouth, is a charming oddity. Dolphins are regularly seen from Torry Battery. Stay around Union Street or the West End for restaurants and walkability, and check weekend rates before assuming it's dear.