Agent Review: Hotel du Vin in Edinburgh

Article by Jean Campbell. Photos: courtesy Hotel du Vin. 

When I was in Edinburgh in October, I stopped by to check out the Hotel Du Vin. I wasn't able to see any of the rooms in person (the hotel was full), but it was a really lovely hotel, and in a good interesting area of Edinburgh. They have a room where they can host private dinners and the wall paintings are themed around the Burke and Hare storyline, described by Wikipedia as follows:

The Burke and Hare murders were serial murders perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, from November 1827 to October 31, 1828. The killings were attributed to Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their 17 victims to provide material for dissection. Their purchaser was Doctor Robert Knox, a private anatomy lecturer whose students were drawn from Edinburgh Medical College. Their accomplices included Burke's mistress, Helen McDougal, and Hare's wife, Margaret Laird. From their infamous method of killing their victims has come the word "burking", meaning to purposefully smother and compress the chest of a victim, and a derived meaning, to quietly suppress. 

Given that the hotel is located in Edinburgh's Old Town and within a former asylum, it is the perfect backdrop!

Agent Review: Driving tour of Ireland and Scotland

Article and photos by Liz Kramer

I traveled through Ireland and Scotland last summer by car and was blown away by the beauty of the countryside and the warmth of the people. The castles are amazing to see and even more amazing to stay in.  

Our overnight at Dromoland Castle near Shannon was a wonderful adventure.  There is so much to see and do, from wandering through the ancient halls of old castles, hiking up the trails of the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry…to a lazy afternoon of tasting Ireland’s famous Jameson’s whiskey!

Then of course one can’t miss the Guinness tour in Dublin as well as the amazing library at Trinity College.  Rows upon rows of ancient texts fill the room to the soaring ceilings that take your breath away.

The Scottish Highlands were breathtaking, with large grassy plains giving way to cliffs and mountain ranges with hundreds of cascading waterfalls. Every turn around a road was a new site to be seen.  The food was amazing and the locals' hospitality warm and inviting at every hotel and B&B we stayed in. If you enjoy a single malt scotch, this is the place to tour and taste all the amazing distilleries you have heard of.  There are dozens to chose from in each part of this country. The roads are a bit intimidating at first but driving on your own really allows you to luxury of going where you want when you want.

Liz Kramer has been in the travel business for 35 years.  She's an expert in family travel, Club Med properties, Australia, Hawaii , and cruising.  She graduated from UCLA with a degree in economics and has three college-age sons.  Her love of exploring new areas has led her around the world.