Barren, mysterious, primal, the Isle of Mull is the Hebridean wilderness at its best. Ruined castles, colorful fishing villages and fresh seafood are all alluring propositions when considering a visit to the Isle of Mull. What astounded us was the peacefulness and natural beauty that abounds there. Getting to the Isle of Mull Accessible by vehicular ferry from Oban...
Holyrood Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse (depending on who you are or what guidebook you’ve been reading) is the British Royal Family’s official Scottish Residence. The 16th Century palace sits at the end of the Royal Mile, at the bottom of the hill looking back up towards Edinburgh Castle. Built between 1671 and 1678 around a central quadrangle, it houses a...
If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, over ten years since the Deathly Hallows was released, you’re probably in need of a rekindling of your love for the boy with the lightening bolt scar and broken glasses. And there’s no better place to do that than within the UK, the home of the franchise and the wizard himself. We recently went on a road trip of sorts in the UK. A...
For travelers arriving in Edinburgh on train, you’d be hard pressed to find a budget-friendly, modern hotel as perfectly located as Motel One Princes. Tucked right on the corner opposite the central station, Edinburgh Waverly’s Princes Street exit and next to the Apple Store you will find Motel One Princes. It’s a 5 minute walk over the bridge to the Royal Mile where...
Oban, the gateway to the Isles is the kind of town where your visit is made or ruined by the weather. On our first time through, en route to Mull, it was blemished by bleak rain squalls and intense winds. The storms made strolling around unappealing and aside from laughing at the shops using Oban as a pun (Oban Sesame) – hey, who doesn’t like a good pun – we...
Classic British hotels are something we’ve grown up reading about but when it came to our stay at Ballachulish Hotel, we got more than we bargained for. It’s late afternoon and it’s pouring with rain. After experiencing one of the most majestic and mysterious locations we have ever seen, we are soaked to the bone and looking forward to a hot shower, a...
Glencoe is a place of extremes. Extreme sports, extreme weather and extremely mesmerizing landscapes and views. Glencoe’s name will forever be tied to a brutal massacre that happened early in the morning of 13 February 1692 when 38 members of the Clan McDonald were killed in cold blood. Taking place just after the Jacobite revolution, the country had been in a...
The Kildrummy Park Castle Hotel is a hotel by name, but its palatial features, grand fireplaces and luxury appointments sits it somewhere between a hunting lodge, a stately home and a palace. We’ve been lucky enough to stay in castles before and this time around, we were looking for a new experience. The Kildrummy Park Castle Hotel sure looked like a castle in the...
If you’re a fan of single malt scotch whisky, a detour to The Glenlivet distillery is an essential stop – though you may need to hire a driver. For scotch aficionados, The Glenlivet is one of the finer drops. The self-proclaimed “single malt that started it all” is steeped in history, dating back to 1824. But for us, the journey starts on a small country lane. There...
Panda and Sons is Edinburgh’s very own speakeasy bar. Living in New York, speakeasies are a dime a dozen. For other cities catching on to the trend, they’re popular hot spots to impress friends, dates and work connections. Edinburgh’s take on a speakeasy can be found downstairs at 79 Queens Street, a little way from the action, making it the area’s clear draw...
