Honeymoon in Scotland

Our winter honeymoon to Scotland included visits to Glasgow, Dingwall, Isle of Skye and Edinburgh. The best part about Scotland: all the wonderful people. While in Glasgow, we met many people from the United States. It was the perfect way to get accustomed to the new land because it was also the last time we saw people from the US. In Dingwall, we shared a taxi with a girl from Zimbabwe who was studying in Scotland. While on the Isle of Skye, we visited the tourist center in Dunvegan. The cashier was so excited to hear that we were on our Honeymoon, she gave us a calendar and made us promise to come back with our children. When we saw her a few hours later at the grocery store, she explained to everyone at the store who we were. Back in Edinburgh, our hotel clerk gave us great insight into the city. While we marvelled at the beauty of the city, he reminded us that we were in the central area and not all of Edinburgh is as beautiful as the area right outside the castle. My second favorite thing was the scenery. I particularly enjoyed driving through the Isle of Skye, taking the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig, and all of the train rides. The train from Mallaig to Edinburgh/Glasgow is the same train Harry Potter uses to get to Hogwarts. The ride is gorgeous.

Quick Tips:

During low season, some of the hotels on the Isles will offer three-nights-for-the-price-of-two discounts. Carry cash. If you want to order something (food or drink) at a pub, you might have to go up to the bar to order. Just give them the number on your table, and they will bring your order straight to your table.

Best Way To Get Around:

We used public transportation, the train, rental cars and walking when needed. If you are taking the train to a small town (not one of the top 5 cities in Scotland) please make sure you have your transportation lined up in advance. You do not want to be stuck in the middle of a small town, with no idea how to get to your hotel. The rail brochure you receive when you book your tickets might not have the latest information. During our trip we discovered trains schedules that weren't in the book, itineraries that no longer existed, and areas where we had to rely on the bus because the train tracks were undergoing renovation. Be very flexible. When we rented a car, the locals laughed at the distance we were about to drive. We think nothing of driving an hour away, but to the locals in Kyle of Lochalsh, they couldn't understand it. Be careful of single track roads. They hold only one car at a time, although there are plenty of places to pull over so the car coming at you can pass.

Basics and Location
Jurys Inn, Glasgow is a budget conscience hotel that also happens to be clean and centrally located! We booked this hotel for only one night and were pleasantly surprised. We paid 60 GBP and had no problems checking in. We arrived from Edinburgh to Glasgow's Queen Street Station and walked a short 15 minutes to get to the hotel. Our room on the 11th floor had a view of the other main station, Central Station. You know what this means, any where you want to go in Scotland is easily accessible if you use Jurys Inn as a home base.

The Room
The room had basic amenities. Nice decor, comfortable bed, clean bathroom, a hot pot to boil water, television (with cable) and a nice-sized, clean bathroom. Like other hotels in Scotland, you put your key card in a slot next to the door and it makes all electrical items work. What an energy efficient way to run a hotel and I've yet to see this in the US.

The Hotel
The hotel had a Restaurant (Infusion), a bar (Intro), a coffee bar (Il Barista) and wireless access. I did not get to eat at any of the in-Hotel restaurants. The lobby was very clean, the staff were nice. It was such a comfortable place to hangout.

What's there to do for fun?
We were hungry. Very hungry. There were many near-by choices, but we chose the closest non-hotel option. At the nearest corner, we found the Crystal Palace. This was our first introduction to Scottish food. It was delicious. I ate the Scottish pie and my husband ate a lamb and mint burger. The restaurant also doubled as a bar and was very lively and fun. Wanting to try out another place, we walked over to Grant Arm Pub. We enjoyed the karaoke and the pleasant atmosphere.

The next morning we woke up and I wanted to get a haircut. We walked over to St. Enoch Square Shopping Center. There are a lot of shops, restaurants and even a hair salon. My husband left me to get a hair cut and he went around to take pictures.

Stay here if you like...
Clean, centrally located, friendly, budget, comfortable, simple hotels. Great for business or pleasure. This is not the place to stay if you like resort-type environments where pampering is more important than anything else.

Getting There
We took the train from Edinburgh to the town of Dingwall, via Inverness. Inverness is very close and looks like a beautiful town. We arrived into Dingwall pretty late and were fortunate to get a cab. I recommend making those arrangements in advance.

The Castle
Stopping at the castle, it just felt like I was on grand property. It is a small castle, but it is located on the top of a hill and you definitely feel important. There is nothing immediately near the castle, but there is a restaurant and a pub on castle grounds. The pub was really good. The hotel also provides breakfast made to order in the morning. My only complaint here was that I couldn't find someone to take our order for about 30 minutes.

The Room
Our corner room allowed us a view of our "Kingdom," the town of Dingwall. It seems it would be easy for castle accommodations to borderline on cheesy, but Tulloch Castle kept it classy. Our room was filled with the castle's family seal, which was on the chair and the sheets and all of the information about the church. The room was large with a seating area and a fireplace. The four poster bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was gorgeous.

Other Notes about the hotel
We stayed at Tulloch because we had to stay at a castle at least one night while in Scotland. The location gave us a chance to see a little more of the highlands. The town of Dingwall was a very typical small town. It was beautiful, but didn't seem like there was too much to offer. The castle employee told us there wasn't anything to do (Which is why he planned to move in a few weeks). When we left Dingwall, we took a train to the Isle of Skye on the opposite coast of Scotland. It was an amazing train ride. There was NOTHING for miles and miles.

