Need to tweak my Scotland itinerary and request hotel recommendations
Nov 5th, 2022, 07:08 PM
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Need to tweak my Scotland itinerary and request hotel recommendations
I want to thank everyone for all the advice they gave me a few months ago when I was planning our itinerary!
We have made our airline reservations for Scotland. We arrive in Edinburgh on May 30, and we depart Edinburgh for home on June 15. This is a 16-night trip.
This is my “almost” finalized itinerary and I need to do some tweaking.
Edinburgh – 4 nights
Crail – 2 nights
Nairn or Grantown on Spey – 4 nights
**Portree on Isle of Skye – 3 or 4 nights
**Stirling – 1 or 2 nights (depends on how many nights we spend on Skye)
**Near Edinburgh Airport – last night ?
The asterisks indicate what could be tweaked.
Regarding Isle of Skye: I found a 3-day road trip itinerary for the Isle of Skye, which sounds wonderful, so I think to do it justice, we should spend 4 nights on Skye instead of the 3 nights I originally planned. Thoughts? The link to the travel blog is www.ontheluce.com/isle-of-skye-itinerary. If we spend 3 nights on Skye, we will spend 2 nights in Stirling. Of if we spend 4 nights on Skye, we will spend 1 night in Stirling.
Realistically, how long is the drive from Portree to Stirling?
Stirling Castle is a priority so we want to spend 1 or 2 nights in Stirling.
Our last night: Should we spend our last night closer to the Edinburgh Airport than Stirling? Our flight home leaves at 11:30am. I assume we need to be at the airport 3 hours in advance, which is 8:30am. And we will have to return our rental car as well. So I am thinking we could stay at the Dakota Edinburgh the night before flying home. It is 10 minutes from the airport and recommended by several people on this forum.
Hotel recommendations:
I would also appreciate hotel recommendations for any or all of our destinations. We prefer hotels, inns, or B&B’s instead of apartments because we don’t cook on vacation and we like having 24-hour front desk service. Our budget is in the $200 range. We want clean rooms and centrally located, especially in Edinburgh. We prefer not to take public transportation to the sites. Prefer walking. And like to have restaurants and cafes nearby especially if the hotel doesn’t include breakfast. We will be 2 couples, so I need to reserve 2 rooms.
I have already researched some hotels in Edinburgh, and TBH, I am surprised at the prices. Many of them are in the $300 range on average. I checked out the Market Street Hotel. They are not available on booking.com. I can book through their hotel website but we have to pay in full in advance and the room rate is non-refundable, which I really don’t want to do. It is pricey, but I would pay it if they offered free cancellation. Several other hotels I checked have the same non-refundable policy.
These are a few I am considering in Edinburgh that I can book on booking.com and have a free cancellation:
Hotel Indigo
Motel One Princes – not a motel. Looks nice. But they received some mixed reviews.
Ibis St. Andrew Square
Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh (formerly Jury Inn)
Thank you for all of your help!
We have made our airline reservations for Scotland. We arrive in Edinburgh on May 30, and we depart Edinburgh for home on June 15. This is a 16-night trip.
This is my “almost” finalized itinerary and I need to do some tweaking.
Edinburgh – 4 nights
Crail – 2 nights
Nairn or Grantown on Spey – 4 nights
**Portree on Isle of Skye – 3 or 4 nights
**Stirling – 1 or 2 nights (depends on how many nights we spend on Skye)
**Near Edinburgh Airport – last night ?
The asterisks indicate what could be tweaked.
Regarding Isle of Skye: I found a 3-day road trip itinerary for the Isle of Skye, which sounds wonderful, so I think to do it justice, we should spend 4 nights on Skye instead of the 3 nights I originally planned. Thoughts? The link to the travel blog is www.ontheluce.com/isle-of-skye-itinerary. If we spend 3 nights on Skye, we will spend 2 nights in Stirling. Of if we spend 4 nights on Skye, we will spend 1 night in Stirling.
Realistically, how long is the drive from Portree to Stirling?
Stirling Castle is a priority so we want to spend 1 or 2 nights in Stirling.
Our last night: Should we spend our last night closer to the Edinburgh Airport than Stirling? Our flight home leaves at 11:30am. I assume we need to be at the airport 3 hours in advance, which is 8:30am. And we will have to return our rental car as well. So I am thinking we could stay at the Dakota Edinburgh the night before flying home. It is 10 minutes from the airport and recommended by several people on this forum.
