debbl

Thanks to all of you that responded to our inquiry about travel to the UK/Ireland with two teens. You've helped us figure out that our usual american road-trip type vacation won't really work - at your suggestions,we've been exploring renting houses/apartments for a week at a time and yes, you were all right - much more affordable! Yes, other parts of Europe do look cheaper, but our family roots are from Ireland and Scotland, so we kind of had our hearts set there. Plus, no language barrier for first time overseas travel! Have any of you had experience with some good, trustworthy websites to find the perfect place? We've been on holiday-rentals.co.uk - seemed to have lots of interesting options - any warnings about booking vacation rentals with individual parties through a website listing?

Thanks again for all your help!

janisj

Here are two really good sources for self catering cottages and flats in Scotland

www.mackays-self-catering.co.uk/
www.uniquescotland.com/

and this one has a lot of inexpensive places all over UK

www.stilwell.co.uk/

Ann41

We've rented cottages in Northern Ireland and Scotland through various websites without any problems. Can't remember which sites--I just googled for self-catering cottages.

To keep costs down in Ireland, you could stay mainly in the north. The Republic of Ireland has become fantastically expensive. Traveling in Northern Ireland isn't cheap, but better than the south.

Craigellachie

In Scotland, check if they're registered with the Scottish Tourist Board. If they are, they'll have an "official" grading and you'll have a way of complaining if things go wrong. The Board's web site www.visitscotland.com will explain what the gradings mean. The site has become basically an accommodation booking site and a lot of providers, especially the smaller independent ones, choose not to be advertised there even if they are STB / visitscotland registered. (I use the site to identify potential places then contact them direct, usually saves a small fortune on the visitscotland rates!)
The government closed down all the regional tourist boards last year, a decision not welcomed by a lot of traders. In a lot of places there are now local tourist associations or something similar. These have no official government endorsement but can give some protection if you turn up and the accommodation is completely different from what you expected. They often have their own websites which can have useful information from the people who live in the area all year round.
I avoid booking through agencies on principle. In many parts of Scotland there's a real problem because all the houses are being bought up for letting and young local people can't afford a place to live. There are ways you can increase the chances that your hard earned holiday cash is helping to support the local economy rather than driving people away, for example I always look for a place with a local contact telephone number. If this isn't an issue for you, the agencies Janis listed are pretty reputable.
When you know where in Scotland you want to stay, come back and we should be able to recommend some properties to try.

Kathysa

A year ago, our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) stayed at Strasburgh Manor in Ennis Ireland. It was very nice and a good location for seeing the western part of Ireland. We rented the big house, as they have 2...1 big, 1 smaller. Our kids each had their own bedroom, plus we had one extra bedroom where we could put our luggage. I think they only do 7 days rentals. I forget what we paid, but it was reasonable. If you search online, you should be able to find their website.
Goodluck.