LOCATION
The Balmoral Hotel is located right next to Edinburgh train station. It is close to everything. Old town is steps away, the views of the castle are right outside the front door and there is great shopping on the same street. The clock tower at the hotel is a city landmark.

RATES
I've seen this hotel's standard rooms starting at 120 GBP all the way up to 300+ GBP. Patience can result in a good rate, but that's never a guarantee.

THE GOOD
Well, obviously the location. It's also great to be able to use the sauna and steam room after a long day of sightseeing and shopping. The hotel is large and I believe it was sold out during our stay, but I never really heard anyone else. The set-up really kept noise to a minimum. Also, even though the hotel was near a busy part of Edinburgh we couldn't hear noise from the street. The bed is so comfortable and you get two bottle of water every night. The room was tastefully decorated, with light colors walls and crown molding. The ceilings were high and made the already good-sized room seem even larger. There was a flat screen television with digital cable that had many channels. The hotel concierge had to come up to show us how to use it, I think it was a new feature. The staff were all amazing.

THE BAD
The bathroom was nice, but was definitely showing its age. The bath tub was very deep and would make a great soaking tub, but there was too much mold around the edges for my taste. I do like soaking tubs to be absolutely flawless and this bathtub just wasn't.

OVERALL
The Balmoral can be expensive. I don'tknow if I would have enjoyed my stay if I spent the rates I first saw online. There's a great bookstore across the street and shopping. I did notice that cheaper hotel options (Jurys and Tulip) were in really good areas of Old Town and I might consider those the next time I'm in Edinburgh. But, I am glad I stayed at the Balmoral, who can pass up Edinburgh's Most Prestigious Address?

Booking
I wanted to stay in a hotel that was very isolated. I found many B&Bs or cottage rentals that all said "view of the famous Stein Inn" as its selling point. I figured the Stein Inn must be expensive. I was wrong. Via an easy booking through their website, I paid 66 GBP for three nights. Over the winter they have a buy two nights, get one free. Angus and Terese (the owners) helped me sort out all details while I was here.

Getting There
We arrived in Kyle of Lochalsh by train. It was late in the day and almost didn't find a way to get to the hotel. Fortunately, a car rental place had a turn in and we were able to rent a car. Our one rule was to "stay to the left." We crossed the bridge to get to Skye and arrived at the Stein Inn, which is at the tip of the Waternish Peninsula.

Stein Inn
The hotel is pronounced Steen Inn. It is in a very sparsely populated area of Skye. The street the B&B is on has maybe 5 other buildings. The views from the hotel are amazing. It is on the ocean/bay and there are cliffs right across from the hotel. Terese and Angus are amazing hosts and I cannot say enough about their hospitality.

The Room
We stayed in an ocean view room. All the rooms are named after various localities and our room was "Loch Bay". The room was large, the bathroom was beautifully decorated. There was no television, so we actually had to talk to each other! At night, we listened to the radio. I recommend everyone do this while visiting the UK. BBC 4 has awesome radio shows late at night. They read stories to their audience and the stories are great.

Food
Breakfast was delicious. A choice of cold cereals and a menu. I recommend the porridge. It is not Quaker Oats. It is the most delicious food I've ever had. When I got back to the US, I purchased about 5 varieties of oatmeal until I found something close to the porridge I had in Scotland (by the way, McCann's Irish Oatmeal is the closest thing in the US). For dinner, there was a different special each night. Each meal was delicious.

Sights
Waternish is beautiful. Walking along the street the Stein Inn sits on is fun. During the winter the only other restaurant in town is closed. There is not much to do in Waternish, so a drive to the near-by Dunvegan or Portree is a good option. Both are within 20 miles of the Stein Inn. I also recommend taking a walk near the Fairy Bridge. The area has a proud history of fairies and the walk near the fairy bridge is beautiful. Take your camera and get some pictures of the sheep.

For 10GBP per person, we decided it was about time to go on a whisky tour. Located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre is located in a convenient location. The tour includes a taste testing. The tour guide will show you the correct glass to use when drinking scotch and how to drink your scotch. There is a science to this as there is a science to drinking wine. You get to keep your glass after you have your Whiskey.

You then begin your tour where you learn more about the difference between Scottish and Irish whiskey. First they will tell you that Scottish whisky tastes better. Then they discuss that Scotch whisky needs to be distilled twice, whereas Irish whisky will be distilled 3 or more times. There are five regions in Scotland that make scotch, and they explain all of the differences of Whiskey within Scotland. There is a miniature reproduction of a real distillery. A "ghost" talks about whisky and you end with a barrel ride through the history of Scotch.

After the barrel ride, you are left at a bar-like area where you can sample whisky (at an additional price). When you are ready to leave, you can get souvenirs of your tour by stopping in the gift shop. Here you will find Scotland, Edinburgh and Whisky Tour branded items. Best of all, there are over 270 varieties of whiskies. They range in age, size, rarity. It is really difficult to choose just one. The staff will try to help you, or you can purchase a variety pack. Whatever you choose, it will be delicious.

You do not have to go on the tour to go to the shop, but the knowledge you get on the tour definitely helps.

For more information about the tour, visit them online.