Calling all Scottish MNetters - please recommend fab hotels or B&Bs

[MmeLindt]

American friends of ours are going to Scotland for a week in August and are looking for hotels or B&Bs.

They would like to avoid the big chains and go for more individual boutique hotels, or typically British small hotels/B&B. Must be good standard. They are looking at the following areas:

Edinburgh (city centre)

Perth or Blairgowrie area

Inverness

Fort William or Oban

Glasgow or Loch Lomond

And ideas?

Have stayed in the Lodge on Loch Lomond a couple of times and loved it. The staff are sooooo fab and the food is to die for. Balconies over Loch Lomond to sit out on and saunas in some rooms etc.

It is obv in Loch Lomond lol!!

That looks lovely, AGal, but sadly they are already fully booked the night that my friends would like to be in Loch Lomond area.

Oh dear, we always book well in advance as it is so popular. Cameron House in the same area is meant to be lovely too? My cousin had a lovely weekend there x

15 merchant gardens Edinburgh looks nice i always think. I have a habit of looking up late rooms.com and i always think right i`m going to book that one .It1s not right in the city centre but in a ovely area not far away

Merchiston Gardens even ...sorry

Thanks, was wondering why I could not find that hotel.

Any other ideas?

Ramada Jarvis in Perth is lovely, central and there's a waterwheel in the middle of it. They are also doing great deals at the moment.

I stayed at Oban Caledonian about 5 years ago, we had a lovely room with a sleigh bed and huge windows overlooking the bay/harbour. Also stayed at their sister hotel Ballachulish Hotel which is near Fort William. We hardly left the hotel as we spent most of the weekend in the lovely bar with open fire (great for the typical Scottish summer weather). I think they may now be under new management but still look good on the websites. We got good deals for both.

There's a new Hotel Du Vin in Edinburgh - I've only been in the bar but it was very nice! But Edinburgh will be very busy in August due to the festival

The second one you linked to looks great, just the kind of thing that they would like, I think.

Will check out the new Edinburgh hotel too.

Hope they won't try and visit all those places in one week!

Up north Coul House near Inverness is lovely..

Can HIGHLY recommend The Missoni in Edinburgh - fantastic hotel!

Depending on how long they are staying, a few nights in Crieff Hydro would be lovely when in the Perth area.

For the Inverness area, again I can personally recommend the Ben Wyvis. Alternatively, if they didn't mind being a wee bit out of the city then there is the Golf View Hotel & Spa or Newton Hotel - both in Nairn which is only a half hour drive from Inverness. Nairn is a lovely wee place with gorgeous walks along the beach.

Oriecella
They do intend to do a fair bit of driving, but might cut the route a bit short. It is not too adventurous, I don't think.

Coul House is fab, I can see them liking that.

Hmm, they may have to stay longer.

It is their final European holiday before they go back to the States so they want to really see lots.

Buy them the book 'Scotland the Best' its got loads of great recommendations about where to stay and eat. We keep a copy in the car as we live here.

I would also recommend really not bothering to visit/stay in some of the citys/towns listed. The best bits of Scotland are in the countryside. Edinburgh is beautiful, as is Oban in itself but the others are pretty much by-the-by as places i.e I wouldn't specifically visit Perth, Fort William, Inverness or Glasgow (no offence!). But places such as Dunkeld, Loch Tay, Glen Coe (which does live up to the hype), Torridon, Poolewe (great gardens)/Ullapool area and miss out the Inverness/Aviemore area.

You don't mention budget so I have just listed some top notch places, many of which I haven't stayed in but have eaten in or eyed up!

Ardeonaig Hotel on Loch Tay www.ardeonaighotel.co.uk/,
Inverlochy Castle - Near Fort William
www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/
Pool House Hotel - Poolewe
www.pool-house.co.uk/
The Torridon - Loch Torridon
www.thetorridon.com/
Isle of Eriska - North of Oban
www.eriska-hotel.co.uk/
Kilberry Inn - South of Oban
www.kilberryinn.com/
Summer Isles Hotel - Fab location north of Ullapool in a national scenic area
www.summerisleshotel.co.uk/
Prestonfield - Edinburgh but not central
www.prestonfield.com/
The Scotsman
www.theetoncollection.com/content.aspx?pageID=470

Hope this helps....

