Skye's up there with island paradises

The Isle of Skye has been named as one of the top island holiday destinations in Europe - beating sunnier spots including Sicily and Hvar in Croatia.

The Misty Isle came eighth in the Top 10 European Islands category of US-based Conde Nast Traveller's 23rd Readers' Choice Awards.

Three Scottish golf hotels, The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, the Turnberry Resort and the Gleneagles hotel, were also named in the Top 20 European Resorts category.

And two Inverness hotels were placed int he top 20 best small hotels in Europe - the Culloden House Hotel at No 9 and Inverlochy Castle Hotel at No 17.

The Balmoral, in Edinburgh, was the only Scottish entry in the top 20 hotels of the British Isles, in a list that was dominated by 11 top London venues.

Shirley Spear, who runs famed The Three Chimneys on Skye, said it was a "stunning" win for the island for which tourism is such a major industry.

She said: "Everyone involved in tourism and hospitality on the island will be thrilled, and I'm very pleased to see that Scottish islands have not been left out of the picture.

"There's something for everybody on the Isle of Skye. It's a very romantic place to escape to and there's activities of all kinds.

"Although our weather is not always regarded as tremendous, even on a cold day, it can be stunningly beautiful with views to die for."

She added: "The other night we could watch the Northern Lights - you can't do that in Sicily."

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland said: "The results of this survey are fantastic news for Scotland, especially as they are voted for by visitors themselves.

"Skye plays a prominent role in our Meet the Scots campaign, a European marketing drive which is expected to generate 85 million for the Scottish economy.

"Having such high quality locations and businesses in Scotland is crucial to the success of our marketing of the country.Those campaigns in turn are vital to communities across Scotland, with just some of our key marketing campaigns generating 400m last year."

Tourism Minister Jim Mather added: "This is extremely welcome acclaim which recognises Scotland's standing as a world-class destination.

"I am delighted to congratulate the picturesque, evocative and timeless Isle of Skye and all those across Scottish tourism who have been highlighted as being among the best of the international travel community.

"This recognition will further boost the important contribution these resorts and businesses are making to supporting local communities and strengthening Scotland's economy."

More than 25,000 people voted in the Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards. The winners will feature in the November issue of the magazine.