Travel

Nira Caledonia reopened on Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony, some fizz and canapés. It has been closed for a nine month refurbishment following a fire last year in Gloucester Place.The work entailed 3 km of cabling, 300 litres of paint, 2000 square metres of carpet and 1092 square metres of wallpaper.The result is a stunning boutique hotel with...

The former Castle Campbell Hotel in Dollar – built as a Coaching Inn in 1822 - has been turned into luxury serviced apartments.Trading as West Burnside Apartments, the redevelopment offers seven luxury apartments and two townhouses.Aiming at both business and leisure clients, the building has been brought to life by property developers, Neil and Marie Munday. Features in the...

NEW MULTI MILLION POUND LODGE DEVELOPMENT FOR ABERDEENSHIRE TRANSFORMS REDUNDANT FARMLocal developer Bill McDonald has announced the launch of Royal Arch Riverside Park near Fettercairn, a new multi million pound lodge development created on former redundant farmland.Offering over fifty units in its first phase, priced from £70-£250k, Royal Arch Riverside Park, which is just a mile from the A90,...

M8 Motorway users are set to benefit from an improved road surface at Ratho, with £750,000 worth of resurfacing set to begin on Monday 30 November. The overnight works will see 2,990m of the eastbound carriageway resurfaced, creating smoother and safer journeys for road users.To keep roadworkers and motorists safe during these works, the eastbound M8 will be closed...

For a getaway this winter you could do no worse than go to New York State. It is easy to get to from Edinburgh, and if you turn the typical New York break on its head then it could be relatively cheap, leaving you more cash for fun and shopping. My suggestion to you is to fly with Norwegian Airlines on...

Wildfires continue to create problems in Greece and Rhodes in particular.Jet2 have issued an update for their customers.A spokesperson said: "By the end of Wednesday 26 July Jet2.com will have operated 20 flights to the UK from Rhodes so far this week – a combination of repatriation flights and scheduled flights - which have continued to meet the...

Ryanair, Europe’s No 1 airline, has announced a new route from Edinburgh Airport to Copenhagen, which will begin in Summer 2016.This will be good news for the customers they expect to use all of the Ryanair routes each year, and the airline also claims that it is good news for those 1725 people working 'on site' at Edinburgh Airport whose jobs...

Perthshire’s nine hole golf course celebrates its 30th anniversary.The golf course's pearl anniversary coincides with the Menzies family owning the Mains of Taymouth Country Estate for 100 years. “Perthshire’s finest nine holes”.In what was a major feat of engineering completed over a two year period - to turn farmland into a challenging 3,026 yard course - Estate owner Robin...

POPULAR KINGHORN HOLIDAY PARK DELIGHTED TO RE-OPEN IN TIME FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS  Owners at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park have spoken of their pleasure at being able to welcome back its holiday home owners from Friday 3 July 2020, with its fleet of self contained holiday home hires also available to open back up for bookings.Whilst all leisure facilities, together with...

Each person living in Scotland might travel 1,335 miles by car, 1,432 miles by train and 1,360 miles by plane in search of the perfect UK break this year, according to research by London North Eastern Railway (LNER).The train operator would prefer that everyone uses the train - and not just so that they can increase their bottom line...

Scotrail's Highland Explorer service which offers cycle carriages is making changes to give even more support to active travel.The train operator is cutting the additional fares on the Highland Explorer service and is adding carriages to two of the daily services on the Mallaig branch of the West Highland Line, This will introduce more seats and improve on-board facilities...

A holiday home at Pettycur Bay has never been so popular – popular holiday park says lets make most of a holiday ownership boomAs it enters its 2019 Summer Season, Pettycur Bay Holiday Park at Kinghorn in Fife has announced that it has its widest ever selection of both pre owned and brand new luxury caravan holiday homes for...

New phase of Industry leading holiday homes take centre stage at Camelot Holiday Park.Camelot Holiday Park at Longtown in Cumbria has released a new phase of luxury holiday homes to buy - at last year's prices.Prices are from £55,000 for the three bedroom Willerby Manor, a spacious and contemporary static caravan holiday home with a fully fitted luxury kitchen...

The Isle of Skye Guest House has just opened with forward bookings of more than £200,000 for what looks like a busy season ahead.The Fusion Group of Companies owns and operates a portfolio of hospitality businesses across Scotland and has invested more than £250,000 in its first property on the island, The Isle of Skye Guest House.And just last...

Over 39 million passengers and 8.8m cars travel one of the Discover Ferries ships each year.They are a collection of 12 ferry operators who have come together to promote ferry travel in UK and Ireland.Members operate over 80 routes across the UK and Scotland to Ireland is one of the most popular routes.They also have ferries to the Continent,...

Jet2.com has responded to strong demand from skiers and snowboarders looking to get back to the slopes and airports at Edinburgh and Glasgow are two of the departure points.Confirmation came after the Swiss Government said pre-arrival testing is no longer required for vaccinated customers.Bookings are strong to all of the eight ski destinations that Jet2.com operates to, Chambery, Geneva,...