That is fab, Nutty.

The towns listed are just places to stay. I have suggested

Edinburgh Castle/Tattoo/Town
Fife coast
Perhaps Glamis Castle
Royal Deeside
Culloden
Maybe castle in that area?
Glenfiddich Distillery
over Loch Ness to Fort William and Oban
over Crianlarich to Loch Lomond or Glasgow

We are looking for hotels on the route, and possible visitor attractions.

I have chosen the route for the scenery, as this is important to them and we have done all these areas and know that it is what foreign tourists are hoping to see.

Sorry MmeLindt for attempting to re-write your friends trip. Its with the best intentions and with a wish to encourage people to get away from the usual tourist spots in Scotland. There are some truly amazing spots that just knock places such as Loch Ness into touch but which just aren't well known.

The north-west is really special esp the coast roads or places such as Loch Maree /Inverpolly/Harris/Colonsay/Jura/Islay/Orkney etc. The islands are particularly spectacular, I guess its just the mountains/sea combo that does it for me! (even though I live in Highland Perthshire!!).

I just can't get as excited about the Fife coast/Moray/Deeside or Speyside but I guess its great for castles/royals etc.
Suggestions for the east....

www.kinlochhouse.com/
www.cullodenhouse.co.uk/
www.boath-house.com/

How about Brodie Castle near Nairn?

DH is German and loves the Fife coast. I guess that is why we always recommend it. It is not so dramatic as some of the West coast, but then it is not as far away.

I am not fond of Loch Ness either, but it is on the way from Culloden (which I think he would really like, he is interested in battles and history) to Fort William/Oban. Unless you know of another battle site or something similar?

Tbh, if I were to plan a trip for myself it would take in Crieff, Callender and Dumfries and Galloway rather than Loch Ness and Royal Deeside, but that is what the foreign tourists are looking for.

My friend was asked by her Dad if they would go to Aberdeen, as he used to raise Aberdeen Angus.

I guess Culloden is the biggee, the other battle sites are less interesting to non-scots.

But I would strongly recommend not spending much time on the eastern side and them taking the trip from Inverness across to Ullapool (the trip to the Summer Isles Hotel although a there and back trip on single track roads, is very beautiful past hills such as stac Polliadh, with fab seafood/views too).

Then head south down the coast past little Loch Broom/Gruinard Bay/Poolewe (NTS gardens)/Gairloch/Loch Maree/Loch Torridon (great hotel)/Round Coast to Applecross(good pub)/across Bealach na Ba (highest pass in scotland)/Loch Carron/Plockton (coastal village) /Eilean Donan Castle (Built 1900's)/Down to Glen Coe

Then back via Loch Tay/Glen Lyon/Fortingall (nice hotel here too and village allegedly the birth place of Pontious Pilate)/Kenmore/Dunkeld (ruined cathedral on banks of river)

or Oban (Seafood temple is great for food)/St Conans Kirk(church built by one man)/Inverary (Castle & Loch Fyne Oyster Bar)/Rest and Be Thankful/Loch Lommond.

Its all very do-able, we very regularly head up to Ullapool (3-4 hours from Edinburgh up the A9) and sometimes drive back down round large chunks of the 'coast' to MIL near Oban in a weekend.

Good general website is
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/index.html

nuttysquirrel knows what she's talking about... that's a beautiful tour! Still, I wouldn't want to do it in a week, but then - I like to stay put and explore a bit.

I do think that 3-4 hrs to Ullapool is a bit optimistic in the summer - the Scottish roads are a scary mix of Tesco trucks, diddering tourists, impatient locals and (scariest of all) drivers that don't know the roads but drive them like they're on their local highway.. So my number one tip would be - take it easy!!!

Yes, that is true.

I have found the lovely B&B that we stayed in 10 years ago in Inverness so will definitely recommend that one. We had to go up the stairs in the tower to get the the ensuite bathroom, it was really sweet.

Seeing all of Scotland is not possible in a week but if they can get an impression of the country then that is good. I love the fact that Scotland is so varied, the fishing villages of the Fife coast, the lochs and mountains, the pretty towns such as Perth and Crieff.

I think I will open the Geneva Branch of the Scottish Tourist Board.