Hotel recommendations:
I would also appreciate hotel recommendations for any or all of our destinations. We prefer hotels, inns, or B&B’s instead of apartments because we don’t cook on vacation and we like having 24-hour front desk service. Our budget is in the $200 range. We want clean rooms and centrally located, especially in Edinburgh. We prefer not to take public transportation to the sites. Prefer walking. And like to have restaurants and cafes nearby especially if the hotel doesn’t include breakfast. We will be 2 couples, so I need to reserve 2 rooms.
I have already researched some hotels in Edinburgh, and TBH, I am surprised at the prices. Many of them are in the $300 range on average. I checked out the Market Street Hotel. They are not available on booking.com. I can book through their hotel website but we have to pay in full in advance and the room rate is non-refundable, which I really don’t want to do. It is pricey, but I would pay it if they offered free cancellation. Several other hotels I checked have the same non-refundable policy.
These are a few I am considering in Edinburgh that I can book on booking.com and have a free cancellation:
Hotel Indigo
Motel One Princes – not a motel. Looks nice. But they received some mixed reviews.
Ibis St. Andrew Square
Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh (formerly Jury Inn)
Thank you for all of your help!
Nov 5th, 2022, 08:55 PM
#2
No time for in depth reply til morning - but just about the last night hotel: Stirling is quite a quick drive to EDI. For example -- say from Bannockburn on the south side of the city -- is only about 25 miles to the airport and it is motorway all the way. Thirty minutes to the airport rental car office is entirely doable. So unless you decided to stay in a hotel right at the airport, there's not much benefit in moving for the last night.
Nov 5th, 2022, 10:23 PM
#3
Hello Karen, a few thoughts from me.
Isle of Skye : I’d give it as much time as your itinerary allows because (1) it is spectacular beyond words and (2) weather can play spoilsport (especially if you will be hiking or trekking as well). We spent 3 nights there (based out of Portree as well, got very lucky with weather) in September 2017 and covered most of the sights enlisted in the comprehensive itinerary link you shared. With an extra day, I would have added the Loch Coruisk boat cruise (Misty Isle or Bella Jane), which was (very) highly recommended but sadly we didn’t have time for. In terms of planning inputs - I’d sort out accommodation at the very earliest, if you haven’t already. And, Calmac’s summer ferry schedules (and online ticketing window) are expected to open anytime soon.
Edinburgh : If it helps reassure you in any way, we’ve stayed at the wonderful ibis Styles St Andrews square, a perfect location to explore Edinburgh on foot, very convenient for the airport tram and sensibly priced (discounts on the tarriff for Accor members also). Also, a stone’s throw from one of our favourite restaurants Dishoom!
Also you might find this blog very useful - https://annestravelsandhikes.com/, managed by a TA DE (Scotlandmac) and of course www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk.
Scotland is very special to us, and co-incidentally we will also be returning in early May for a long roadtrip through the Northern Highlands, Orkney and Outer Hebrides !
Isle of Skye : I’d give it as much time as your itinerary allows because (1) it is spectacular beyond words and (2) weather can play spoilsport (especially if you will be hiking or trekking as well). We spent 3 nights there (based out of Portree as well, got very lucky with weather) in September 2017 and covered most of the sights enlisted in the comprehensive itinerary link you shared. With an extra day, I would have added the Loch Coruisk boat cruise (Misty Isle or Bella Jane), which was (very) highly recommended but sadly we didn’t have time for. In terms of planning inputs - I’d sort out accommodation at the very earliest, if you haven’t already. And, Calmac’s summer ferry schedules (and online ticketing window) are expected to open anytime soon.
Edinburgh : If it helps reassure you in any way, we’ve stayed at the wonderful ibis Styles St Andrews square, a perfect location to explore Edinburgh on foot, very convenient for the airport tram and sensibly priced (discounts on the tarriff for Accor members also). Also, a stone’s throw from one of our favourite restaurants Dishoom!
Also you might find this blog very useful - https://annestravelsandhikes.com/, managed by a TA DE (Scotlandmac) and of course www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk.
Scotland is very special to us, and co-incidentally we will also be returning in early May for a long roadtrip through the Northern Highlands, Orkney and Outer Hebrides !
Last edited by ANUJ; Nov 5th, 2022 at 10:30 PM.
