New Website for Oban

In my role as chair of the local marketing group - OLTA - for the tourism industry in Oban I'm feeling pretty chuffed that our new http://www.oban.org.uk/ website is up and running. It's always been very popular but now the back end of the site has been redesigned so users can select not only the type of accommodation they wish to stay in but also refine their search by criteria such as: distance from Oban, star rating, wifi access, pets welcome, children welcome and disabled access.

OLTA has a new logo too - as you can see it's brighter, cleaner and more contemporary than our old one. The marketing group has a lot of exciting projects on the go in 2009. We are carrying out a re-branding exercise for Oban, which will be positioned as 'The Seafood Capital of Scotland'. We're running full colour half page ads in the Herald and Scotland on Sunday and rolling this programme out to regional papers in Newcastle and Yorkshire.

There's also other exiting projects underway in Oban which OLTA supports:

• Oban Bay Marine have full planning permission for their developement of a short stay marina in Oban Bay.


• Dunollie House has a major event planned for Homecoming 2009 and its Heritage Centre plans are well underway


• The new golf course development to the north of the town centre (between Connel and Oban) looks likely to go ahead


• The cycle route between Oban and Fortwilliam has many sections completed already and work is underway on joining the various routes up


• Oban Hogmanay's event was voted 3rd best in Scotland and is now a firm feature in the calendar


• Homecoming 2009 sees plenty of events and festival in Oban this year so check out their website for full details.

If you have not been to Oban for a few years you will see many changes for the better in and around the town. For that matter, if you have not been to Cologin for several years you will find us much improved as well. In this business, as in life, you can never afford to stand still - otherwise you go backwards!

Happy Hogmanay!

What a Hogmanay! The bonfire at Cologin was huge and with no wind and a lovely clear starry night (albeit very chilly) we brought in the New Year with flames, fun and fireworks. The Brass Monkeys played to a full crowd in the Barn and our 'Heath Robinson' extension provided extra space and room for the kids who could enjoy the music without coming into the pub itself. My dancing feet gave up around 4am but there were still plenty of folk around with more stamina bopping away when I left.

I blame my bout of flu but New Year's Day passed me by and for once I did not make it down to the point for the annual Glen BBQ. Such a shame as the weather was glorious - thick frost everywhere and lovely winter sunshine. In Oban. the street party went off without a hitch and my daughters report that numbers were around 7,000 so well done to the organising committee as there had been doubts that the town could support an event of that size. Having the Red Hot Chilli Pipers as the star attraction helped bring in visitors to swell the local numbers and with good weather the party certainly was a festive finale to the old year and a fitting start to the Year of Homecoming 2009.

It's now the 2nd January 2009 and a couple of chalets have already left with the majority departing tomorrow. We will then be very quiet for a few weeks - always a shock after Hogmanay with people everywhere. At least the weather has warmed up slightly as the clouds have rolled in this morning. It's still dry and the sky is still blue but I guess we won't see such heavy frosts overnight tonight. Now all I have to do it to catch up with the emails and bookings. A lot of our Hogmanay guests book for next year as they are leaving - which is lovely as we get to know them better each year. And that's one leaving now so I had better get back to work!

Happy Christmas!

Not a white Christmas but a great one all the same! We celebrated in the Farmhouse with the Mossman family from Lagnakeil and an enormous turkey. Still feeling full and today is Boxing Day. The Barn was busy with Christmas Lunches and the usual stream of locals popping up for a pint whilst the turkey cooked. Not sure what's happening next door in the Barn today as so far I have not managed to move from in front of the fire. Today is definitely one for rest and recovery. Tomorrow we are back in full swing as most of the Hogmanay arrivals are due in. Surprisingly we still have a lodge free - that's not happened in many years. I guess the credit crunch is responsible and no one can foresee what will happen in 2009 but we rather hope that we will fill up with Europeans enjoying our weak pound. With European holidays looking like being very expensive and people holidaying at home we may have a bumper year but there is just no way of knowing. We have held all our prices for 09 and in fact prices are cheaper having adjusted the VAT rate so we hope to be busy. Just now I am quite happy to have a few days peace and quiet before the mayhem and madness of New Year. Of course the internet means we are open for business 24/7 but that's the beauty of online booking!

