Guests

Self-Catering accommodation offers guests the opportunity to have their own space and privacy whilst enjoying exploring all the delights the area has to offer. Whether you prefer to eat out at local eateries, or enjoy cooking with local produce, self-catering gives you the freedom to decide for yourself.

All of our holiday cottages are owned by different people. Some have had the properties in their families for years, others are looking forward to when they can retire to the island and enjoy living in the cottage. All of them are well loved second homes, unique to their owner’s character. This means that they aren’t perfect, they will have their own little flaws but that adds to their personality!

There is a degree of freedom with staying at a self-catering holiday home, you can lay in bed as long as you want and have rainy days inside playing games! Have movie nights in, perhaps enjoying some of those filmed in the are such as Stardust, Highlander or The BFG. The family can spread out throughout the house to have quiet moments or enjoy family celebrations together over dinner.

With this in mind, guests need to treat the holiday cottages with respect, as if they were in their own home. Dishes need to be cleaned, dried and put away, the bins taken out for collection and the cottage given a quick tidy before departure. Please ensure you read through the welcome folder to familiarise yourself with the facilities and follow any instructions such as taking bins out for collection.

Just take a wee look at our “Explore” section to understand why Skye and Lochalsh is one of the top destinations to visit in Scotland! With dramatic landscapes to explore, culture and history to be discovered, and offering a wealth of local produce as well as arts and crafts, Skye and Lochlash really has someone for everyone!

You are welcome to bring your pet to all holiday cottages that allow pets to stay. So first check the cottage’s description / webpage to see if there is a dog icon present. If there is no dog icon present, the holiday cottage does not permit a pet to stay. If there is a dog icon, the holiday cottage welcomes pets. 

If you have not booked yet, you will be able to add the pet fee to the booking. If you have already booked, just get in touch with us and we’ll add it on it for you. The pet fee is paid along with the balance of the booking.

Different properties allow different numbers of pets to stay. You must not exceed the maximum number of pets without express permission from the owner via Islands & Highlands Cottages. You must also have a pet on the booking before arriving with your pet.

Most of our owners assume that a pet will be a dog. However, if you wish to bring a different type of animal, please just let us know and we can double check with the owner first.

On each holiday cottages webpage we list the most commonly requested amenities including dishwasher, washing machine, providing linen, towels as well as log fires and welcoming pets. Do use this page to ensure the property is right for you before booking.

All of our cottages include bed linen in the rental and most include bath and hand towels, though not all. Please do double check on our website’s description of the cottage you have booked. If they provide towels, there will be an icon. Tea towels are provided.

For holiday cottages that have a fire, some include fire wood in the rental fee. These properties will state this within the cottage description so if in doubt, double check! However, if fire wood is not included, most petrol stations stock bags of kindling and fire wood as do some supermarkets and hardware stores such as Jans in Portree (just off Dunvegan Road) and you may see signs advertising bags for sale outside people’s homes. Do remember the firelighters (if needed) and newspapers to get it started!

The majority of the holiday cottages will have a cafetiere for guests to use to make their morning coffee with. If there is a different type of coffee maker at the property, we will mention this in the description.

All of our properties include utilities such as electricity, oil and gas within the rental rate. WiFi is also included unless the service is abused by excessive use.

If you are looking for a larger supermarket, there is Morrisons in Fort William, Tesco’s in Dingwall and Inverness has Tesco’s, Morrison’s and Asda. All of these towns also have an Aldi or a Lidl or both! 

In Skye and Lochalsh, there is a larger Co-op in Portree (Dunvegan Road), though not as large as the options above, with two smaller stores in Broadford and Kyle of Lochalsh. There are also local grocery stores in Dornie, Balmacara, Plockton, Kyle of Lochalsh, Kyleakin, Armadale, Broadford, Carbost, Dunvegan, Glendale, Uig, Staffin and Portree.

NB Please check whether or not your holiday cottage has a freezer before buying lots of frozen edibles! Most do, but some don’t and the last thing you want is for your shopping to be disappearing in a puddle on the kitchen floor! 