Nov 5th, 2022, 11:22 PM
#4
FWIW, on one trip, we had a slightly earlier flight than yours from EDI and spent the last night at the Doubletree at the airport... about 5 minutes' walk from the car rental return and about 10 minutes' walk from the terminal entrance. The hotel has an airport shuttle, but we wanted to walk before boarding our flight. The hotel is nothing special but very convenient.
I'll let the Scotland experts comment on the itinerary, but your drives between points would be too long for me, especially if you were thinking of making sightseeing stops.
I'll let the Scotland experts comment on the itinerary, but your drives between points would be too long for me, especially if you were thinking of making sightseeing stops.
Last edited by Jean; Nov 5th, 2022 at 11:29 PM.
Nov 6th, 2022, 06:47 AM
#5
Everybody has different priorities and interests; there's no "right" answers to your questions. But a couple of opinions...
Stirling: If it was me, I'd move things around a little and include Stirling as a day trip from Edinburgh, either at the beginning or end of the trip. In fact, I'd save money and hassles with the car and do a Rabbie's day trip to Stirling from Edinburgh, perhaps the one that includes a drive-by of Loch Lomond and the Kelpies. If this means extending your time in Edinburgh by a night, so be it, but IMO it would save time and driving time later, and might allow for you to include something else.
Nairn/Grantown: I recall that whisky is a priority, but to me (remember, personal views) four nights might be a bit much. I'd probably "borrow" a day from the whisky country and add it to the time in the west. Maybe you could add some time on the mainland either north or south (or both) of Skye; for example, visit Plockton and/or Torridon to the north; or return to the mainland via the Mallaig ferry in the south, then route through scenic Glenfinnan and back to Edinburgh via Glen Coe and a detour down Glen Etive along the way.
Last night: I've stayed at the Dakota a couple of times and quite like it. They have an airport shuttle, so you could conceivably drop the car the night before your flight and rely on the hotel's shuttle to get you to EDI on time when you fly. Or spend the evening in South Queensferry, a very enjoyable wee village with a lot of history about it.
Just some thoughts. Even as is, I think you're going to have a terrific time.
Stirling: If it was me, I'd move things around a little and include Stirling as a day trip from Edinburgh, either at the beginning or end of the trip. In fact, I'd save money and hassles with the car and do a Rabbie's day trip to Stirling from Edinburgh, perhaps the one that includes a drive-by of Loch Lomond and the Kelpies. If this means extending your time in Edinburgh by a night, so be it, but IMO it would save time and driving time later, and might allow for you to include something else.
Nairn/Grantown: I recall that whisky is a priority, but to me (remember, personal views) four nights might be a bit much. I'd probably "borrow" a day from the whisky country and add it to the time in the west. Maybe you could add some time on the mainland either north or south (or both) of Skye; for example, visit Plockton and/or Torridon to the north; or return to the mainland via the Mallaig ferry in the south, then route through scenic Glenfinnan and back to Edinburgh via Glen Coe and a detour down Glen Etive along the way.
Last night: I've stayed at the Dakota a couple of times and quite like it. They have an airport shuttle, so you could conceivably drop the car the night before your flight and rely on the hotel's shuttle to get you to EDI on time when you fly. Or spend the evening in South Queensferry, a very enjoyable wee village with a lot of history about it.
Just some thoughts. Even as is, I think you're going to have a terrific time.
Nov 6th, 2022, 12:48 PM
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Nov 6th, 2022, 01:44 PM
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Thank you janisj, ANUJ, Jean, Gardyloo, and Barbara-in-FL. I appreciate all of your advice.
ANUJ, I appreciate your thoughts on Skye, and I am leaning towards 4 nights there. And it's nice to know you stayed at the Ibis Styles St. Andrews Square and enjoyed your stay there. I think we stayed at an Ibis in France in the Loire Valley one time and were happy with it. I might reserve 2 rooms there (free cancellation) and I can change my mind if I find something else.
Gardyloo, I appreciate the suggestion about the Rabbies tour but we prefer to visit places on our own. Probably as we get older (we are in our 70's) we might prefer tours where everything is done for us.
These are the things we want to do around Nairn/Inverness: 1 or 2 whisky tours, Elgin Cathedral, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield, and perhaps Cawdor Castle and a boat ride on Loch Ness. The reason I say "perhaps" Cawdor Castle is because I don't want my travel companions to overdose on castles. We sometimes decide on what to see and do in the moment. Sometimes we omit a planned site. But for me, Elgin Cathedral and Urquhart Castle are must-sees. I love ruins in spectacular settings. So, knowing this, can we see everything on my list in 3 nights?
