Our family will be headed to Scotland next May so our son can play in a golf tournament in Gullane. It will be our first time in Europe! We are in need of some suggestions as to lodging close to Gullane so we don't miss any of his tee times. I have been on several sites to try to research this, but it is overwhelming. We will be arriving a few days early, so any suggestions on site seeing somewhere in the Edinburgh area would also be great.

Thanks!!

What is your budget? You can easily find accomodations in North Berwick, or nearby villages like Dirleton. Here is just one example of a very nice B&B in North Berwick - http://www.glebehouse-nb.co.uk/

But to give better advice we do need a £/$ number

As for what to see in the area - besides all the wonders of Edinburgh itself (click on DESTINATIONS above for a really good overview of Edinburgh) -- there are terrific castles at Dirleton and Tantallon w/i just a couple of miles, then just down the coast is St Abb's Head - sort of like the Big Sur of Scotland w/ amazing scenery.

Our lodging/meals budget will be around 400USD per day. Is that reasonable? Thanks for the other suggestions!

For how many people?

2 adults, one 7 year old

Your 7 year old is playing Gullane!!

Good luck. May I have his name? He will preumably win the Open in about 15 years time.

Sorry, I can't help with accommodation. I have stayed in the Old Aberlady Inn years ago, and it was fine, if nothing hugely to write home about

That is a very generous budget for food/lodging - you should be able to do it for less. A family room in a nice B&B will run from about £50 to £80 per night, give or take. A posher hotel can be had for around £100-£150 Of course, there are also much more expensive places - but they are the exception, not the rule.

I am finding in my research that most B&B's charge per person per night and with the exchange rate to USD, even 50-80 turns out to be 220-360USD roughly. That is how I came up with the 400USD daily budget. Am I doing something wrong? I am all for lowering my budget if we can still get nice lodging. I guess I need more help even than I originally thought! Glad to be on this forum

No 1 Sallyport in Berwick on Tweed is absolutely gorgeous. See their website....

My Scottish travel expert is:
http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/

Karen will advise you on accommodation and only asks that you book (where possible) through her site so she gets a small affiliate fee.

Peter

£80 per person is a very posh B&B for sure

www.fidrahouse.co.uk/ charges 37.50 pp

www.dremfarmhouse.co.uk/ runs £76 for a double plus a small charge for a rollaway for your son.

and www.crauchiefarmhouse.co.uk/ is £60-£70 double

These are all for ensuite accomodations and are either 4 or 5 star places. You won't have ANY trouble finding a nice place for around £80 for all three of you.

I think joele is talking about $50 to $80 not £50 to £80...

Check out Farm Stay UK

http://www.farmstayuk.co.uk/

They handle hundreds of B&Bs all over the UK. We have had great luck with them. Everything is on the web, but they will also send you their catalog for free.

Your budget is very high for food and lodging. You can get really nice for much less.

dave

A few of us stayed at a self-catered cottage last year called West Fenton. It is just outside Gullane and is very nice.

It might be a bit large for you however. The people were great to deal with.

Just to clarify, I am now finding that about $150-200 per day for lodging and food will probably be enough. Now my biggest challenge will be trying to drive on the other side of the street!

I have now had time to recheck my facts about West Fenton. In fact they have three cottages of different sizes.

We were nine golfers from Canada last year and everyone liked the place.

If you look at the image on their web site, Gullane golf course (there are three of them) is up on the hill.

West Fenton does look great. It is one of my strong candidates. Prices are reasonable and the location seems to be right where we want to be, close to all the courses where my son might play. We also like the idea of self catering vs. B&B. It is more like what we do in the states when we travel for tournaments.

If you are staying a week then renting a cottage makes a lot more sense. I just assumed you were looking for B&Bs because you were only staying a few days.

Here is a nice cottage right in Gullane www.westerlea-gullane.co.uk/

And here is one in Drem www.cottageguide.co.uk/thebyrecottage/

This one in North Berwick is larger than you need but the rates are very reasonable www.uniquescotland.com/netherabbey/index.html

Gullane is a great course(s) but I really hope you and/or your son play the North Berwick West Course. Right on the water and very, very unique. It is the 13th oldest course in the world.

I definitely second the suggestion to play North Berwick if you have the time.