Accommodation- what do you look for?

[Crawhin]

I'm not much of a hotel person when on stravaig in the UK, prefering the flexibility that comes with tent or self-catering cottage (esp if there are a few of us).  I have done quite a few alpine huts, bunk-houses and hostels over the years but - being a fairly anti-social type by nature - I generally prefer my own space to kip-in of an evening, be it a bedroom or tent, rather than dorm-style rooms of farting, snoring and shuffling around in the dark.  Not to mention those getting serious alpine early starts or late to bed waking everyone else.

For a self catering place I'm prety much in agreement with everyone else that it's got to be clean (whether it's basic and cheap or expensive and well equipped, clean is a must).  There needs to be enough room for kit to be stored and hung - a drying room would be ideal.  A friendly pub with decent freshly-cooked and unpretentious scoff, real ales and a range of malts should be nearby - either staggering distance or a short drive.  If it's self catering you've got to be able to actually cater for yourself so a proper set of functioning cooking and eating gear is a must - as is a decent sized fridge/freezer with plenty of room for food and beers, fish taken for the pot etc.  For me a TV is useful for news and weather forecasts etc but isn't an essential.  With places at the cheap and basic end of the market I don't mind pay-as-you-go elctricity or phones etc.  But if I'm paying good money for somewhere more upmarket, I expect it to be all-inclusive and not to be messing about with extras at the end.  More basically, if you're on holidays in the highlands or islands you expect your accommodation to be somewhere scenic and representative of that landscape so not e.g. in a housing estate on the outskirts of Fort William with a view over the neighbour's conservatory.

Ian       

[Glenogle]

On the other end of that, breakfast available beyond 9am for the people who enjoyed the night before!

1. Powerful shower, nothing nothing worse than a lame mira sport electric dribble.- this is my main gripe where ever i go.

2. Comfy bed.

3. Pub grub - value, quality, quantity.

4. In this day and age - free wifi

5. Hallways adorned with useful local info, photos, maps etc.

If doing a bunk-house consider privacy curtains on the beds, they are great and go a long way to helping you forget there are others in the room, although i have outgrown this now and due to my snoring would rather ruff it in a small single than a dorm.

Have you considered pods?  could be a unique selling point?  Might take a while to recover the outlay though. 
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[burnie]

I usually go self catering so I can come and go as I please , eat when I'm hungry and sleep when I'm tired. It just needs to be clean and in the right place with access to heat and food , usually only eat breakfast in the place and eat out for other food.

[emc]

If it's just for me, on a fishing/birdwatching/walking trip

Fresh and clean - I stayed in some dives in my youth. If it's a tip I'll be on my way.

Single room - I snore, don't want to listen to other people snore, appreciate they don't want to listen to me. Means I can get up, go to bed when I like without waking everybody else up.
Comfortable bed
Don't want to listen to a load of extraneous noise during the night.
Preferably en suite but at least decent clean and adequate facilities for the number of people, with a decent shower.

Good fresh breakfast. Simple well cooked meal in the evening, not reconstituted or microwaved.

Good communal area  a few cask beers, bottles of decent beers if delivery is  a problem and a couple of decent malts. Doesn't matter whether it's a bar or a lounge but must be conducive to socialising. No TV but free WiFi.

A decent drying room.

Enough parking space - I hate parking my car in the ditch.

A proprietor/staff who understand what you're about, even if they thinks you're barking and remembers it is you that is paying them.

[alancrob]

Free wifi?

When away fishing I don't even care if my phone doesn't work. I do not need TV either.

A.

[haresear]

A roof.

Alex

[Wildfisher]

Anything that smells better than the Crask

To be fair how The Crask smells depends on when you go. 

[Wildfisher]

The Crask is a good example of what you get for the  money you pay. It is cheap, but cheap can also attract rif raf who'd rather spend their money on booze than accommodation. QED. The hotel is fine apart from the fact there is no power overnight and if you get ill during the night it is an ordeal.  The cottage is awful  and it beats me how it has been able to remain open on a paid for accommodation basis in these days of H&S . I would not stay in it - I didn't!   It is only marginally less expensive than the wonderful hostel we hire exclusively for our end of season outing  and there is just no comparison. That place ticks just  about every box members have mentioned in the preceding posts. Oh - and the fishing is much more extensive and  better too!

[alancrob]

but its hard to see what you get for the extra cash.

Exclusivity!

You go to the bar for a swift G&T and it is not full of 20 damp anglers, swilling ale and telling tall stories. We tried to book a hotel in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago. £200 was not much better than a Travelodge. Jury's was over £300. Some were over £500 - for just a room.

Value for money is a very subjective title. We are heading north next week. £65/person/night DB&B. The place is warm and comfortable. The beer is good and the food is better. The bed and the shower are very good. And there is free fishing on the doorstep. For me that is great VfM.

A.

[Wildfisher]

We are heading north next week. £65/person/night DB&B. The place is warm and comfortable. The beer is good and the food is better. The bed and the shower are very good. And there is free fishing on the doorstep.

When you consider a day ticket can now seldom be had for under  £10 that makes your  DB&B £55

For me that is great VfM.

Cleanliness, warm, convenient, pampered, decent food,  nae neds - for a "real" price of £55 / night  that's not bad.