And if I decrease Nairn/Grantown to 3 nights, where would it make sense to spend the extra night? Jean mentioned some of the driving times are long. I know the drive from Portree to Stirling will be long: 5.5 hours per a site called Wanderlog. This supposedly includes a 30-minute stop. Would it make sense to stop along the way somewhere between Portree and Stirling for one night? Such as Killin? And we could make a stop at Glenfinnan along the way. If we do this, we would then spend 1 or 2 nights in Stirling.
I can't decide where to spend our last night (either Stirling or at the airport) until I hear from our friends about their flight schedule. We are using miles so we were limited in flight choices. Our friends will have more choices and I know they won't choose the same flight as us because we fly non-stop from Edinburgh to Chicago, and then backtrack to Boston. So our friends might be leaving earlier (or later) than us.
Gardyloo, I also like your suggestion of returning the rental car to the airport the night before if we stay at the Dakota Edinburgh. It will make the next morning much easier.
ANUJ, I appreciate your thoughts on Skye, and I am leaning towards 4 nights there. And it's nice to know you stayed at the Ibis Styles St. Andrews Square and enjoyed your stay there. I think we stayed at an Ibis in France in the Loire Valley one time and were happy with it. I might reserve 2 rooms there (free cancellation) and I can change my mind if I find something else.
Gardyloo, I appreciate the suggestion about the Rabbies tour but we prefer to visit places on our own. Probably as we get older (we are in our 70's) we might prefer tours where everything is done for us.
These are the things we want to do around Nairn/Inverness: 1 or 2 whisky tours, Elgin Cathedral, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield, and perhaps Cawdor Castle and a boat ride on Loch Ness. The reason I say "perhaps" Cawdor Castle is because I don't want my travel companions to overdose on castles. We sometimes decide on what to see and do in the moment. Sometimes we omit a planned site. But for me, Elgin Cathedral and Urquhart Castle are must-sees. I love ruins in spectacular settings. So, knowing this, can we see everything on my list in 3 nights?
And if I decrease Nairn/Grantown to 3 nights, where would it make sense to spend the extra night? Jean mentioned some of the driving times are long. I know the drive from Portree to Stirling will be long: 5.5 hours per a site called Wanderlog. This supposedly includes a 30-minute stop. Would it make sense to stop along the way somewhere between Portree and Stirling for one night? Such as Killin? And we could make a stop at Glenfinnan along the way. If we do this, we would then spend 1 or 2 nights in Stirling.
I can't decide where to spend our last night (either Stirling or at the airport) until I hear from our friends about their flight schedule. We are using miles so we were limited in flight choices. Our friends will have more choices and I know they won't choose the same flight as us because we fly non-stop from Edinburgh to Chicago, and then backtrack to Boston. So our friends might be leaving earlier (or later) than us.
Gardyloo, I also like your suggestion of returning the rental car to the airport the night before if we stay at the Dakota Edinburgh. It will make the next morning much easier.
Nov 6th, 2022, 01:57 PM
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I have been researching accommodations in Crail and Anstruther. Is one place better than the other to spend 2 nights?
I found 2 places I like in Anstruther: The Waterfront for about $142 per night includes a full cooked breakfast and has free parking.
https://www.anstruther-waterfront.co.uk/
The Bank for about $150 per night includes Continental Breakfast and free parking.
https://www.thebank-anstruther.co.uk/
In Crail, I like Balcomie Links. Price includes breakfast and free parking.
https://www.balcomielinkshotel.com/
Any opinions on which fishing village is a better choice? I am sure they are both nice. My decision will probably be based on the accommodations.
I found 2 places I like in Anstruther: The Waterfront for about $142 per night includes a full cooked breakfast and has free parking.
https://www.anstruther-waterfront.co.uk/
The Bank for about $150 per night includes Continental Breakfast and free parking.
https://www.thebank-anstruther.co.uk/
In Crail, I like Balcomie Links. Price includes breakfast and free parking.
https://www.balcomielinkshotel.com/
Any opinions on which fishing village is a better choice? I am sure they are both nice. My decision will probably be based on the accommodations.
