We are going on the RS Scotland tour June 2nd. In reading past reviews by people on the RS Scotland tour, I've read about people not liking the accommodations in Oban - where we are for 3 days. I just got the hotel list today and our accommodation is Corriemar House. I wonder if this is where the tour group stayed before? There are a lot of negative reviews on Trip Advisor about this place - musty smell, tight bathrooms, etc. There are some decent reviews by other people who had bigger/better rooms. Also, there is no breakfast! The guests are given a "porridge pot." I think this is lame. This is not a sufficient breakfast at all. Any comments by folks who have done this tour?
Posted by
333 posts
We didn't do the RS tour. But we stayed at the Perle Oban. We enjoyed it immensely. Ask for a room on the water side. Stunning views. A short walk to the boat for the three island tour. Great places to eat nearby. The breakfast at Perle was good. The dinner terrific. Also coffee shops, a place for sandwiches we took on the boat ride. But the property is quite old. I can appreciate that these old buildings smell musty... the Perle got remodeled a few years back, but the floors are a bit rolly. But I'm fairly certain they built the place when the rail road got extended there.
Posted by
OP
29 posts
We do not get a choice of where we stay on the Rick Steves tour.
Posted by
Bend, OR
934 posts
We’ve been on numerous RS tours but not Scotland. The hotels we’ve stayed in have covered everything from quite quirky to extremely nice. One of our buddies from a previous tour thought Scotland was a wonderful tour and said some of the hotels were quite old but so is Scotland…..maybe this isn’t the tour for you especially if you’re upset before the tour has even started.
I might add that the description of the tour says “all breakfasts are included.” I suggest you check with the RS tour group to find out what they do there. Breakfasts on our different tours have normally been a small buffet such as juice, yogurt, granola, fruit, a roll maybe some sliced meats and cheese. Sometimes elaborate with hot plates of scrambled eggs and regional specialties, sometimes pretty sparse.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7218 posts
You are in Oban- which is a big town. Albeit on the Corran esplanade where much of the town's accommodation is. There are plenty of places to have breakfast, maybe RSE has arranged with one of those for a more substantial breakfast.
This is the guest house's website with details of 4 cafes/coffee shops within walking distance and there are others 10 or 15 minutes walk away down the Esplanade- https://corriemarhouse.co.uk/out-and-about#breakfast
That walk itself can be a bonus in itself, especially early and late when it is quiet. The views can be stunning. The Corran is a great area of town to stay in.
Reading reviews and getting upset by them seems a very negative way to be starting a tour. Of 339 TA reviews 116 are excellent and 79 very good. 48 poor and 41 terrible, 3,5* overall. Doesn't sound that bad to me.
As the most recent review states- "No breakfast was actually a bonus, as we could breakfast in a different place each day."