I'm finding a lot fewer places to stay are coming up for September 2022 than 2020. Is anyone else noticing this? I wonder if they are booked, no longer doing short stays or no longer open? I did find some are closed until spring, so it may be a combination of all these.
So glad I have kept paying to postpone my reservations on Skye!
I had booked a B and B in Tobermory for June of 2020 that I had to cancel. I recently rebooked for June 2022 but it took a long time for the owner to respond to my messages and after I booked I received a confirmation to reconfirm in January. Not sure if she wants to make sure I'm still planning or coming or to confirm that she's still in business.
I've had some luck reserving B&Bs by going around the backdoor. Google Maps will display small dots for lodging without openings for your dates, so I click on the dot, google the place, then email them with a query. In Oban, I even drove the streets in Google Maps StreetView and found signs in yards for B&Bs, googled them, and sent an email. In the latter case, I was also able to figure out if they had private parking based on signs. The "parking" filter on most booking sites are pretty useless. I've gotten a few successes from proprietors that just haven't opened their bookings yet, but did for me, and a few that have always relied on word-of-mouth to avoid paying booking fees. Of course I've had a few "sorry, I booked all of 2022 for tours" and "try back after the new year" rejections. I was successful enough to book our entire three week trip for next June with places that I'm quite happy with, and unlikely to change, even though they are all fully cancellable. I'm feeling so comfortable with the state of my plans that I've moved on to 2023 adventures :-)
I run a small B&B on Skye, and haven't opened my diary for 2022 yet. I know I am not alone. Small operators with no outside staff often don't decide until Christmas or the New Year exactly what they will be doing for the next summer season. For example, I might want to plan in a couple of trips of my own or need to plan in some time to visit family elsewhere in the UK. So if you are looking for small B&Bs you might just need to be patient a little longer.
Best wishes
Skyegirl (Jacqui)
Thanks for your replies everyone. Jgurley, that is a commitment to research, I applaud you!
Jaqui, thanks, I just had a feeling.
I'm not going to rush into booking too soon.
I hope all goes well for everyone as we pick our way through the new normal.
So if you are looking for small B&Bs you might just need to be patient
a little longer.
Thanks for that tip Skyegirl, I've only stayed at a B and B once and never it occurred to me that the business model might be different than a hotel. My Mom may have been fibbing when she told me the world would revolve around me ;)
