Top 10 hotels bbs campsites melbourne the guardian

Napier Cottage, Isleornsay

This purpose-built luxury B&B opened in 2011 and has panoramic views over the Sound of Sleat to Beinn Sgritheall and the Knoydart peninsula. Christine and Ian fell in love with the spot so bought the plot and employed local architects and builders to create their dream home. The three rooms are plush and contemporary with tartan trim. There's underfloor heating, a sleek, Scandinavian woodburning stove in the lounge, a telescope in the garden room for spotting dolphins and seals in the waves far below, and a path weaving down to the shore. You can join them for an evening meal – or Michelin-starred Kinloch Lodge, Lady Claire Macdonald's hotel and cookery school, is a few minutes' drive down the road. 01471 833460, napiercottage.co.uk. Doubles from £90 B&B

Rubha Phoil Eco campsite, Sleat

Rubha Phoil Eco campsite is close to Armadale pier and the ferry to the mainland

For a spectacular clifftop pitch with stellar environmental credentials, the Rubha Phoil Eco campsite close to Armadale pier and the ferry to the mainland takes some beating. There are just 10 pitches scattered through this magical 16-acre wooded glen and permaculture garden on the lush, green Sleat peninsula to the south of the island, dubbed the Garden of Skye. Children will love the campfire and cave down on the beach, collecting eggs from the free-range hens [with honesty box] and the forest garden with its woodland walk winding through herbs and vegetables. 01471 844700, skye-permaculture.org.uk. £7.50pp per night, under 16s free, 25% price reduction if you travel by public transport

Greshornish House, Edinbane

Greshornish House

As you wind your way down the single-track lane to Greshornish House, cartoon-style road signs warn you to "WATCH THAT LAMB!" This elegant listed building in 10 acres of wooded grounds on the Greshornish peninsula dates back to 1740. The secluded lochside setting, with its restored wall garden and hens scuttling across the croquet lawn, is picture-perfect. Inside it's all old-world charm, with antiques scattered around, log fires, dark panelling, a billiards room, two pianos, a bar with 40 single malts and gourmet dinners by candlelight. The eight bedrooms are named after Scottish islands. Jura was once the laird's bedroom, with loch view and roll-top bath, while Islay has a romantic four-poster and views towards Trotternish Ridge. 01470 582266, greshornishhouse.com. Doubles from £80 B&B [usually a two-night minimum]; three-course dinner £38, four courses £45

The Glenview, Culnacnoc

Glenview

This little whitewashed croft on the Trotternish peninsula, now a restaurant with rooms, offers vintage chic and a mouthwatering menu. Young owners, Kirsty [Scottish] and chef Simon [Australian] have created a gorgeous gourmet bolthole on the wild north coast. There are just five rooms full of quirky touches: baskets of wool and knitting needles for guests with idle fingers, old leather suitcases, junk shop plunder – and no TVs, just retro radios. The cosy lounge has a woodburner, the award-winning restaurant [tongue-and-groove walls and original wooden floors], two AA rosettes, mismatched china and a daily changing menu of fresh, seasonal local produce. 01470 562248, glenviewskye.co.uk. Doubles from £90 B&B, from £160 for B&B and three-course dinner

Woodbine Guesthouse, Uig

Andi and Vicki, a young Swiss/Scottish couple, were always going to wind up by the sea. They met working as diving instructors on the Great Barrier Reef, ran sailing holidays on their yacht in the Med, and now run a five-bedroom guesthouse perched on the hill above Uig Bay on the Trotternish peninsula. Rooms are cosy and contemporary, with stripped wooden floors and sea views. They offer wildlife-watching boat trips – you might spot minke whales, puffins, seals and sea eagles – and a range of accommodation and activity packages: mountain bike hire, water-skiing, fishing trips, sea kayaking and guided or self-guided walking. 01470 542243, skyeactivities.co.uk. Doubles from £64 B&B [two-night minimum in high season]; two-night activity package £135pp including B&B, half-day boat trip and choice of kayaking, archery or cycling

The Croft Bunkhouse, Bothies and Wigwams, Portnalong

The Croft

You've a choice of bunkhouse, bothy or wigwam on this 12-acre croft on the wild west coast. The three heated wooden wigwams are the glamping option, built from sustainable sitka or Norway spruce grown in Scotland, and bedded into the treeless landscape. Inside they are snug and warm, with whitewashed walls, jaunty little curtains, radio/CD player, microwave, fridge and kettle. From here it's just a short schlep to go hiking in the magnificent Cuillin mountains. 01478 640463, skyehostels.com. Wigwams sleep up to five [four adults maximum], from £25 for one person to £60 for for four/five

Skyewalker Hostel, Portnalong

The award-winning Skywalker Hostel on the Minginish peninsula on Skye's west coast is handy for hiking in the brooding Cuillins. You can sing for your supper – or rather a cosy twin room – with the musical instruments scattered around for the regular folk sessions. Lisa and Brian converted the old wooden schoolhouse six years ago and the design is bright and eclectic, think retro school desks, a funky red kitchen, a clear geodesic dome in the garden for stargazing and chill-out time and a giant chess set on the lawn. The loos are lovely – white tongue-and-groove and fresh flowers in the cubicles – and there are monsoon showers in the bathrooms. 01478 640250, skyewalkerhostel.com. Dorm beds from £16

Wilmar Bed & Breakfast, Carbost

The enticing smell of bread baking is one way of telling a good B&B. Marcella not only bakes her own bread [and makes the marmalade and plum jam to put on it] she sells it around the island and runs two-day sourdough courses. The old 1920s low-slung croft house is on the shore of Loch Harport. From Wilmar's jetty you can spot dolphins, seals, sea eagles, deer – and, if you're very quiet, otters. The two rooms, Edinburgh and Glasgow [with its iron bedstead] are charming and cosy, and the guest lounge has an original wooden floor, log fire and shelves crammed with maps and books on Skye. Just down the road is the Talisker Whisky Distillery, while if you fancy a dram and a tune, the inn in Carbost has regular live music. 01478 640251/07920 112878, wilmarbedandbreakfast.com. Doubles from £80 B&B [usually a two-night minimum]; weekend sourdough course £120pp [not including accommodation, dates on the website]

Ardvasar Hotel, Sleat

This pretty, little 19th-century hotel, in the tiny waterfront village of Ardvasar, has 10 contemporary tartan-clad rooms. Those at the front look out over the Sound of Sleat and sunrise over the mountains of Knoydart on the mainland. Or you could splash out on the four-poster room at the back, peaceful and romantic with woodland views. There are around 30 malts to sample in the bar, sandy beaches nearby, walks from the door to the Point of Sleat and, a few minutes down the lane, Armadale Castle and the Museum of the Isles. 01471 844223, ardvasarhotel.com. Doubles from £130 B&B

Glenbrittle Campsite, Carbost

Photograph: Alamy