For those travelling on a tight budget, there is a large network of hostels offering cheap accommodation. These are also popular centres for backpackers and provide a great opportunity for meeting fellow travellers. Hostels have kitchen facilities for self-catering, and some include a continental breakfast in the price or provide cheap breakfasts and evening meals. Advance booking is recommended at all times, and particularly from May to September and on public holidays, and a credit card is often useful.
Scottish Youth Hostel Association
The SYHA is separate from the YHA in England and Wales. It has a network of over 80 hostels which are often better and cheaper than those in other countries. They offer bunk-bed accommodation in single-sex dormitories or smaller rooms, kitchen and laundry facilities. Prices range from £6-8 for the cheapest up to £11-13 for for the most expensive. Prices are cheaper for juniors (under 18s). Those in large towns and cities and main tourist centres are more expensive. The average cost is £8-10 per person per night. Though some rural hostels are still strict on discipline and impose a 2300 curfew, those in larger towns and cities tend to be more relaxed and doors are closed as late as 0200. Some larger hostels provide breakfasts for around £2.50 and three-course evening meals for around £4-5.
The SYHA produces a handbook (free with membership) giving details of all their youth hostels, including transport links. This can be useful as some hostels are difficult to get to without your own transport. You should always phone ahead, as many hostels are closed during the day. Phone numbers are listed in this guide. Many hostels are closed during the winter. Details are given in the SYHA Handbook.
For Scottish residents, adult membership costs £6, and can be obtained at the SYHA National Office (see box for address), or at the first SYHA hostel you stay at. SYHA membership gives automatic membership of Hostelling International (HI). Youth hostel members are entitled to half-price entry to all National Trust for Scotland properties. The SYHA also offers an Explore Scotland and Scottish Wayfarer ticket, which can save a lot of money on transport and accommodation, especially if you're not a student.
Independent hostels
The Independent Backpackers Hostels of Scotland is an association of nearly 100 independent hostels/bunkhouses throughout Scotland. They charge between £6 and £15 per person per night, though the average is around £8-10. They tend to be more laid-back, with fewer rules and no curfew, and no membership is required. They all have dormitories, hot showers and self-catering kitchens. Some include continental breakfast, or provide cheap breakfasts. All these hostels are listed in the Independent Hostel Guide, which is available from tourist offices, or send an A5 SAE to: Pete Thomas, Croft Bunkhouse & Bothies, Portnalong, Isle of Skye, IV47 8SL. They also have a website, Independant Hostel Guide
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There's lots of accommodation to choose from right across the range.
The most luxurious here is The Golf View Hotel, on Seabank Rd next to the golf course, Tel. 452301, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 47 rooms, pool, sauna, spa, gym, tennis courts and fine restaurant.
Clifton House, Viewfield St, Tel. 453119. This unique hotel offers superb hospitality and a touch of class, every room is different and the place is full of antiques. They host musical and theatrical evenings and dinner is also quite an event.
There are lots of guesthouses and B&Bs, including the very fine Bracadale House, Albert St, Tel. 452547, neil.macleod@ lineone.net
There's a good campsite 1€ miles from town: Spindrift Caravan & Camping Park, at Little Kildrummie, Tel. 453992, open Apr-Oct.
Eating
Aside from the hotels in town, one of the best places to eat is the Boat House, Tel. 455469, 2 miles east of Nairn in the little village of Auldearn (prices mid-range).
If you fancy a fish supper, try Friar Tuck's, at 30 Harbour St. For a hot snack there's Asher's Bakery, 2 Bridge St, which is recommended, and run by the same folk as the one in Inverness.
Area tourist boards publish accommodation lists which include campsites, hostels, self-catering accommodation and STB-approved hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs. Places participating in the STB system will have a plaque displayed outside which shows their grading, determined by a number of stars ranging from one to five. These reflect the level of facilities, as well as the quality of hospitality and service. However, do not assume that a B&B, guesthouse or hotel is no good because it is not listed by the tourist board. They simply don't want to pay to be included in the system, and some of them may offer better value.
Hotels
At the top end of the scale, there are some fabulously luxurious hotels, often in spectacular locations. Many of them are converted baronial mansions or castles and offer a chance to enjoy a taste of aristocratic grandeur and style. At the lower end of the scale, there is often little to choose between cheaper hotels and guesthouses or B&Bs. The latter often offer higher standards of comfort and a more personal service, but many smaller hotels are really just guesthouses, and are often family-run and every bit as friendly. Note that some hotels, especially in town centres or in fishing ports, may also be rather noisy, as the bar can often be the social hub. Rooms in most mid-range to expensive hotels almost always have bathrooms en suite. Many upmarket hotels offer excellent room-only deals in the low season.
Guesthouses
Guesthouses are often large, converted family homes with up to five or six rooms. They tend to be slightly more expensive than B&Bs and, though they are often less personal, usually provide better facilities, such as en suite bathroom, colour TV in each room and private parking. In many instances they are more like small budget hotels. Many guesthouses offer evening meals, though this may have to be requested in advance.
Bed & breakfasts
B&Bs provide the cheapest private accommodation. At the bottom end of the scale you can get a bedroom in a private house, a shared bathroom and a huge cooked breakfast for around £15-20 per person per night. Small B&Bs may only have one or two rooms to let, so it's important to book in advance during the summer season and on the islands where accommodation options are more limited.
More upmarket B&Bs have en suite bathrooms and TVs in each room and usually charge from £20-25 per person per night. In general, B&Bs are more hospitable, informal, friendlier and offer better value than hotels. Many B&B owners, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, are a great source of local knowledge and can even provide OS maps for local walks. B&Bs in the Outer Hebrides also offer dinner, bed and breakfast, which is useful as eating options are limited, especially on a Sunday.
