I'm in the early stages of planning for a solo Scotland trip next August/September. Flights are booked (using airline miles, so wanted to get ahead of the game), but that's it so far. In preliminary research for lodging, I came across a B&B in Aviemore (where I'm hoping to stay as a base for the Cairngorms for a few days) that had a few single rooms for solo travelers, priced accordingly. I'm wondering if people are aware of other lodgings (B&B's preferred) in the Aviemore/Inverness area, and also in Edinburgh, with similar accommodations? I'm beyond wanting to stay in hostels, but hadn't considered that there might be many options in B&B's for solo travelers. I expected I'd probably have to suck it up and pay the "singles" tax, but would love to limit that if possible. I would just be curious to learn from other travelers what else might be out there!
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6323 posts
I've been traveling solo for quite a few decades and have found that it's much much easier to find single rooms these days than it used to be. And many places in the UK will give you a single price for a double room, which is nice. You can also check out Premier Inn, which is a UK hotel chain. Their prices are very reasonable, even with a double room.
In Edinburgh, I stayed at the Premier Inn on York Place, which was a wonderful location and I really enjoyed my stay there. I did not go to Aviemore or stay in Inverness, but I would suggest looking on Google and sites like Undiscovered Scotland, which lists accommodations. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/
Many of the places I've found with single rooms were on Google. I just go to the town I am interested in, do a search for hotels/B&Bs in the area, and they pop up on the map. I check the website and go from there. I'm currently planning a 5 week trip to England in the spring and that's how I found several places that I booked. But of course, this is also a good resource.
It would help to know what your budget is for lodging.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2320 posts
On a site like Booking.com, you plug in the number of people. The price is often less for one person, especially if breakfast is included. You can filter by lodging type: hotel, B&B etc. I wouldn’t expect the price to be half of what two people would pay.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6323 posts
I wouldn’t expect the price to be half of what two people would pay.
No, it's never half the cost, but many places offer a discount for single travelers using a double room. I've saved anywhere from £10 to £35 off depending on the price. It always pays to ask.
Booking.com is a good option, but just keep in mind many small places will not be listed there, which is why I also suggest looking at Google. I found my B&B in Portree that way, and I only paid £50 a night there (which included breakfast).
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
52 posts
Hey there!
In Edinburgh, you may want to check out 2 Cambridge St. B&B with Erlend & Helene. My husband and I stayed there not long ago, but they mentioned having solo guests. (And some of the reviews were written by solo travelers, I recall.) We just LOVED our stay there, so perhaps it might be a good fit.
Posted by
Virginia
633 posts
When I visited Edinburgh I stayed at Eden Locke -- https://www.lockeliving.com/en/edinburgh/eden-locke
Their intent is that suites are ideally suited for solo travelers, but not for more than a couple. It's an aparthotel rather than a B&B but you're not shuffled off to a corner closet as a room, as with solo rooms at so many other hotels.