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The Priory Hotel is located in the bustling village of Beauly and has ample free parking outside the hotel. Beauly is a great place to base your stay if visiting the North East or North West of Scotland. For example the beautiful fishing village of Ullapool on the west coast is only around 50 minutes away and the east coast is even closer.

Beauly has an abundance of ancient history attached to it with the Priory Monastery dating back to the early 13th century. The Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian Monastic community. The French monks, along with John  Byset (a nearby, recently settled landowner), had a strong enough French-speaking presence to give the location and the river the name "beau lieu" ("beautiful place") and have it pass into English. In the summer of 1564 Mary, Queen of Scots travelled through the Highlands to Easter Ross. She stopped at the Beauly Priory before visiting Dingwall, capital of the Earldom of Ross. It is known that Mary was touched by the beauty of the Priory, which was enhanced by a fine orchard. She is reputed to have said: "Oui, c'est un beau lieu" (Yes, it is a beautiful place), a pun on the name of the Priory, which is derived from Bello Loco, Latin for "beautiful place". Mary frequently stayed in monasteries during her progresses, because they had the necessary accommodation and supplies for royal guests. Her host, Walter Reid, was the Protestant commendatore of Kinloss Abbey and Beauly Priory.