In pictures: The luxury eco resort planned for Skye

It has been inspired by the luxury resorts of the Caribbean and Thailand - and will be built on the Isle of Skye.
The resort will be built on the old golf course at Portree. PIC: West Port & Company.The resort will be built on the old golf course at Portree. PIC: West Port & Company.
The resort will be built on the old golf course at Portree. PIC: West Port & Company.

Plans have been lodged to build the ‘luxury ecological resort hotel’ on the old golf course at Portree.

Spanning 52-acres, there will be 27 high-end pods clustered around a striking ‘hub’ where guests will check-in, dine, drink and relax by a real fire while enjoying the sweeping views.

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A Shetland pony is likely to be used to ferry the luggage of guests from their cars to the heart of the tourist haven.

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A sauna will be complemented by a Nordic-style plunge pool, which will be built to look like a natural pond set deep in the island landscape.

The proposals have been put forward by Charlie Garton Jones, 47, and his wife Miranda, who currently own the Cow Shed, a boutique bunkhouse in Uig, and an estate agent’s business in London.

Mr Garton Jones said: “If you go on holiday to the Caribbean or Thailand you don’t usually stay at a big block of a hotel. You will usually have the main reception block and then your room will usually be in a little thatched cottage down a little path.

“That is the kind of place we would like to bring to Skye.

“The reason people want to go to Skye is to be close to nature and the landscape but the pods will be extremely comfortable. They have under-floor heating and en-suite shower rooms.”

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Mr Garton Jones said the pods will be the equivalent of a four-star hotel room and set in a unique landscape.

”We first thought about having a donkey with panniers to help get the luggage from the car park but a Shetland pony would be better. Donkeys don’t like the rain,” he added.

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The developer said the resort would strike a balance between wildness and luxury to meet the finely-balanced demands of the modern tourist.

On the plunge pool, he added: “It will be like wild swimming and will allow guests to have this experience but without getting ill.”

Five extra pods will be built to house resort staff.

Mr Garton Jones added: “It can be very difficult for people working on Skye to get affordable accommodation.

“One of the problems, especially in the summer months,is that anyone with a spare room puts it on Airbnb.

“It’s hard to get anywhere on a long term basis. If you are employing staff, you have to try and house them if you can.”

Mr Garton Jones said he hoped to start building the resort in the summer, subject to planning permission being granted by Highland Council.

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He said he was keen to take advantage of the availability of trades people over the summer months with hopes to have the resort open by the following summer season, if possible.

The resort has been designed by West Port & Company architects.