Our Scotland trip was beyond our expectations. Pauline, our driver/guide, was terrific… she really knew the backroads and the less travelled areas to show us her Scotland. She was very passionate about Scottish history, culture, the land, and its people. Her recommendations, and modifications to our itinerary, really made the trip special. Plus, we had the most “un-Scottish” weather for almost the entire trip. Sunny, blue skies greeted us every day. A few days were quite blustery, but still clear and beautiful. The rain finally caught up with us on our last two days in Edinburgh. But, that didn’t stop us from enjoying every minute. We took a day trip to St. Andrews on our last day, and I was able to play a round of golf on the New Course (built in 1895).
Hotels got better each time we relocated. Glen Coe Inn was quite old and unimpressive to look at, but all the staff were very attentive to our needs. It was definitely a rural atmosphere, but the perfect way to start our Scotland adventure. Rocpool, in Inverness, was a very cool boutique hotel. The rooms were done very nicely, the beds were very comfortable, and the lobby and bar area were quite comfortable to hang out in. Beautiful spot to stay in. The Cali, as the locals called our Edinburgh hotel, was over-the-top amazing. From the doormen to the front desk staff to the concierge personnel, every hotel staff person went out of their way to make our stay wonderful. To our surprise, upon our arrival, the front desk staff upgraded our room to a two-room suite. The concierge staff made multiple dinner reservations for us, and they booked my train trip to St Andrews for my early round of golf.
Overall, this was one of our most favorite international trips to date. It was the first trip that I can recall, that Gail said she was not ready to come home, yet.
