The architect-owner of this sleek and serene hideaway started the trend for contemporary-twist-on-a-blackhouse buildings on Skye when she built her home here in 2008. It's now an occasional holiday let sleeping eight... Photograph: PR
Underfloor heating, solar panels and ultra-insulation make it green as well as chic. There are views of the Cuillins and over a sea loch to Rum and Canna.
• No phone, skyeshed.com. From £900 a week Photograph: PR
Overlooking Ornsay and Kintail, this turf-roofed, two-bedroom, two-bathroom hideaway in the south of Skye is one for nature-lovers. Sit by the woodburning stove and huge glass windows, or out on the wraparound decking, and spot dolphins and otters with no more effort than it takes to pick up a pair of binoculars... Photograph: PR
Sleeping four, it's walking distance from two local restaurants and a five-minute drive from Kinloch Lodge for a blowout.
• No phone, thecabin-skye.co.uk. From £950 a week Photograph: PR
From the fact that it was built for £120,000 to its green credentials – with a state-of-the-art Swedish waterless toilet, no less – and its snug reading space with views to the MacLeod's Maidens sea stacks, there's a lot to love about this open-plan bolthole in the west of Skye...
Photograph: Andrew Lee Photograph: Andrew Lee/other
Designed by local architect Rural Design to be as earthy inside as it is out, its particle board and plywood walls are left proudly unembellished. Sleeping four, it has a bedroom off the living area and a mezzanine bedroom above.
• 07891 199569, 15fiscavaig.co.uk. From £550 a week
Pets allowed. Wheelchair access
Photograph: Andrew Lee Photograph: Andrew Lee/other
Wallpapers fashioned from an encyclopaedia of trees, a stair runner made from Orla Kiely paper … if the retro interiors at this cottage look impeccable, it's because they're the work of a pro – upcycled furniture whizz Emma Whyte...
Photograph: shelldemar.com Photograph: www.shelldemar.com/shelldemar.com
Sleeping four and overlooking the Talisker distillery by Loch Harport, the cottage is a short walk from the village shop and pub and a slightly longer one into the Cuillins.
• 07970 700824, cottageguide.co.uk. From £300 a week
Photograph: shelldemar.com Photograph: www.shelldemar.com/shelldemar.com
Built to replace a ramshackle agricultural shed, this modern timber cabin is on a working croft overlooking Loch Dunvegan. If you want to watch hens pecking, geese gandering, Hebridean sheep roaming and Jess the Collie darting about, this is the place for you..
Photograph: James Ross Photograph: James Ross/PR
If you're lucky you might spot red deer, sea eagles, swifts and owls too. Sleeping two, it's cosy and rustic inside with simple, pine-clad walls, textured concrete floors and a gleaming industrial-looking steel kitchen (guests can help themselves from the vegetable garden, too).
• 0117 204 7830, canopyandstars.co.uk. From £550 a week
No kids. Wheelchair access Photograph: James Ross /PR
Originally a church reading room, Tigh Nighean Bhan is a restored blackhouse with whitewashed walls and thatched roof. Slate floors, tweed curtains, sheepskin rugs and antiques keep the decor attuned to the structure, while luxuries include a freestanding bath and a kingsize bed... Photograph: PR
Sleeping two, the cottage is near Uig on the Trotternish peninsula, handy for the Old Man of Storr, the Quairaing rock formations, and the Glenview restaurant.
• 01456 486358, wildernesscottages.co.uk. From £540 a week
No pets allowed Photograph: PR
This outwardly shed-like building has been clad in larch to blend in with the rugged surroundings. Sleeping four, it's a comfortable, contemporary place to stay, and with owners who run an interiors store in Edinburgh, it has stylish furnishings, too... Photograph: PR
Dunvegan Castle is a few miles away, and the lochside property has one other key feature: it's only a few minutes' walk from the famous Three Chimneys restaurant.
• 01456 486358, wildernesscottages.co.uk. From £565 a week Photograph: PR
One of a new breed of adaptable homes that can be built cheaply and quickly, An Airigh is a modern interpretation of the old shielings used by farmers and shepherds when cattle were moved to high pastures during the summer... Photograph: PR
Soon to be seen peppering the wilds of Skye and the Hebrides, this one is a typically striking black box. Sleeping two, it has a long glass wall, a sea-facing terrace, underfloor heating and a neat kitchen and shower room.
• 01470 511483, anairigh.co.uk. From £625 a week Photograph: PR
Two minutes' walk from the sea, this four-bedroom cottage between Portree and Dunvegan sleeps seven. It's part traditional whitewashed croft house, part modern showhome...
Photograph: PR Photograph: pr/PR
It has open fires, a Rayburn and a garden with a small stream and a swing; a contemporary kitchen extension and a white-tiled bathroom add modern style. The surrounding fields have a wild edge, while big sky views of the outer isles are part of the attraction. Go seal spotting, collect shells or order local, hand-dived scallops for dinner...
• 01865 552934, 6knottskye.co m. From £400 a week
Pets allowed
Photograph: PR Photograph: pr/PR
There was one rule when the owners of this newly renovated cottage on the Waternish peninsula briefed their architect: the red roof had to stay. And it did, albeit as a leak-free modern replacement. New windows were added, as were two bathrooms, a woodburner, underfloor heating and Ercol furniture... Photograph: PR
Now sleeping four, it has wonderful views across Loch Snizort and easy access to three of the island's dark-sky discovery sites. The Stein Inn and Loch Bay restaurant are a 25-minute walk away.
• 01456 486358, available to rent from April 2014 via wildernesscottages.co.uk. From £695 a week Photograph: PR
