The best accommodations Scotland

Budget & Tips

Traditional, glamping or wild camping: some have just a few pitches, others are real vacation villages. The website of the national tourist office, www.visitscotland.com, lists many of them. Please note that wild camping is permitted in Scotland, subject to certain obvious conditions: don't stick to the road or a house, don't leave garbage behind, don't be too numerous... It's also best to ask permission from the nearest house. In any case, bear in mind that weather conditions are not always kind, and midges are tough in summer. In some mountainous regions, small, very isolated and basic huts/houses are available to hikers. Often open to the public and free of charge (or for a small fee), they offer a stay in the heart of nature. Most have only a fireplace and no electricity, but it's better than spending the night outside. They're called bothies, and some are listed by the Mountain Bothies Association (www.mountainbothies.org.uk). You can find others on backpacker forums or by word-of-mouth.

Student residences: During school vacation periods, be sure to check the availability of student accommodation in major cities. It's very affordable, often excellent and available by the night. The www.universityrooms.com website lists this service worldwide, but for more choice, you can check directly with universities city by city (or private residences). Some also offer their services online via the classic hotel and hostel reservation systems.

Bed & Breakfasts and guesthouses: Scotland is "fond" of Bed & Breakfasts (it's very common to convert part of your house into rooms for rent), and you'll have no trouble finding one to sleep in. Larger than Bed & Breakfasts, guesthouses often have more than a dozen rooms set apart from the family home. Breakfast is served in a dining room, often over several hours.

Gîtes or self-catering: In Scotland, we speak of self-catering. You'll find them absolutely everywhere, especially on the islands. Visit VisitScotland (www.visitscotland.com) to find them by region.

Hotels: From standard to very luxurious accommodation, including the global chains (Hilton or Novotel), you'll find hotels in all Scottish towns, but also near tourist attractions (for slightly higher prices).

To be booked

It's always best to book your stay if you want to ensure budget accommodation or access to certain tourist attractions. Indeed, the Isle of Skye, which is extremely busy in summer, may close its bridge to tourists who can't justify booking an overnight stay. However, if you'd like to let the magic of the place speak for itself, you should know that most guesthouses, B&Bs, campsites and hotels indicate their availability at the entrance to their establishment: a " vacancies " sign means there's room, and a " no vacancies " sign means it's full. They will also tell you whether they have ensuite rooms or single rooms.

What's very local

The rooms, whether guesthouse, B&B or hotel, all have their own courtesy tray with kettle, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and a few sweets.

For food lovers

Breakfast is usually included in the room rate. The day before, you may be asked to fill out a form indicating what you would like to include in your Scottish breakfast, or you may be offered a menu of cooked breakfast dishes. The breakfast is divided into two parts: a buffet with fruit, dairy products, cereals, porridge, and then the cooked dish. The full Scottish breakfast includes eggs, beans, bacon, toast, sausages, mushrooms, haggis and black pudding. You can have vegetarian versions or have a variation with smoked salmon.

Smokers

The various accommodations and public places are non-smoking.