Travel accommodation can be a fundamental part of a multi-day tour experience. Not only is it a place to rest your head after seeing the local sights, but it can also be a place to debrief with friends, connect with loved ones, or even just freshen up on the way to an evening event. However you view travel accommodation, part of our work is to ensure you’re comfortable. The Rabbie’s team can take the hassle off your hands and reserve accommodation for you when booking a multi-day tour, or if you feel more confident to book yourself, just let us know.
Let us take you through what you can expect when beginning the process of booking accommodation for a multi-day tour in either the UK or Europe.
What Are the Different Types of Tourist Accommodation?
The 5 different types of tourist accommodation you may be familiar with include:
- Bed & Breakfasts (B&B)
- Hotels
- Hostels
- Holiday Rental Properties - such as Airbnb
- Camping
On a Rabbie’s multi-day tour in Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales, we can reserve you a hotel or B&B for your accommodation. We don’t book hostels, camping sites, or holiday rental properties, such as Airbnbs, but you do have the option to book these yourself if you’d prefer. Working with trusted providers, you can hear local tales, help fuel these small economies, and embrace the remote nature of some of the surroundings. What better way to spend your downtime on a small-group tour than with beautiful nature?
Prefer the sound of camping or a holiday rental property? You have the option to book your own travel accommodation too, just be sure to check the area requirements specific to each tour first. More on this below.
Accommodation Booking Process with Rabbie’s UK & Ireland Multi-Day Tours
The accommodation booking process begins once you have decided on your UK or Ireland multi-day tour. From the Scottish Highlands to the Cotswolds and Northern Ireland, there's so much to explore on a small-group tour.
There are two options for accommodation with our UK & Ireland tours:
- Rabbie’s can reserve rooms for you
- You can book your own rooms
If You Want Rabbie's to Book Your Accommodation
When booking your multi-day tour just tell us what kind of accommodation you’d like to stay in and what type of room(s) you need. It’s crucial that you also let us know of any other preferences or special requirements, so we can ensure your needs will be catered for.
Our expert team manually checks each request and allocates accommodation to match. If your first choice isn’t available, we’ll book your second choice. You won't be able to choose a specific named property or choose from different options, so if this is important to you, we recommend that you book your own accommodation.
We’ll email your travel accommodation details to you at least 72 hours ahead of your tour departure and your driver-guide will drop you off with your hosts each day.
The unique offering of Rabbie’s means we don’t dedicate just one option of accommodation per UK and Ireland multi-day tour. This means we don't place our tour groups together in the same property. Groups are split between a variety of B&Bs and hotels to suit preferences indicated at the time of booking. As each accommodation provider has a different level of accessibility, informing us early on about any accessibility needs is essential.
The prices you see on our website do not include accommodation fees. If you have chosen Rabbie’s to reserve your accommodation, you should pay your hosts directly unless otherwise notified. Some smaller properties may only accept cash payment – we recommend checking this with your hosts when you check in so that you can withdraw cash locally as required.
Booking Your Own Accommodation
Booking your own accommodation is possible when signing up for a multi-day tour with Rabbie’s. Maybe you’ve got a friend or family member you can stay with in the local area, or have your heart set on a quiet holiday rental property you’ve seen. No matter the reason, we understand not everybody needs our help when securing accommodation. However, there are a few restrictions when you decide to book your own accommodation which are:
- Self-booked accommodation must be within a 2km radius of the town centre of the specified overnight location. Being within this radius means our driver-guides will be able to drop you off at your lodgings.
- If you book overnight stays outside of this 2km radius, you’ll have to find your own transportation to the designated meeting point, whether this be by walking or taxi. The further out of the 2km radius, the harder it may be to secure transportation to your lodgings.
- As soon as you’ve booked your own accommodation, you must let our team know the name and address of your overnight stay. You can do it at the time of booking the tour, or after by contacting the team at rooms@rabbies.com.
Accommodation & Accessibility
We endeavour to accommodate all passengers on our multi-day tours as close to local facilities as possible. Hotels and hostels tend to be centrally located and B&Bs tend to be in residential areas on the outskirts of towns/villages. In all cases, passengers should be aware that accommodation may be up to a 30-minute walk (approximately 1.4 miles) away from local facilities. However, you may be able to book and pay for local taxis if required.
Lifts and elevators are uncommon in a selection of our accommodation providers but may be available in some hotels. Ground floor rooms are available in many B&Bs and hotels. If either is essential, please let us know at the time of booking your tours. Please also note that passengers will be expected to carry their own luggage to and from their own rooms.
Any additional mobility and special requirements (dietary, allergy etc.) should be made clear at the time of booking, so we can ensure the most appropriate accommodation is allocated to you. Find out how we can help with accessibility on our tours to ensure you’re catered for.
Please be aware that WIFI may not be reliable and cannot be guaranteed in your accommodation. If this is a requirement, please specify at the time of booking.
If you’d rather book your own accommodation, please let us know at the time of booking and ensure reservations are made within 2km of the specified overnight town centre.
If you have any further questions regarding accommodation bookings please refer to our FAQs page or contact a member of our team at rooms@rabbies.com.
