A former Northern Lighthouse Board tender now a luxury floating hotel in Leith, Edinburgh, has been crowned Europe's leading boutique hotel at this year’s World Travel Awards.
The NLV Fingal was built in the 1960s and was the last ship from the shipyard of the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company.
Its career began based out of Oban on the west coast, followed by Stromness in the north, where it served remote island communities. Duties involved ferrying lighthouse keepers, essential supplies, and maintenance staff to lighthouses, as well as undertaking repairs to navigational aids.
The NLV Fingal was aptly registered in Leith and served for more than three decades, and as Afloat highlights, it also carried out tasks on behalf of Irish Lights, which involved calls to Dun Laoghaire Harbour during the early 1990s.
The Northern Lighthouse Board, which has its headquarters in Edinburgh, retired the vessel from service in 2000 and subsequently sold.
From Ship to Hotel
After a major transformation in 2019, it became the five-star Fingal Hotel, which has also been named Scotland's leading boutique hotel. In addition to its award-winning Lighthouse restaurant, the unique venue is host to weddings in the double-height ballroom and for other events.
The black-hulled hotel is managed by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, which also operates the eponymous attraction located in Alexandra Dock.
Guests to the Fingal have a wide choice of 23 nautical-themed cabins, among them the Skerryvore Suite with its private deck.
The awards, which have been described as "Oscars of the travel industry,"
Commenting on the awards, the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust chief executive, Franck Bruyere, said the accolades were "an incredible honour."
Fingal has also been nominated as the leading boutique hotel in the world.
More on The Herald Scotland's story here.
