You want to find the perfect places to stay for your Scotland trip so you’ll have great experiences and wonderful memories. But the hidden gems are truly hidden because Google shows big sites and chain hotels before anything else. So how can you find quirky or unusual places to stay and be certain they’ll be great?
My three step guide has links and search tips to help you find and book those perfect places to stay.
Scotland has amazing places to stay if you want something more personal than a chain hotel. Castles and cottages, boats and glamping pods, lightships and lighthouses. But how to find them?
You’ve done your research and know your dates and where you want to go. But where to stay?
Think twice before you book on those sites! It costs the host about 20% of what you pay when you book on those sites. So when you’ve found somewhere, google their website and book direct.
Search by location NOT date, especially if you are booking more than a few months ahead. Then look up the place you like online – canny hosts make it easy to work out the search terms to use – and see if they have availability for the dates you want.
The big sites with the biggest advertising budget will always be at the top but biggest is not always best, so now is the time to be really specific (eg “lighthouse cottage on the NC500”). But if you aren’t quite at that stage search based on features like “dog friendly places to stay” to get niche websites you can visit for a deeper dive.
Google Maps – a really useful tool when you want to see what’s near a particular place. Simply choose the area and enter “accommodation”. You will get the best results if you toggle between “hotels” and “holiday rentals”. Click through to the place’s own website for more flexibility and better prices because Google links to Booking,com or similar sites for availability.
There are ones specialising in places for walkers, places for pets, places for kids, places on farms, places that are great for Insta or Tik-tok. They only have places that meet your criteria, so you’ve saved yourself a tonne of time already! Favourites are Away with the Kids, Cool Stays, One off Places, Green Tourism, Ecosys Travel, The Good Dog Guide and The North Coast 500
It is Scotland’s official website for visitors, and a great starting point for all aspects of planning your trip to Scotland. Down south, you can use Visit England and Visit Wales.
Search on Facebook for “holiday cottage highlands” or your particular needs (eg kid-friendly holidays). These groups are great places to look for late booking discounts.
Post your dates and location and let you chat with the host before you book. Beware of scams though. The best hosts will link to their website or listing on a site like Airbnb, and they should never ask for card details or direct payments via DM.
A lot of places that book direct offer a referral (we give hand-made chocolates or artisan soaps to previous guests who refer their friends). So ask your friends if they have favourite places they would recommend.
Use the Four Double-Yous! Say:
Don’t enter dates even though you know them. A lot of the coolest places block popular dates on Booking,com, Airbnb and VRBO, so the hidden gems may not show up if you search those sites with dates.
Google Maps – is brilliant for finding places near you.
Airbnb, Booking,com, TripAdvisor and VRBO – This is where these big sites come into their own.
Chain hotels – Great when you are a bit stressed and want no surprises. Sometimes you just want a takeaway meal and old episodes of Friends. The most popular low- and mid-budget chains in the UK are Travel Lodge, Premiere Inn and IBIS.
And of course I think the perfect place to stay is the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage at Noss Head – even in the snow!
My name is Ben, and I own and run the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage, a self-catering holiday cottage at a working lighthouse on the North Coast 500.
The cottage is a perfect getaway for couples, and a great home-from-home for families and groups of up to six people. And we just love welcoming your dog! We have Four Stars from Visit Scotland so you know our standards are high, and we have a Gold Award for Green Tourism too.
This post was written by me, and not by AI.
Last updated: 7th January 2025