Nov 6th, 2022, 02:46 PM
#10
I'm just dashing out and will be able to look closer at your Fife choices later. (either Anstruther or Crail would be wonderful - the individual properties could make your decision for you)
But did just want to make one comment -- Both Urquhart Castle and a cruise on Loch Ness would be done on your travel day between Nairn or Grantown-on-Spey. They are directly on the route from Inverness, down Loch Ness, and to Kyle and the Bridge to Skye. No need to schedule them as a day trip from Nairn / G-o-S / wherever you finally decide to stay.
But did just want to make one comment -- Both Urquhart Castle and a cruise on Loch Ness would be done on your travel day between Nairn or Grantown-on-Spey. They are directly on the route from Inverness, down Loch Ness, and to Kyle and the Bridge to Skye. No need to schedule them as a day trip from Nairn / G-o-S / wherever you finally decide to stay.
Nov 6th, 2022, 02:57 PM
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I'm just dashing out and will be able to look closer at your Fife choices later. (either Anstruther or Crail would be wonderful - the individual properties could make your decision for you)
But did just want to make one comment -- Both Urquhart Castle and a cruise on Loch Ness would be done on your travel day between Nairn or Grantown-on-Spey. They are directly on the route from Inverness, down Loch Ness, and to Kyle and the Bridge to Skye. No need to schedule them as a day trip from Nairn / G-o-S / wherever you finally decide to stay.
But did just want to make one comment -- Both Urquhart Castle and a cruise on Loch Ness would be done on your travel day between Nairn or Grantown-on-Spey. They are directly on the route from Inverness, down Loch Ness, and to Kyle and the Bridge to Skye. No need to schedule them as a day trip from Nairn / G-o-S / wherever you finally decide to stay.
Nov 6th, 2022, 07:19 PM
#12
janisj, thanks so much for pointing this out to me. I just looked at my map, and I see what you are talking about. I just checked driving times from Urquhart Castle to Portree, and one site says 2 hours and 12 minutes, and another site says 3 hours. Are these reasonable drive times?
Nov 6th, 2022, 07:43 PM
#13
OK -- looked at the hotels. Crail is my favorite of the fishing villages. Having said that -- the location of The Waterfront is the best. Driving in the center of Anstruther can be tough but more so up the hill a bit where the Bank is. I'd be curious where exactly both hotels have parking - doubt either has an actual car park so maybe passes for street parking?? The Waterfront is steps from the Anstruther Fish Bar, The Fisheries Museum and the excursion boats to the Isle of May.
(The Waterfront and The Bank must have the same owner -- their websites are just about identical)
Balcomie Links looks like a nice property but is sort of stuck out on the edge of town on a lot in a residential area and next to a caravan park and vacation condos, and not on the water. It's less than a mile walk to the Harbor so not terrible - but if one is staying in a fishing village, me personally - I'd want to at least see the water.
(The Waterfront and The Bank must have the same owner -- their websites are just about identical)
Balcomie Links looks like a nice property but is sort of stuck out on the edge of town on a lot in a residential area and next to a caravan park and vacation condos, and not on the water. It's less than a mile walk to the Harbor so not terrible - but if one is staying in a fishing village, me personally - I'd want to at least see the water.
Nov 6th, 2022, 07:54 PM
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janisj, if I remove a night from Nairn and we stay there 3 nights instead of 4, where would it make sense to add the extra night? Would it make sense to stop over for one night on the drive between Portree and Stirling? Such as Killin, and then we could visit Glenfinnan as Gardyloo suggests.
OR the other option would be to spend 2 nights in Stirling so that we can visit the castle and Loch Lomond NP. I would still have our last night undecided until our friends make their airline reservations.
OR the other option would be to spend 2 nights in Stirling so that we can visit the castle and Loch Lomond NP. I would still have our last night undecided until our friends make their airline reservations.
Nov 6th, 2022, 08:52 PM
#15
janisj, if I remove a night from Nairn and we stay there 3 nights instead of 4, where would it make sense to add the extra night? Would it make sense to stop over for one night on the drive between Portree and Stirling? Such as Killin, and then we could visit Glenfinnan as Gardyloo suggests.
OR the other option would be to spend 2 nights in Stirling so that we can visit the castle and Loch Lomond NP. I would still have our last night undecided until our friends make their airline reservations.
OR the other option would be to spend 2 nights in Stirling so that we can visit the castle and Loch Lomond NP. I would still have our last night undecided until our friends make their airline reservations.
