I have always been very lucky in my travels. My mother is a social butterfly who gracefully has managed to maintain her friendships over the years and I have reaped those benefits by those friends allowing me to stay with them on my travels. I have also collected my own entourage of close friends that have also given me lodging. This is mostly due to the fact that my main goal for visiting places is to see my friends 😀
But there have been occasions where I have had to find my own hotels. This was the case in Scotland and Ireland (I know the Emerald Isle does not count as part of UK but it was part of my bigger trip).
At the time, I was not as versed in the ways of searching for a place to sleep because of the aforementioned reasons but I found Booking.com to be very VERY helpful. I decided that I should tell about the places I stayed. They were great and I highly recommend them.
What do I look for in lodging? Simple. A bed, free breakfast, and decent price for my length of stay (I try not to go more than 100/night) Why?
Bed – to sleep in
Free Breakfast – I have been known to steal some bread, fruit, and cheese from the breakfast bar as a snack or even lunch later in the day. It helps save money.
Decent Price – I just need a place to leave my things and crash for the night. I would rather spend my money on site seeing and trying cool and different food.
So where did I stay:
Dublin:
37 Talbot Street
Dublin, D1
Ireland
I liked this place because it was easy to get to from the Airport (there’s a bus service that hits a lot of major places in Dublin….which is really not a big city anyway) and because I get a room for just one person. They serviced full Irish breakfast which is a great way to start your morning before any
adventure. They had free internet but you had to go into the lobby or even in the dining area to get it. This worked out for me anyway because I would update this blog in the mornings while I was having breakfast. The staff was friendly; the décor was simple but nice and it was down the street from quite a few souvenir shops. I would definitely stay there again.
Edinburgh:
36 Pilrig Street, Broughton
Edinburgh, EH6 5AL
United Kingdom
I only stayed here for two nights (because I spent the other nights with friends), but I liked this little place only a fifteen minute walk from Princes Street. If my memory serves me correctly, this place is owned by an Italian family in Scotland. They were very nice and friendly and they served a huge and awesome Scottish breakfast. It wasn’t as easy as to get to as Ripley Court but it still wasn’t difficult. There is a bus that will take you to the train station in downtown Edinburgh and from there I took a quick taxi ride to the B&B. This place also offers accommodations for one person. Although I can’t recall the WiFi situation but I was hardly ever around. I did a lot of moving in Edinburgh and I actually spent most of my internet time at the nearby Starbucks. My room was rather small but there was enough space for my luggage, my bed and they had nice bathrooms. I highly recommend this place.
Oban:
2 Strathaven Terrace
Oban, PA34 4RX
United Kingdom
My friends and I only stayed here for one night. It’s in an older house just off the shore of Oban. We needed the night because we had an early morning ferry to start our Three Island Tour. It was a small quaint place. We had accommodations for four people but we were just three. There was a full size bed and two twins long side against one wall. The price was great and the bathrooms were nice. We didn’t get free breakfast here but we were only looking for a place to sleep. We had our breakfast right outside where the ship was in port. Oban is known as the seafood capital of Scotland and I high recommend going there for at least an overnight trip. In which case, this place little B&B should
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