There are limited delivery options for groceries. Asda, Inverness, deliver as far as Broadford at the moment. You can see more details here http://www.asda.com/delivery-slots/. Or Tesco have time slots for people to pick up their groceries from the delivery vans at set locations in Kyle of Lochalsh, Broadford and Portree. To see more details https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/ .

For those staying in the south of Skye, or would like to use a local shop, An Crubh is offering a pre-order service for holiday makers coming to the island which you can pick up from their shop.

An Crubh, Duisdale Beag, Sleat, Isle of Skye IV43 8QU
Tel: 01471 833417
Email: shop@ancrubh.com
Website: ancrubh.com

“Failte – Welcome to Skye!  An Crubh is Sleat’s community hub with a friendly cafe, useful shop, convenient Post Office and beautiful gathering space, all with fantastic views over the Sound of Sleat.  Our Cafe serves homemade food and cakes and our well-stocked general store sells a good range of grocery items, as well as some wonderful local products and gifts.  Local produce is a significant feature of the shop and buying from our shop support the reinvigoration of crofting and creates jobs in the area.  We are open daily and welcome visitors and local residents alike.

We offer a pre-order shopping service and will calculate the cost and call you for payment.  On successful receipt of payment we will pack up your items and have your shopping ready for you to collect.  

Please note there is a minimum order value of £20 and orders are only available for collection during shop opening hours, which are normally Monday – Saturday 9.30 – 17.30, Sunday 10.00 – 16.00, but see website for seasonal variations.”

Cancellation / holiday insurance is highly recommended to cover you for any unforeseen events. You can add XCover at any point up until the full balance has been paid on your booking. And you can cancel the product within 14 days of purchasing it. If you wish to cancel and receive a refund for the cover, you will need to contact us by email.

If you need to cancel your holiday and have purchased XCover or a different type of holiday / cancellation insurance product, please contact them immediately to see if you are entitled to a refund. XCover Terms & Conditions can be found HERE and you can contact them through the link on our booking confirmation emails.

Visit the Xcover site

View our full Terms & Conditions

You can book directly through our website, by phone during our office hours, and through email communication. The easiest method is through our website whereby the dates will be immediately booked for you.

Please ensure you read the terms and conditions before booking.

You can find the link at the bottom of each of our pages on the website, and a link is included in communication via booking emails

View our full Terms & Conditions

We cannot hold dates without payment unless a provisional booking has been made with the guest’ details. If a provisional booking is made, the dates will only be held for 3 days.

At time of booking, we ask for a 25% deposit plus booking fee is paid to confirm the booking. The remaining balance of 75% is due 10 weeks before arrival. If the booking is made within 10 weeks of the arrival date, the full balance is due at the time of booking.

We can accept online and over the phone credit and debit card payments, cheque payments as long as there is over a week before arrival, and bank transfers. If an international bank transfer is required, all bank fees must be covered by the sender.

Our bank details are:

Circumstances can change so amendments to dates can be made up until a month before arrival. There is an administration of £45 for the change.

Date changes can only be made if the new dates are available and the property is able to accept the dates / duration of stay requested. If the new rental is higher than the original rental, the difference must be paid to confirm the date change along with the administration fee. If the new rental is lower, no refund will be given and the administration fee must be paid.

Once fees have been settled, the new dates will be confirmed via email confirmation.

View our full Terms & Conditions

In the unlikely event that you need to cancel your booking, please read the terms and conditions carefully before going ahead. And remember, you may be able to change the dates of your stay instead. 

If you realise you have made a mistake in your booking, you can change or cancel your booking within 24hrs of the booking being made free of charge.

If you need to cancel more than 10 weeks in advance of the arrival date, the deposit and booking fee are not refundable. However, you will not be responsible for the remaining balance.

If you need to cancel less than 10 weeks in advance of the arrival date, the full balance and booking fee are not refundable.

If you have any holiday insurance or have taken XCover out as part of your booking, you may be able to claim the costs back. If you require any confirmation from ourselves that the booking has been cancelled, please just get in touch.

View our full Terms & Conditions

Once the balance of the booking has been paid in full, the cottage directions sheet will be emailed to you. This sheet includes contact details for the owner/housekeepers and has any specific information for that property listed upon in it, including key details. If you do not have a copy or have lost the sheet, please contact us for a replacement copy to be sent out.