Some clever joined-up thinking might temptingly lead to some West Highland first-class eating, drinking and panoramic feasting courtesy of Caledonian Sleeper’s latest announcement.Scenic connoisseurs, island-hoppers and railway buffs can be well chuff-chuffed as they travel to the northern isles looking to experience the tranquillity and beauty of Scotland’s islands and the West Highlands. This summer's experience is now enhanced...

MAINS OF TAYMOUTH OFFERS TWO LOCATIONS FOR HOLIDAY HOME OWNERSHIP Mains of Taymouth Country Estate & Golf Course is offering those in the market for a luxury holiday home two fantastic opportunities to secure a property on the five star estate.Overlooking the picturesque nine hole golf course, fully furnished and decorated lodges from Willerby Bespoke are available at the Cairn...

FINAL TWO HOLIDAY HOMES IN CURRENT PHASE AT BRIGHAM HOLIDAY PARK – OFFERING BUYERS SUPERB INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITYBrigham Holiday Park at Cockermouth in Cumbria has two final holiday homes available to buy in its current phase, the Carnaby Rosedale Cottage at £52,999, and the ABI Windermere at £53,999.The family run park is just a twenty minute drive to the Lakes....

Rough Guides are releasing a fully-updated guide containing 1,000 personal recommendations to the best travel experiences around the globe. Whether it’s adrenaline-based adventures like paragliding by the Matterhorn or stumbling across the world’s best coffee in Panama, in Make the Most of Your Time on Earth, readers may find something unique.This best-selling travel book from Rough Guides is now in...

Captain Richard Allison is in charge of the Edinburgh base for Norwegian Airlines.An Edinburgh native he is now happy to be back home, even though he leaves the capital behind him en route to the States several times a month! Norwegian Airlines have recently begun flying to three destinations on the East Coast, with some flights costing as little...

Sadly, Portobello made the headlines for all the wrong reasons during the early stages of lockdown when thousands packed the beach to grab some welcome relief and enjoy the sunshine.Senior politicians expressed concern, particularly after disturbances, and this cast an unexpected and unwanted nationwide spotlight on the Costa del Forth.Now, as we continue to be dominated by the world-wide...

With uncertainty hanging over where we'll be allowed to go next summer, TUI UK is tempting us (and letting us dream) with 11 holiday destinations on offer direct from Edinburgh for winter 2021/22 and summer 2022.That seems a long way off, but summer 2022 packages go on sale from 5 November 2020 with a range of sweeteners including free kids’ places,...

The very first Hainan Airlines flight from Beijing, China arrives in Edinburgh this morning.This is the inaugural direct flight from China and is the result of many years of work on the Edinburgh-China Air Link Project. Marketing Edinburgh, Edinburgh Airport and the City of Edinburgh Council have all worked together to bring this route to Edinburgh, and city representatives...

ScotRail staff have been coached by a customer services' company to improve the service they give to touristsWorldHost trained 118 hospitality stewards in ways to make a good first impression and 'go the extra mile' for customers.They were also taught that the company plays a vital role in Scottish tourism.VisitScotland has accredited ScotRail as an iKnow Partner for training...

Forget the over-rated North Coast 500 – Visit East Lothian has reminded day trippers of three routes that start right on Edinburgh's doorstep.The tourism body initially suggests using a car, although there will be some cyclists out there able to take on the challenge by bike or e-bike.Taking inspiration from over 40 miles of stunning coastline, an expanse...

BRACKENHILL, BY CRIEFF NOW OPEN & LOOKING AHEAD TO A BUSY SUMMER SEASON  Described as “an amazing secluded retreat for friends looking for a relaxing break or an adventure holiday”, Brackenhill near Crieff has opened its doors to paying guests as Scotland’s hospitality and tourism sector bursts back into life.The four bedroom, 5 star detached cottage, situated on the Ochtertyre...

At Edinburgh Airport Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have introduced a new service allowing you to check your bags in the day before your flight.This move could make your journey a bit easier on the day of travel itself, allowing you just to walk through the security area to the departure lounge. (It only applies to flights leaving in the...

Czech Airlines, the national carrier of the Czech Republic, will fly two new direct routes to Poland from next month, as well as an additional link to Prague.From 14 July, the airline will fly directly between Edinburgh and Lodz and Rzeszow and will also operate an indirect service between Edinburgh and Prague via Lodz.The aircraft will fly Tuesdays and...

The largest independent hotel in Edinburgh has removed single-use plastic toiletries from their bedrooms, instead offering guests a gift to add to Scotland’s natural beauty. Guests at Ten Hill Place Hotel are being encouraged to take home their free packet of Scottish wildflower seeds, available in every bedroom, to plant this spring. The decision is the latest in the four-star hotel’s series of sustainable changes which...