Seal Cottage

Rustic, comfortable and cozy, this was a lovely simple place to stay on Skye. Being in that setting brought us closer to what makes the island interesting. Highly recommend.

After driving seven hours from Edinburgh, I reached Seal Cottage at about 5:40 PM on a rainy afternoon. The host said we couldn't stay because the booking was for two adults, while our daughter was with us. He told us to leave and said there would be no refund. We explained that she could sleep in the bed with us and asked him to let us stay, but he wouldn't agree and said it was our fault. I had booked through Google Maps, where the first search step let me enter only the number of adults. In my experience, elementary school children travelling with two adults generally aren't counted as adults. We had stayed under the same arrangement in Korea, Japan, the US, Thailand, Indonesia, Italy, the Maldives, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan without trouble. The day before, April 9th, we had also stayed at the Courtyard Hotel in Edinburgh this way. I'm now writing this from a hotel in Portree, where they agreed that the three of us could share a room listed for two adults, without an extra bed. If a two adult limit was a critical rule that was strictly enforced, the host should have told guests about it clearly and more than once in advance. But the four confirmation emails we received before the stay only gave the location and said nothing about guest numbers. That detail matters for Isle of Skye visitors, who may come from mainland Europe or, like me, from Asia or the Americas. I travelled 20 hours to Edinburgh, then drove seven more hours to Seal Cottage. The host blamed me alone and had a menacing look. We couldn't stay, and I spent two hours wandering in the rain that night before finally finding a hotel. He ruined an important family vacation. He said he couldn't let us stay or issue a refund. His alternatives were for only two of our three family members to stay, or for me to pay double for an extra room we wouldn't use. I couldn't accept either of those rude demands. His email said he was staying with his family and children, but I find that hard to believe. If he really were a father raising a child, I don't think he could have treated me so badly after I'd travelled a long way with my young daughter. I can only conclude that he either refused us to get money or wanted double the amount.

Everything seemed just right, from the welcome basket to how welcoming the place felt. We can't think of anything negative to say about this wonderful Isle of Skye stay. Looking forward to coming back.