4 Eas Brae Apartment

We travel a lot, and this is hands down one of the nicest self catering apartments we’ve ever stayed in. The apartment is spacious, comfortable, well maintained and well equipped. It’s the sort of ‘home from home’ where you can just arrive with your groceries and establish yourself for the duration of your stay. The kitchen in particular is exceptionally well equipped, so self catering is a pleasure. Because the apartment is so large it’s also a great place to retreat to when the weather turns nasty (as can often happen on Mull) with a selection of books and games to keep you occupied. It would also be lovely and airy in hot weather, when you could open the doors and use the seating area on the balcony. The apartment is organised over two floors, so would be well suited to two families travelling together. The upper floor is one massive room that’s zoned into sections and would be perfect for those travelling with kids. The apartment is pet friendly and we particularly appreciated the large entrance hall with lots of space for shoes/boots and pegs to hang dog leads and coats. There is excellent off road parking outside (somewhat unusual in Tobermory), with the allocated space easily accommodating a van or possibly two cars ‘nose to tail’. The location of the apartment just outside the centre of Tobermory is terrific. It’s less than 10 minutes by foot to the port (albeit down a fairly steep hill) where there’s a Co-op supermarket. It’s also less than 5 minutes drive from the Tobermory ferry port and about 40 minutes from the Craignure ferry terminal. Overall this is a fabulous place to stay, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Except for the managing agents … see below …

We arrived at the apartment at 17:30 to find dirty bed linen and towels piled in the hall and the beds unmade. I contacted the managing agents, West Holidays via the app and sent photos to demonstrate my concern. Their response was: “Our office hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Because it is now past 5:00pm, management will review your photos and follow up as soon as possible, which may be tomorrow morning.” On following up to ask what we were expected to do given that there was no clean bedding or towels, the answer was: “We understand the inconvenience this causes; however, as our office is currently closed for the evening, we cannot guarantee an immediate callout or resolution tonight”. I found the phone number of the owner, and expressed my concern to him. He had not been contacted by West Holidays, so was unaware of the situation and hugely apologetic. Within a few minutes, the owner and the cleaner arrived, rectified the situation and gave us a gift by way of apology. However, had the situation been left to West Holidays, we would have been sleeping on beds with dirty linen and used towels. I also queried with West Holidays why guests were required to strip the bed linen and pile laundry for collection in the hall (something the owners were unaware of). West Holidays denied that this was a requirement until I pointed out that it appeared in their own messages – once this was highlighted, they admitted that “you are completely right, and that automated message contained outdated information”. Mistakes happen - what's important is how these mistakes are addressed. This situation is in no way the fault of the owners, but of West Holidays who are doubtless paid handsomely for their 'service'. I have tried to engage with West Holidays by phone on multiple occasions before writing this review. However, the manager has repeatedly declined to speak to me.

Well stocked, great location, lots of room.

Bedroom to bathroom didn’t open fully as previous water damage had caused timber floor to “blow” jamming the door at halfway. Shower head clamping didn’t work.

Very spacious apartment, parking space was generous and adjacent to the property. Nice balcony, good kitchen facilities. Overall, very good value for money for our stay.

Not sure if it was advised that the apartment entry was up a flight of stairs - we had an 81 year old with us - the flight of stairs to the access should be advised as part of Booking.com's information. The apartment is one flat in a building containing a number of flats. Externally the overall building looks a bit tired re finishes. It wasn't quite the setting imagined from the photos on Booking.com. Booking.com says no parking available but there was a parking space with no.4 on it, presumably allocated to this flat which we used. Booking.com says no internet but there was internet. TV - needed you to stream STV etc through the relevant App - streaming on STV for the Scotland football game got "hung up" repeatedly, so travellers should be aware that there are potential issues with watching the main TV channels. The en-suite bedroom had a door to the balcony, but we couldn't locate a key to open this door. There was a key for balcony door from the lounge. Distances noted on Booking.com to eg Macdonald hotel are 350 yards. The distance is actually more like double that. Still not a great distance but note that it is down a very steep hill - anyone infirm/old can struggle with the steep hill.

Very spacious and well equipped flat. Cosy. Two bathrooms is great and loads of space for everyone. 5 mins down a (steep) hill to all the fab restaurants and shops of Tobermory. Easy check in process.

Arrival is dispiriting - grubby,rundown entrance. Interior is much better and clean although some furniture could do with an upgrade. If we’d paid a lower price none of this would matter.