Treetop House | A romantic gem with panoramic views and its own sauna in the West Highlands

If you are looking for a truly inspiring escape then we think we’ve found the place for you. Treetop House is like nothing you have ever seen before, hand-crafted with a true designer’s eye. It is sat up by a gorge with a tumbling stream and panoramic views of the sea and island vistas of the West Highlands. This retreat is just over an hour from Inverness airport, so it’s an easy hop from London, and only a ten minute stroll to Ullapool. Our writer is in love with this place.

This curve-designed creation has only recently opened, after five years of planning and crafting using all the expertise of its owners, who had been inspired by their time away in Africa, and artisans and crafts specialists from Ullapool who helped support their project.

The result is a Romantic Retreat with a difference. The House’s Stornoway architect helped to create its spaces frame the landscape outside, and the results are beautiful. From the outside, Treetop House has a curved front and huge window spaces, which provide fantastic views and some of the best views in Scotland. It gets its name from its elevated position, which means you can see out across the mountains, sea and island vistas, across birch, rowan and ash forests.

Inside, this is a super luxury affair. This hideaway includes a luxury en-suite superking bedroom and another double bedroom with en-suite if required. Treetop House has a serene feel inside, and a Shaker style with calming colours and high quality materials. Its standout features include a spacious round sauna, a luxury freestanding bath and intimate and private spill out spaces. There is also a romantic wood burning stove for cosy evenings in.

It must be inspiring to watch the sun go down from your own spot by the windows in the evening – with waterfalls tumbling down in winter and huge warming skies in the summer.

Treetop’s owners will provide you with a welcome hamper, with local hot smoked salmon, smoked cheese, oatcakes and a bottle of something special to share. The pair live at the bottom of the hill and are on hand for advice and to help organise any special food requests or trips during your holiday.

The local community that helped to build this retreat also gives the area a warm and friendly feel. The family owners of Treetop House know the fishermen and can reserve fresh catch for you. You can even go with them to pick it up. Freshly caught Scottish fish will take your breath away – we have tried it and the taste alone is enough to keep calling us back to the west coasts of Scotland.

From this spot, you are next to the Ullapool Hill Path network. Within minutes, you can discover a secluded mountain environment high above Loch Broom, with views across the mountains of Assynt and Coigach. The areas around are full of sandy secluded beaches and inlets, remote lochs, waterfalls and streams and stunning mountain and moorland landscapes, all waiting to be explored. Owners particularly recommend Gruinard Bay - one of the best places in the world to be on a sunny day.

When you are ready to step out, you are only a ten minute walk from Ullapool, with its thriving community renowned for its music, arts and culture. Local, national and even international musicians frequently perform throughout the year at Ullapool’s pubs and venues. Local arts are featured in exhibitions at the local arts centre, the An Talla Solais, or The Ceilidh Place. Meanwhile, local and national crafts can be found in Ullapool’s shops and galleries, along with some great pubs and restaurants to try. The owners recommend you seek out food at The Arch Inn and The Ceilidh Place. And, if you want to explore a large Scottish town, you are just over an hour’s drive from the Highland capital of Inverness.