Some places, especially in ferry ports, charge room-only rates, which are slightly cheaper and allow you to get up in time to catch an early morning ferry. However, this means that you miss out on a huge cooked breakfast. If you're travelling on a tight budget, you can eat as much as you can at breakfast time and save on lunch as you won't need to eat again until evening. This is particularly useful if you're heading into the hills, as you won't have to carry so much food. Many B&B owners will even make up a packed lunch for you at a small extra cost.
Youth hostel associations
Australia Australian Youth Hostels Association, 422 Kent St, Sydney, Tel. 02-92611111.
Canada Hostelling International Canada, Room 400, 205 Catherine St, Ottowa, ON K2P 1C3, Tel. 800-6635777.
England & Wales Youth Hostel Association (YHA), Trevelyan House,
8 St Stephen's Hill, St Albans, Herts
AL1 2DY, Tel. 01727-855215, www.yha/england/wales/org.uk
France FUAJ, 7 Rue Pajol, 75018 Paris,
Tel. 1-44 898727 .
Germany Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk, Hauptverband, Postfach 1455, 32704 Detmold, Tel. 5231-74010.
Ireland An Oige, 61 Muntjoy St, Dublin 7, Tel. 01-8304555, Ireland Youth Hostel
New Zealand Youth Hostels Association of New Zealand, PO Box 436,
Christchurch 1, Tel. 03-379970.
Northern Ireland Youth Hostel Association of Northern Ireland, 22 Donegal Rd, Belfast, BT12 5JN, Tel. 01232-324733.
Scotland Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA), 7 Glebe Cres, Stirling FK8 2JA, Tel. 01786-451181, Scottish Youth Hostel Association
USA Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels (HI-AYH), 733 15th St NW, Suite 840, PO Box 37613, Washington DC 20005, Tel. 202-7836161, American Youth Hostels
There are hundreds of campsites around Scotland. They are mostly geared to caravans, and vary greatly in quality and level of facilities. The most expensive sites, which charge up to £10 to pitch a tent, are usually well-equipped. Sites are usually only open from April to October. If you plan to do a lot of camping, you should buy Scotland: Camping & Caravan Parks (£3.95), available from most tourist offices. It lists around 150 camping and caravan parks graded by the STB.
North Americans planning on camping should invest in an international camping carnet, which is available from home motoring organizations, or from Family Campers and RVers (FCRV), 4804 Transit Road, Building 2, Depew, NY 14043 (Tel. 1-800-2459755). It gives you discounts at member sites.
Self-catering (Click here for Travel Scotland Cottages and Apartments)
There is plenty of STB-approved self-catering accommodation available, ranging from remote farmhouse cottages to city-centre apartments. The minimum stay is usually one week in the summer peak season, or three days or less at other times of the year. Expect to pay at least £150 per week for a two-bedroom cottage in the winter, rising to £250 in the high season. Places in the city range from around £200 to over £700 per week. A good source of self-catering accommodation is the STB's guide (£5.95), which lists over 1,200 properties and is available from any tourist office.
The National Trust for Scotland owns many historic properties which are available for self-catering holidays. Prices start at around £250 per week in high season. Contact them at 5 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4DU, Tel. 0131-2265922. For something a bit different, Highland Hideaways has a range of more individual self-catering properties, mainly in the Highlands and Islands. For a free brochure write to them at 5-7 Stafford Street, Oban, Argyll PA34 5NJ, Tel. 01631-526056.
Campus accommodation
Many Scottish universities open their halls of residence to visitors during the summer vacation (late June to September), and some also during the Easter and Christmas breaks. Many rooms are basic and small with shared bathrooms, but there are also more comfortable rooms with private bathrooms, twin and family units, and self-contained apartments and shared houses. Full board, half board, B&B and self-catering options are all available. Prices for bed and breakfast tend to be roughly the same as most B&Bs, but self-catering can cost as little as £50 per person per week. Local tourist offices have information, or contact the British Universities Accommodation Consortium, Tel. 0115-9504571, for a brochure. Details are given in this guide under the relevant travel section.
Self catering in Scotland has certainly become a growing travel market, as people want the independence and freedom that sometimes a hotel can't offer. Generally self catering cottages in Scotland are to a high standard, saying that there are really two distinct standards.
Two Types Of Self Catering Cottages In Scotland
Self Catering Cottages Type One
The first tend to be on the cheaper end and have probably been a self catering cottage since the 1970's, you can usually tell by the pink frilly bedspread. They tend to be geared towards the outdoor kind of person who likes to hike and who's not to worried about luxury.
Self Catering Cottages Type Two
These tend to be newer holiday self catering cottages, not the buildings, but the use of the buildings which may have been a croft before it was upgraded.
General Information About Self Catering In Scotland
Most self catering cottages start their weeks Saturday to Saturday as this tends to work well with kids holidays. Some cottages will accept short break generally a minimum of 3 nights. The short breaks tend to be on offer at the quieter times of the year and normally run from Friday to Monday or Monday through to Friday.
Most self catering cottages will only allow you to book a short break 2 to 4 weeks before the arrival date. The main reason a short break can't be booked earlier is because if you take a short break over the weekend it effects two full weeks of the cottage. Also with the Internet playing more of a role, a lot of bookings can be last minute.
Most self catering properties in Scotland will usually include fuel costs, towels and linen, but it's always a good idea to check when booking first. The most popular cottages will get booked up well in advanced so try and book as early as possible.
Search For Self Catering Cottages By No. Sleeps & Area
We will be adding a map shortly. Below is a list of popular area across Scotland for Self Catering cottages.