I've lost track of your actual number of nights but if you do have an extra night I'd do something like: Portree to Glencoe. stay one night either in Glencoe -- about a 4 hour drive, or in Killin - approx 5 hours. You could detour up Glen Etive which is between Glencoe and Killin. But if you try Glenfinnan, Glencoe, Glen Etive and Killin all in one day that will be one LOOOOONG day.
So if it was me I' just do the drive from Portree (including some exploring of the south western bits of the island you wouldn't have seen before), take the ferry to Mallaig, visit Glenfinnan, maybe stop at Neptune's Staircase if you have the time, and finish up at Glencoe. Try to get a room at the Clachaig https://clachaig.com It will be day light very late so you'l have late afternoon and evening to explore Glencoe. Then the next morning drive while driving out through Glencoe to the east take a detour down into Glen Etive, then back to the main road and on to Killin. Visit the Falls in Killin and then on to Callander/Stirling. The whole drive from Glencoe to Stirling is about 2.5 hours so with an hour in Glen Etive and 45 mins to an Hour for Killin it is still a reasonable day's drive.
I might not stay right IN Stirling - anyplace in the general area (Doune, Callander, Port of Menteith, Aberfoyle, etc will still be convenient for the Castle without being in the city (driving up to the castle is easy-ish and well sign posted, but driving in the rest of city - not so much. Maybe check out these two places:
https://www.romancamphotel.co.uk in Callander and https://karmagroup.com/find-destinat...e-of-menteith/ on the Lake of Menteith
Nov 7th, 2022, 04:19 AM
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Edinburgh hotel
I want to thank everyone for all the advice they gave me a few months ago when I was planning our itinerary!
We have made our airline reservations for Scotland. We arrive in Edinburgh on May 30, and we depart Edinburgh for home on June 15. This is a 16-night trip.
This is my “almost” finalized itinerary and I need to do some tweaking.
Edinburgh – 4 nights
Crail – 2 nights
Nairn or Grantown on Spey – 4 nights
**Portree on Isle of Skye – 3 or 4 nights
**Stirling – 1 or 2 nights (depends on how many nights we spend on Skye)
**Near Edinburgh Airport – last night ?
The asterisks indicate what could be tweaked.
Regarding Isle of Skye: I found a 3-day road trip itinerary for the Isle of Skye, which sounds wonderful, so I think to do it justice, we should spend 4 nights on Skye instead of the 3 nights I originally planned. Thoughts? The link to the travel blog is www.ontheluce.com/isle-of-skye-itinerary. If we spend 3 nights on Skye, we will spend 2 nights in Stirling. Of if we spend 4 nights on Skye, we will spend 1 night in Stirling.
Realistically, how long is the drive from Portree to Stirling?
Stirling Castle is a priority so we want to spend 1 or 2 nights in Stirling.
Our last night: Should we spend our last night closer to the Edinburgh Airport than Stirling? Our flight home leaves at 11:30am. I assume we need to be at the airport 3 hours in advance, which is 8:30am. And we will have to return our rental car as well. So I am thinking we could stay at the Dakota Edinburgh the night before flying home. It is 10 minutes from the airport and recommended by several people on this forum.
Hotel recommendations:
I would also appreciate hotel recommendations for any or all of our destinations. We prefer hotels, inns, or B&B’s instead of apartments because we don’t cook on vacation and we like having 24-hour front desk service. Our budget is in the $200 range. We want clean rooms and centrally located, especially in Edinburgh. We prefer not to take public transportation to the sites. Prefer walking. And like to have restaurants and cafes nearby especially if the hotel doesn’t include breakfast. We will be 2 couples, so I need to reserve 2 rooms.
I have already researched some hotels in Edinburgh, and TBH, I am surprised at the prices. Many of them are in the $300 range on average. I checked out the Market Street Hotel. They are not available on booking.com. I can book through their hotel website but we have to pay in full in advance and the room rate is non-refundable, which I really don’t want to do. It is pricey, but I would pay it if they offered free cancellation. Several other hotels I checked have the same non-refundable policy.
These are a few I am considering in Edinburgh that I can book on booking.com and have a free cancellation:
Hotel Indigo
Motel One Princes – not a motel. Looks nice. But they received some mixed reviews.
Ibis St. Andrew Square
Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh (formerly Jury Inn)
Thank you for all of your help!
