McKinlay Kidd Traveller Reviews

Three weeks in the Scottish islands. Excellent itinerary, great choice of accommodation.

McKinlay Kidd not only organised an excellent holiday for us, they were also available to instigate a contingency plan when it looked as though our Oban-Barra ferry might be cancelled. Comforting.

We enjoyed a lovely Train Tour around Scotland, including stops at Glasgow, Spean Bridge, Isle of Skye, Inverness, Pitlochry and Edinburgh. McKinley had pre-booked all of our trains, taxis or alternative transport, accomodations in fine country inns, and city B & B's.

Everything was so easy and comfortable. We were free to relax and enjoy every minute, and there were no nasty surprises - in fact we were overwhelmed every day by what a wonderful adventure we were having. We could not be happier with the arrangements, and looked forward to every day, hoping the days wouldn't go by too fast.

We visit the Western Isles every year for two weeks Island hopping. Colony is really a very small island and suitable for those that like to walk . Three days is long enough to explore the island and what it has to offer. Islay was our second port of call this holiday and so much to do and see easily keep you busy for several days. The distillery visit and tasting are a great experience and the views to Jura stunning. Would recommend a day trip to Jura, we spotted Otters and spent a considerable amount of time simply watching them play

This is the first time I have ever taken time to write a review but I feel we really must extol the virtues of McKinlay Kidd as a tour operator. For the last 12 years we have asked McKinlay Kidd to organise our annual trip to the Western Isles ( and beyond ) and every year the holiday has been simply excellent. I suppose after 12 years we could organise our own holidays on the Islands and book the ferries etc but ......and it is a big but if there is a problem with the ferry or the hotel then it can be difficult. This year for example the weather turned against us when we were on one of the smallest islands. To get to our next port of call we need to get off the island earlier etc etc..........no problem, we were not even aware of the change in weather. McKInlay Kidd rang us the day before to say they were monitoring the situation and the next morning arranged our early departure and connection to the next island we were visiting. I really recommend this tour operator as the best.

Staying two nights on Harris, Uist and Barra.

Excellent service by McKinlay Kidd. Well organised trip by a tour operator who really cares for the customer throughout the holiday.

6 of us went on this journey. I would recommend it to anyone. Travel by train was so easy, and a taxi was waiting at each location to take us to our hotel. They were even watching watching the weather for our ferry crossing to the Isle of Skye - with an alternate route if the seas were too rough.

WE never actually saw them. They just had everything arranged for us at each stop.

We enjoyed our journey through the Outer Hebrides immensely. The route started at Oban with a ferry to Barra and explored all the islands of the Outer Hebrides. It provided us with a comprehensive insight into the different characteristics of the islands.

The company is to be congratulated on its thoughtfulness and the professional execution of all travel arrangements and hotel selections. We would not hesitate to use them again and recommend them to other travellers.

We were a small group of car fanatics from Scotland who enjoyed a super weekend around Strangford Lough. Good scenery, good roads, super hotel and great people!

All the travel arrangements worked perfectly. The hotel was excellent, great staff and super food. The holiday guides ( and maps) were very helpful and the recommendations provided gave us lots of things to do.

My husband and I traveled to Scotland for a two week honeymoon in May of 2013. It was truly the best trip either one of us has taken. The planning done by McKinlay Kidd helped make this trip so smooth and enjoyable. We stayed in the best hotels/inns and had such a nice mixture of experiences, rooms, food -truthfully ALL expectations met and exceeded. We saw so much of Scotland while still having wonderful relaxing evenings all the while from Edinburgh to Perthshire to Port Appin to Skye to Loch Ness and back to Edinburgh. It was so comforting to know all we had to worry about was getting ourselves up and out the door as all else was taken care of (maps, admissions, ferry, etc.) I am a huge planner and researcher and usually create our own holidays but I can say without a doubt I could never have pulled off this kind of quality trip that McKinlay Kidd did.

They took the time to listen to our goals for the trip and what our preferences were so that they were able to create the itinerary that I was looking for. Their long term experience and relationships with the hotels and knowledge of the areas made our travels just as we had hoped. They were also available for us throughout the trip as we needed assistance-it was nice not to feel alone while traveling in a country we were not familiar with. They were also very patient with my many, many questions!

My wife, 18-month-old daughter, and I wanted to see all of Scotland, and I think we came pretty close doing so! We spent 3 days in Edinburgh walking the Royal Mile and exploring the Old Town while lodging in the Holyrood apartHOTEL. Next, we traveled via rental car to lovely Spean Bridge where we enjoyed the warm hospitality and fabulous dining at the Old Pines lodge while hiking the highlands. We also enjoyed a day trip on the Jacobite stream train. The last leg of our trip was spent on the Isle of Mull, where we stayed at the Bellachroy Inn in quaint Dervaig. While on Mull, we saw minke whales, seals, and porpoises on a wildlife excursion and visited the ancient Iona Abbey. We were truly sorry to leave Mull and Scotland as a whole, and I'm sure we'll make every attempt to visit again, especially the last two destinations.

I purchased the Scottish Family Experience for myself, my wife, and our 18-month-old daughter. We live in the United States and had never planned a holiday in Europe before, but McKinlay Kidd made things very easy for us. They answered my many questions and adjusted the package to suit our needs. The excursions included in the package were very enjoyable, and by the time we finished the trip, I feel that we definitely got a wide overview of Scotland. With the information package from Robert Kidd, I always felt informed. I definitely recommend McKinlay Kidd to other families seeking to holiday in Scotland.