A luxury modern eco-friendly holiday home in the idyllic Outer Hebrides has been awarded a five star Quality Assurance (QA) grading from VisitScotland.
The national tourism organisation awarded Eriskay Lilt its five star self- catering accolade. Situated on the beautiful Hebridean isle of Eriskay, the property sleeps up to eight people, in two twin and two double rooms. It also boasts two lounges and a wood-burning stove.
Owned by Donald and Kathleen McDonald, the ‘green’ property which is situated just five minutes from the beach, is wheelchair accessible and also welcomes pets. The house, constructed by local builders, Coastal Homes, is designed to be heated by solar gain and the construction eliminates loss of heat, draughts and leaks. Heat is redistributed between the rooms rather than being lost to the outside and air is filtered and cleaned once an hour.
Eriskay Lilt is furnished to a very high standard, with oak finishings, and offers visitors free Wi-fi throughout, an iPod docking station and flat screen TVs and DVDs in all bedrooms.
Owner of Eriskay Lilt, Don McDonald said:
“Myself and Kathleen are thrilled that we have achieved five stars from VisitScotland – it makes all the hard work we have invested in this property worthwhile.
“We have tried to incorporate as many green credentials as possible into Eriskay Lilt, to ensure it is as in-keeping with its natural surroundings as it can be in this beautiful location.
“As 2014 is such an exciting year for Scotland, we hope this recognition of our high standards will encourage as many visitors to visit us here in the Outer Hebrides and enjoy everything that is so special about this place.”
Alan Mackenzie, VisitScotland’s Islands Manager, said:
“I would like to congratulate Don and Kathleen for attaining this very high standard with their eco-friendly home, Eriskay Lilt. As Scotland prepares to welcome the world in 2014, it is vital that everyone involved in tourism works together to offer visitors a fantastic experience when visiting and staying in the Outer Hebrides.
“Our Quality Assurance scheme helps businesses to reach their full potential and truly shine. The scheme is about more than just the ‘stars’ on the door – it’s about the entire visitor experience, about investing in your business and making it as economically sustainable as it can possibly be.”
VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme currently boasts over 7,000 participants and the national tourism organisation has aimed to increase this by the end of 2013. Around 94% of participants in the scheme, which has been used as an example of best practice with countries all over the world, including Sweden and Namibia, have made an investment in their business in the last two years, totaling around £70 million.
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