We have made our airline reservations for Scotland. We arrive in Edinburgh on May 30, and we depart Edinburgh for home on June 15. This is a 16-night trip.
This is my “almost” finalized itinerary and I need to do some tweaking.
Edinburgh – 4 nights
Crail – 2 nights
Nairn or Grantown on Spey – 4 nights
**Portree on Isle of Skye – 3 or 4 nights
**Stirling – 1 or 2 nights (depends on how many nights we spend on Skye)
**Near Edinburgh Airport – last night ?
The asterisks indicate what could be tweaked.
Regarding Isle of Skye: I found a 3-day road trip itinerary for the Isle of Skye, which sounds wonderful, so I think to do it justice, we should spend 4 nights on Skye instead of the 3 nights I originally planned. Thoughts? The link to the travel blog is www.ontheluce.com/isle-of-skye-itinerary. If we spend 3 nights on Skye, we will spend 2 nights in Stirling. Of if we spend 4 nights on Skye, we will spend 1 night in Stirling.
Realistically, how long is the drive from Portree to Stirling?
Stirling Castle is a priority so we want to spend 1 or 2 nights in Stirling.
Our last night: Should we spend our last night closer to the Edinburgh Airport than Stirling? Our flight home leaves at 11:30am. I assume we need to be at the airport 3 hours in advance, which is 8:30am. And we will have to return our rental car as well. So I am thinking we could stay at the Dakota Edinburgh the night before flying home. It is 10 minutes from the airport and recommended by several people on this forum.
Hotel recommendations:
I would also appreciate hotel recommendations for any or all of our destinations. We prefer hotels, inns, or B&B’s instead of apartments because we don’t cook on vacation and we like having 24-hour front desk service. Our budget is in the $200 range. We want clean rooms and centrally located, especially in Edinburgh. We prefer not to take public transportation to the sites. Prefer walking. And like to have restaurants and cafes nearby especially if the hotel doesn’t include breakfast. We will be 2 couples, so I need to reserve 2 rooms.
I have already researched some hotels in Edinburgh, and TBH, I am surprised at the prices. Many of them are in the $300 range on average. I checked out the Market Street Hotel. They are not available on booking.com. I can book through their hotel website but we have to pay in full in advance and the room rate is non-refundable, which I really don’t want to do. It is pricey, but I would pay it if they offered free cancellation. Several other hotels I checked have the same non-refundable policy.
These are a few I am considering in Edinburgh that I can book on booking.com and have a free cancellation:
Hotel Indigo
Motel One Princes – not a motel. Looks nice. But they received some mixed reviews.
Ibis St. Andrew Square
Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh (formerly Jury Inn)
Thank you for all of your help!
Nov 7th, 2022, 07:58 AM
#17
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Would second the recommendation for the Ibis at St. Andrew's Square. Super friendly staff, nicely decorated lobby area with plenty of nooks and crannies to sit and plan out your days whilst having a drink or not. Ample breakfast and location Can't be beat. not sure about parking though as we hadn't a car. A note about Dishoom, when we were there in April, we watched night after night as an hours long line formed. Even in the rain people would stand with their umbrellas waiting to get in. We asked the host when is. the best time to and she suggested if we can wait till 9 we'd walk right in. She was absolutely right, the restaurant was still full but we were seated within 5 minutes. Enjoy Edinburgh we loved it!
Nov 7th, 2022, 10:12 AM
#18
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You'll visit Glenfinnan in any case -- assuming you take the bridge to the Isle and the ferry off the Isle you'll drive tight through Glenfinnan (and Ft William, and Glencoe). IMO/IME it only makes sense when visiting Skye to arrive one route and leave by the other -- two totally different experiences.
I've lost track of your actual number of nights but if you do have an extra night I'd do something like: Portree to Glencoe. stay one night either in Glencoe -- about a 4 hour drive, or in Killin - approx 5 hours. You could detour up Glen Etive which is between Glencoe and Killin. But if you try Glenfinnan, Glencoe, Glen Etive and Killin all in one day that will be one LOOOOONG day.