Some of our guests are heading in to Oban for the 'Year of Homecoming' Hogmanay Street Party in Tesco carpark , but for most (many of whom have been coming to Cologin at New Year for generations) the bells will be brought in with our traditional bonfire and fireworks with live music supplied by The Brass Monkeys and booze supplied by the Barn. Hangovers are optional but a good brisk walk to the point at Loch Feochan usually does the trick on New Year's Day.

I am already looking forward to it and just in case I forget on the day itself - Happy New Year!

Winter is Here...

Wrap up warm if you are heading our way this week. Clear skies mean cold nights and whilst the main roads are well gritted the single track road into our glen requires care so don't speed! It's nice to see a bit of snow before Xmas. I can't remember a Christmas at Cologin when we haven't had a few flakes of the white stuff either before, during or after the turkey. I never make promises but my young neices assume that if they come to us for Christmas they WILL be building a snowman.

VAT change - new prices!

Following today's announcement of a new VAT rate of 15% until January 2010 we have adjusted our accommodation rates to reflect the reduced rate. Let's hope it does stimulate business and encourages more bookings! Don't forget there are reduced VAT rates for long stays so if you are looking for a winter let whilst up in Oban on extended business give us a call and we can discuss your needs. We're open all year round at Cologin and although the Barn runs on winter hours (open from 5pm Thursday to 11pm Monday during the winter and open every day and night throughout the Christmas school holidays) there are always folk around and about.

Perhaps you want to get away from it all - we may be only 3 miles from the hustle and bustle of Oban town centre but at Cologin you truly do feel as if you are in a rural idyll away from the crowds.

Spa Break

Just returned from a totally indulgent Spa break at nearby Isle of Eriska Hotel. Beppo's staff were wonderful and his lovely hotel justly deserves its five star status and reputation for understated luxury. With good company, superb food, a five star bedroom (with wonderful views) AND a relaxing ESPA hot stone body massage, swin, sauna and steam I have returned renewed, refreshed and reinvigoured -ready to face another week. We didn't see the legendary Eriska hotel badgers, but sitting in the bar after a fantastic dinner, sipping port and watching the snow gently falling outside the window was good enough for me. Slept like a log - surprised to find the gentle knock on my door was at 9am - I could have slept on. Breakfasted like a King this morning and pretended to swim it off in the pool. (It would take more than a few leisurely laps to work off black pudding, sausage, bacon, poached egg, tomatoe and mushroom. I should have stopped after the fresh fruit and yoghurt but how can anyone resist.) Got back to Cologin and considered the possibility of adding a sauna and steam room! Strangely enough Henry (who owned Cologin for 25 years before selling to us in 1999) had planning permission for a sauna - I guess that will have lapsed now but just might be worth having another look. In the meantime, guests here will just have to make do with our wildlife (loads of deer have come down off the hills to graze at lower levels this week), peace and tranquility. They can always pop into Oban and grab a sauna at Atlantis Leisure - I hear Oban Bay Hotel also does a very good massage in their Spa!

'Winter Warmers' - Special Offer and Price News

Book any property from now up to 20th December and get an extra night for free! Book online and add Winter Warmer in the booking notes and we will adjust your rate to give you 3 nights for the price of 2 or 4 for 3 etc. So far we have not been able to incoroporate this into our online booking system so you will have to bear with us whilst our computer boffs work on the technical stuff! The late booking discount is already in place if you do only want 2 nights but if you want to stay on an extra night please book the correct dates online (or give us a call on 01631 564501) and we'll do the rest.

You'll also notice that we are no longer charging for extra bed linen - we'd like to! It just all got too complicated. If you are booking to use the sofa beds we will provide the extra bed linen for free - if you don't book the sofa beds, bed linen is only provided for the main beds (and they will be made up for your arrival).

All prices have been held for 2009 and in some cases we've applied a 'credit crunch' beating discount on off peak weeks and even early summer.