Please make sure you have access to this sheet without internet for your arrival. Internet can be haphazard so printing them off or downloading can be a really good idea!

It can also be good to plan ahead and make dinner reservations at hotels / restaurants you would like to visit. Please note that some get booked up months in advance! You can also have a look through our Explore section to see if there are boat trips or activities that you would like to include in your stay. 

On your way to the property, ensure you have basic provisions with you as a shop can be several miles away (see Supermarket section). On arrival, a torch can be handy, especially if arriving in the dark. And just make sure you have the cottage directions and key details to hand without internet access.

Unless stated otherwise on your booking confirmation and the cottage directions sheet, the arrival time is always after 4pm with the departure time before 10am.

If you require an earlier check in, you can get in touch. Most of the time it is not possible as there are same day changeovers. However, we can check for you and let you know. If it is not confirmed in writing, it is not possible. There may be a fee requested by the owner or housekeeper to enable this.

It is expected that all properties are presented in a clean and tidy manner to guests with all appliances in workable order. However, every now and again something can get overlooked so if you notice anything awry at the start, please contact the housekeeper or owner using the details on the initially, if you can’t get a hold of them, please contact Islands & Highlands Cottages.

View our full Terms & Conditions

Included in the rental price is the final clean by a housekeeper. This to make sure the property is ready for the next guests when they arrive, usually later the same day. 

To ensure the changeovers go smoothly, we would be most grateful if the following are completed on your departure…

1. Read the information specific to your cottage in the folder provided, just in case that cottage has specific requirements. 
2. All properties are expected to be left in an overall clean and tidy condition.
3. All dishes, ovenware, pots and pans should be thoroughly cleaned after use, dried and put away.
4. Ensure the fridge is empty of food and that only non-perishable goods are left for others to use.
5. All games, books and any other items that have been moved during the stay (including furniture) should be put back to where they were originally found.
6. Please check all drawers, under beds and sofas, bathrooms, electrical sockets etc to make sure you don’t leave anything behind. If you do notice something is missing after your departure, please contact Islands & Highlands Cottages. For an item to be returned the postage as well as an admin fee of £10 would need to be paid.
7. All rubbish bins should be emptied with refuse bags placed in the refuse wheelie bin and any recycling (card, cans and plastics only) placed into the recycling bin.
8. All glass bottles and jars should be taken to the local glass recycling centre.
9. If there were any breakages or you discover any maintenance problems with the cottage, e.g. light bulbs not working during the stay, please leave a note to say, though preferably not in the guest book! It is greatly appreciated to keep the cottage fully maintained.
10. Please ensure all copies of keys are left at the property. If you do take keys away, please let us know and return them immediately to Islands & Highlands Cottages, Bridge Road, Portree, Isle of Skye IV51 9ER. If they are lost during your stay, replacement copies will need to be made. The cost of this must be covered by yourself.
11. If you have pets with you, please ensure that any dog mess is picked up, bagged and placed in the appropriate bin.

Islands & Highlands Cottages do not use security deposits as we feel this can stretch guest’s budgets when they are on holiday and in the majority of stays, it would not be required. However, as per our Booking Terms and Conditions, if there is excessive cleaning, i.e. dirty dishes everywhere, rubbish littering the property, then you will be asked to pay a minimum of £80 for to cover these costs.

At each cottage there will be either a welcome folder with information, or perhaps a drawer with instruction manuals. Please familiarise yourself with these and refer to them when using the appliances at the property. 

There will also be instructions for the heating and hot water system. If you do change the settings, please change them back before you depart.

Some properties will need the bins to be taken out on certain dates. There will be a bin calendar at the property informing you of which bin is due on which date. As the refuse lorries can start early in the morning, it is advisable to take them out the evening before.

Any issues that arise during your stay should also be directed to the housekeeper or owner so they can have a chance to rectify them. If you are unable to make contact with them, please inform us as soon as possible, ideally in writing (emails are preferred) with any relevant photographs. We will then try to get all issues resolved. Any complaints should be made during your stay and not afterwards.

After the stay has ended, we send out independent reviews for guests to complete. Your feedback on them is always welcome and helps to improve the services provided.