Helping you to choose your accommodation

I was convinced I knew where my guests would want to stay after they told me they wanted the best and had no wish to scrimp. Among the options I sent them was somewhere I particularly admired for its service, food and atmosphere, although I had also found a cabin sitting practically on the edge of a loch. They chose the cabin for its setting, which mattered far more to them than the qualities I thought would settle the decision. It was a useful reminder to look beyond my own preferences, because an excellent dinner and attentive service cannot necessarily compete with the view somebody wants to wake up to.

Before I start looking for your accommodation, I therefore want to hear what makes a stay enjoyable for you, as well as what you would like to spend. You may prefer a king-size bed, need separate beds or be travelling alone, and if you would rather eat where you are staying, that needs to guide the search from the beginning. There is little point finding you a lovely B&B if your idea of a relaxing evening involves having dinner downstairs without going out again, just as a larger hotel may offer facilities you have no particular wish to use when a quiet cabin would suit you better.

Once Rob has planned the route and established the overnight areas, I can bring those preferences together with what is available along the way. That may mean suggesting places I already know or exploring somewhere less familiar, using Google Maps to look around the area and following promising properties through to their own websites. Even if I first encounter accommodation on a booking site, I look for a direct link to its owners so that you can see what they offer and deal with the people who will welcome you.

The result is a shortlist for each overnight stop, from which you choose and book the accommodation yourselves. Sometimes there will be several suitable places and sometimes only a couple, but the intention is to spare you an open-ended search while keeping the decision in your hands. I can explain why I have suggested somewhere and help you weigh the possibilities, although those guests beside the loch demonstrated why the final choice should always belong to you. They recognised what they wanted as soon as they saw it, and I was pleased my suggestions had given them the opportunity.

To learn more, book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours.