In my previous incarnation in Edinburgh I set my holiday radar for the family for the UK, my fave our staycations in Aberdeenshire.
Language, culture and a lack of money all played their part.
But the sheer variety of holidays, activities and destinations was, and still is, a great selling point.
England’s finest
We variously checked out the Laurel & Hardy Museum in England’s Lake District, Shakespeareland in the English Midlands.
There was Churchill’s War Rooms in London, Harry Potter in Watford and Dickens World in Kent before we even got to Scotland.
And Scotland’s too
And here in my homeland we hiked in the Highlands, channeled an innner Robert Burns in Ayrshire and performed poetry too.
That was over the sea to Skye and wolfed down whisky in Islay.
Whet your appetite? Well, you may very well be staycationing this year so the good news is that it’s a great holiday.
The bad news is that unscrupulous businesses are hiking up the prices, sometimes by double.
So to redress the balance in favour of those who welcome you into their homes and hotels for the love of Travel and their customers.
I give you one such in my beloved Aberdeenshire.
Stonehaven for the ages
Kelly McAlpine is the managing director of five-star Dalriada Lodges, eight self-catering lodges on the coasts of Stonehaven, nearAberdeen.
Kelly said: ‘It’s unfortunate that some operators seem to be taking advantage of the pent-up desire to travel and the lack of confidence in overseas trips, to inflate their usual rates.
‘We’re a family-run business and we strongly believe that it’s important for us to keep our rates the same as they were pre-pandemic.
‘Our loyal customers are important to us.
‘They love to come to our clifftop locations overlooking Stonehaven for a break.
‘We have many families returning several times to us.
‘And they like that they can book adjacent lodges.
‘So different generations can holiday together but still have their own space.
‘Without these guests we couldn’t have established Dalriada Luxury Lodges as successfully as we have.
‘And we’ll undoubtedly need these loyal customers to help us on what will be a long road to recovery from the events of last year.
“We’ll be holding our prices at our usual rates.
‘We understand the value of long-term relationships with our guests.”
Lodge an interest
The Dalriada family-run lodges occupy a prime spot overlooking Stonehaven bay. Each lodge has two en-suite bedrooms.
A spacious lounge and fully equipped kitchen with combi-oven, dishwasher and washing machine,
South-facing decking offers great views over the coastline, as well as private parking.
And you will have access to secure storage for golf equipment, cycles and outdoor gear.
Dalriada is pet-friendly too, and the site includes electric charging points for vehicles.
Guests can customise their stay, including locally sourced breakfast packs, golf packages – and a round of golf for free.
