By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
March 5, 2007
Who hasn’t dreamed of living in a castle? In the Orkney Islands, visitors can fulfill that dream by booking a night or two at Shapinsay’s Balfour Castle.
The price was do-able, too, with rooms starting about $175 per person for bed and breakfast.
According to its website, the castle …
was the creation of two distinguished men; David Balfour, the 4th Laird of Balfour and Trenaby and David Bryce, the pre-eminent Scottish architect of his generation and leading exponent of the Scottish Baronial style. It is a rare example of a calendar house originally planned with 7 turrets, 12 external doors, 52 rooms and 365 sections of window.
One thing I wasn’t fond of was all the decorative taxidermy, which gave me the creeps. But the rest of the decor was stately and lovely. The castle has been beautifully remodeled to include all the modern conveniences that travelers expect, while maintaining its historic charm. (The current owner gave us a peek at their own living quarters and noted that they wanted to upgrade their own living space, too.)
The on-staff chef serves up a proper delicious Scottish breakfast that will keep you full for hours.
And if you’d like to step out for a drink, the ground’s gatehouse has been turned into a neighborhood pub, where regulars congregate nightly. I stayed in our room to rest, while my husband stepped out to talk football over a pint. When the regulars found out he was from the United States, they took turns buying him drinks.
To Tip or Not to Tip:
Let’s face it: The United States is one of the most tip-happy countries in the world. You tip maids, servers and doormen. But when you’re in a foreign country, what do you do? The locals always will tell you if natives tip or not. I remember the Kiwis rarely tipped in New Zealand and then only if service was extraordinary. The policy also seems to hold true in the United Kingdom. Cheapskates on a budget may revel at not being expected to tip. But the problem is that while locals don’t expect tips from their fellow countrymen — or perhaps even from other Europeans — they’ve come to expect them from Americans, who tend to tip out of habit automatically. Just keep in mind the exchange rate when you’re tipping (or paying for anything for that matter). The British pound was worth almost $2 when I was there and I had to remember that a 3-pound tip was almost $6. No wonder the cab drivers loved me so much.
* Please note that prices change often, so contact the hotel prior to finalizing your trip.
Just the facts: Balfour Castle, Shapinsay, United Kingdom. [Update: Balfour Castle is no longer accepting guests and is being used solely as a private residence. I last checked in the summer of 2021.]
From their website:
Balfour Castle dominates the south west end of the island of Shapinsay. It stands proudly in front of a belt of woodland close to the shore, and is the first and last that visitors see of Shapinsay on the short ferry crossing from Kirkwall. Balfour Castle’s location is so prominent that it is clearly visible from the top of the tower of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
© 2007 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
