Hotel and restaurant recommendations for Isle of Skye, Edinburgh and Dundee or St Andrews

Are you traveling in 2025? If so, book whatever you can find on Skye (books up months in advance). The huge Edinburgh Festival finishes up on August 25. That may effect availability.

What are your other plans besides Balmoral (I assume you mean the Castle)? I wouldn't choose to base in St. Andrews or Dundee to visit that area. As an alternative, Glamis Castle is much closer, offers an excellent tour and has Royal family ties.

I can tell you where not to stay in Dundee : Holiday Inn Express.

My friends stayed at Arran House in St Andrews, which was lovely.

Staying in St Andrews is obviously nicer if you can swing it, but budget constraints on this trip (I was in Scotland for two out of three consecutive weekends in March) meant I needed to stay in Dundee. I didn't mind Dundee, but the HIE was further than I wanted from the train station and right on the approach to the bridge (so lots of traffic outside my room). The Apex looks nice but is even further than the HIE if you are using oublic transport. I would stay at the Malmaison or Premier Inn if I were to do it again.

Restaurant recommendations in St Andrews: we liked the Criterion pub (small) for their homemade pies, and the Tailend for seafood.

I loved the cafe at the V&A Dundee for lunch.

I've stayed twice at the Premier Inn near the train station in Dundee, most recently in May of this year. It's a typical Premier Inn and usually very reasonably priced. It's very convenient to the V & A, Discovery Point and one of the stops for the bus to St. Andrews. The McManus Museum is a bit farther away, as is the restaurant zone. The Verdant Works industrial-heritage museum is a considerable walk; most folks would prefer to hop on a city bus.

I enjoyed Milas Restaurant on Whitehall Street. It's Turkish.

I can help you with Dundee. I spend a lot of time there. I last left this past Wednesday and will be going back the end of the month.

St Andrews is a nicer place but hotels are usually much higher in price than Dundee. Dundee is closer to Balmoral. (The distance between Dundee and St. Andrews is about 15 miles.)

If you have a car, I would suggest staying at either the Staybridge Suites or Hotel Indigo in Dundee. (Same building). It's just off the center of town and has a small parking lot. There is also a public parking lot across the street.

The bus station is less than a 10 minute walk and the train station about 20 minutes. (Or about 6 GBP for a taxi. Bring cash as most Dundee taxi's don't take credit cards.)

If you are looking for a budget hotel option and will use public transportation, a new Marriott has opened above the train station. This was the former Sleeperz hotel.

Our stay at Montague Guest House in St. Andrew's was lovely. Warm, welcoming staff; easy walking distance to the sights in town as well as The Old Course.

Another vote for the Malmaison in Dundee. Close to the train station, extremely comfortable rooms, elegant deep purple and dark wood interior (if you like those things, which I do) and excellent food. Also yay for the V&A museum (focus on design, very interesting) and cafe - we had a lovely afternoon tea there.