wanderlust405

My husband and I will be in Scotland early Nov following a work conference. This is one of the few times in the last few years we will be getting away without kids, so we are looking for the most lux experience possible. We have 3 nights and would like to see stunning views with good food and whiskey. We will be starting out in Edinburgh and were thinking of hiring a driver for the trip and going straight to Oban for 1 night, then Skye for 2 nights. Does anyone have recs for the best possible hotels in terms of lux/views in the area? I think for Skye I was looking at Kinloch vs. 3 Chimneys and also eating our meals there, but are there any other better options? Oban - seems like there are less options, so any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thank you!!!

wanderlust405

I realize the majority of distilleries are on the Speyside area of highlands, but if there are any specific distilleries in the Oban/Skye area besides Oban and Talisker that are worth going to, would love to hear about them as well. Also, husband will be in Edinburgh for an extra day so if there are any shops that sell some of the limited release whiskeys that don’t get exported, would love a rec too!

erik123

The Perle in Oban is the nicest around. It's the old railway hotel and completely renovated. I very much liked it. Oban is not really on the way to Skye and will add 4 hours to your trip so perhaps skip it? Also - with weather conditions in November it might be best to stay at a place that has nice interior public spaces, spa, etc. Skye might not fit the bill for that. There may also be very limited views that time of year.

Pausanias

Erik is right. To get to Skye from Oban is very awkward. Oban is the gateway to another large island, Mull. To get to Skye you need to go via Fort William and on to Mallaig for the ferry or drive much further north for the bridge near Kyle of Lochalsh. Genuine luxury options are few are far between - a place like Airds Hotel north of Oban has deliriously beautiful scenery and it's a lovely hotel, though probably not luxury by the standards of this Forum. Fort William has Inverlochy Castle and further north is The Torridon and I'm staying at both next week.

I do think Skye is much too far for such a short trip, especially the Three Chimneys which could be a two-hour drive from the bridge or the ferry. And the weather in November . . . .? And the narrow daylight hours . . . ? And surely you don't need a chauffeur? Scottish roads are fine.