What to Expect from a Hotel When Booking Accommodation
When booking a hotel, you can expect a relatively central location. However, you may be up to a 20-30 minute walk from local facilities. Hotels vary in size but tend to be larger properties run by a team of staff. They are often housed in traditional old buildings and bathrooms are always for private use and are typically en-suite.
The services and facilities offered by hotel accommodations vary considerably. So you should make a special request at the time of booking if you expect anything specific such as concierge, porterage, bar, restaurant, or room service. Wi-Fi may only be available in communal areas and access can be unreliable in remote locations.
If you have difficulty with stairs, please request a ground-floor room as lifts may not be available in this type of property.
What to Expect from a B&B When Booking Accommodation
If opting for a B&B when booking travel accommodation for your small-group tour, you can expect a smaller lodging with a handful of rooms. Often these are family-owned/run properties, usually located in a residental property on the outskirts of towns and you should be prepared for a 20-30 minute walk to local facilities like pubs and restaurants.
It’s unusual for a B&B accommodation property to offer any additional services like concierge, porterage, evening meals, or room service. Wi-Fi is often provided, but it’s not always available and it’s worth bearing in mind that access can be unreliable in more remote locations.
If you have difficulty with stairs, please request a ground-floor room as lifts will not be available in this type of property. Please also note that properties with ground-floor rooms are very limited and may not be available at all in the destinations on your tour.
When booking, you also have the option to choose a room with an en-suite bathroom or a standard room which is a shared bathroom.
Accommodation FAQs
What Are the Different Accommodation Room Types?
- Single Room – Sleeps one person in one individual bed. This type of room is limited, so you may receive a larger double or twin room for single occupancy.
- Double Room – Sleeps two people in one bed. The bed may be either standard double, queen, or king size.
- Twin Room – Sleeps two people in two individual beds.
- Family Room – Sleeps three people in either two or three beds. This room type is limited and is only available on request. If unavailable, you will be split between two rooms.
How Much Will the Accommodation on a Multi-Day Tour Cost?
We book accommodation with third-party providers on your behalf and each property sets their own rates. Rates vary considerably depending on the accommodation standard, facilities, location, and local demand. That’s why we can’t tell you exactly how much your accommodation will cost until your request has been allocated to a specific property.
As a guide, you can expect to pay the following prices, per person per night:
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Approximate prices, per person per night
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Overnight Location
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Sole Occupancy
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Multiple Occupancy
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(1 person per room) |
(2+ people per room) |
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B&B Standard
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£80 - £120
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£60 - £80
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UK & Northern Ireland
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€80 - €120
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€60 - €80
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Ireland
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B&B En-suite
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£100 - £145
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£55 - £95
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UK & Northern Ireland
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€100 - €145
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€55 - €100
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Ireland
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Hotel
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£110 - £190
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£75 - £145
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UK & Northern Ireland
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€130 - €235
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€75 - €150
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Ireland
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NOTE: Prices quoted are for guidance only and may be higher on some occasions, especially for last-minute bookings and when demand is high (E.g. peak season, weekends, holidays, special events etc)
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Is Breakfast Included in the Accommodation Booking?
Breakfast will be included unless otherwise noted. The type of breakfast provided will vary from place to place so you may receive either a full-cooked breakfast, a continental style breakfast (E.g., toast, fruit, cereal), or a packed breakfast bag or tray (E.g., porridge pot, fruit, granola bar).
Will I Be Staying in the Same Property as the Rest of the Tour Group?
We’ll try to ensure there’re another tour members staying alongside you, but this will depend on what others have requested and on what rooms are available. It’s common for the group to be spread between several different B&Bs and hotels.
If you and your travel party require multiple rooms we’ll try to accommodate you together in the same property, but we can’t always guarantee this. You might like to consider booking your own accommodation if you’re part of a larger party to avoid disappointment.
What Are the Accommodation Cancellation Terms?
If you’ve asked us to book accommodation for you, this is regarded as a confirmed accommodation booking. If you change your mind, contact rooms@rabbies.com within 48 hours of making the request and we’ll cancel or amend your request free of charge.
If you change your mind more than 48 hours after booking the tour, this is classed as a cancellation and amendments aren’t guaranteed and may carry a surcharge. Please refer to our full terms and conditions.
Europe Tours Accommodation
When you’ve decided to hop on board a multi-day, small-group tour of Europe, accommodation is included in your package. This means you can relax every step of the journey knowing you have a comfortable bed to lay in each evening. Whether you’re exploring Portugal's villages, Spain’s palaces, Italy’s beaches, or Switzerland’s mountains, there’s an option for all. For our range of European tours, we’ve hand-picked three and four-star hotels in remote coastal villages, bustling towns, and mountain valleys.
The prices on our website are for all your European tour's accommodation and for the tour itself. So no worrying about extra accommodation fees once you’re abroad. Simply choose whether you want double rooms, twin rooms, or single rooms. The figure in the final tour price is based on shared accommodation. When you're booking your tour and select a single room, there will be an additional cost added to the price.