So if it was me I' just do the drive from Portree (including some exploring of the south western bits of the island you wouldn't have seen before), take the ferry to Mallaig, visit Glenfinnan, maybe stop at Neptune's Staircase if you have the time, and finish up at Glencoe. Try to get a room at the Clachaig https://clachaig.com It will be day light very late so you'l have late afternoon and evening to explore Glencoe. Then the next morning drive while driving out through Glencoe to the east take a detour down into Glen Etive, then back to the main road and on to Killin. Visit the Falls in Killin and then on to Callander/Stirling. The whole drive from Glencoe to Stirling is about 2.5 hours so with an hour in Glen Etive and 45 mins to an Hour for Killin it is still a reasonable day's drive.
I might not stay right IN Stirling - anyplace in the general area (Doune, Callander, Port of Menteith, Aberfoyle, etc will still be convenient for the Castle without being in the city (driving up to the castle is easy-ish and well sign posted, but driving in the rest of city - not so much. Maybe check out these two places:
https://www.romancamphotel.co.uk in Callander and https://karmagroup.com/find-destinat...e-of-menteith/ on the Lake of Menteith
I've lost track of your actual number of nights but if you do have an extra night I'd do something like: Portree to Glencoe. stay one night either in Glencoe -- about a 4 hour drive, or in Killin - approx 5 hours. You could detour up Glen Etive which is between Glencoe and Killin. But if you try Glenfinnan, Glencoe, Glen Etive and Killin all in one day that will be one LOOOOONG day.
So if it was me I' just do the drive from Portree (including some exploring of the south western bits of the island you wouldn't have seen before), take the ferry to Mallaig, visit Glenfinnan, maybe stop at Neptune's Staircase if you have the time, and finish up at Glencoe. Try to get a room at the Clachaig https://clachaig.com It will be day light very late so you'l have late afternoon and evening to explore Glencoe. Then the next morning drive while driving out through Glencoe to the east take a detour down into Glen Etive, then back to the main road and on to Killin. Visit the Falls in Killin and then on to Callander/Stirling. The whole drive from Glencoe to Stirling is about 2.5 hours so with an hour in Glen Etive and 45 mins to an Hour for Killin it is still a reasonable day's drive.
I might not stay right IN Stirling - anyplace in the general area (Doune, Callander, Port of Menteith, Aberfoyle, etc will still be convenient for the Castle without being in the city (driving up to the castle is easy-ish and well sign posted, but driving in the rest of city - not so much. Maybe check out these two places:
https://www.romancamphotel.co.uk in Callander and https://karmagroup.com/find-destinat...e-of-menteith/ on the Lake of Menteith
I have heard back from our friends and they prefer to stay near the airport on our last night, so I will look at the Dakota Edinburgh. If I make these changes, this is what our revised itinerary will look like.
Edinburgh - 4 nights
Anstruther or Crail (leaning towards the Waterfront in Anstruther) - 2 nights
Nairn or Grantown on Spey - 3 nights
Portree on Isle of Skye - 4 nights
Glencoe - 1 night
Stirling/Callender - 1 night
Airport hotel, such as Dakota - 1 night
This means we have 3 one-night stays which we normally don't love but have done 1 or 2 on other trips. I don't think it will be too bad because we are driving so it's much easier to do one-night stays when one is driving. If we were taking trains, that would be different because it means taking a taxi to the train station, getting our luggage on/off the trains, taxi to next hotel, etc. Just more stressful and tiring. But with a rental car, I think it will work. And give us time to better see the countryside between Portree and Stirling.
Nov 7th, 2022, 11:27 AM
#19
We drove the opposite way ... from Portree to Nairn and were able to see The “Old” Sligachan Bridge, the beautiful views of Eilean Donan Castle, The Summer House at River Moriston, lunch and locks (no bagels) at Fort Augustus, the picturesque Urquhart Castle, Cawdor Castle and Gardens on the way to Nairn. Link below. In Portree, we loved the Cuillen Hills Hotel.
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...three-castles/
Urquhart Castle ...
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...three-castles/
Urquhart Castle ...
Nov 7th, 2022, 12:15 PM
#20
I personally would stay 2 nights in the area, but honestly your last two 1 nighters won't be too bad -- since wherever you stay in the Stirling / Callander area it is an short/easy drive to either EDI or the Dakota. Callander to the Dakota in S. Queensferry takes an hour-ish - to EDI about the same, Because an EDI hotel is really mostly for convenience the next morning and it is daylight so late you could spend a lot of that day sightseeing and not have to head to the Dakota til early evening or after dinner even. Then you can relax, have few drinks in their very nice bar, and get ready to hit the airport the next morning.
