FAQs
What is the minimum stay?
We usually have a 2-night minimum stay.
Saying that, where a night falls between two other bookings, we’ll open that up as a single night stay.
(These are very rarely Friday or Saturday nights, as these days typically book as 2-night stays first)
We usually have a good few single night stays available at any one time, usually in the upcoming months as calendars start to fill up, so best thing to do is take a look at all eight cabins’ availability calendars.
Each single green date between red dates is an available single night.
Do you sell gift vouchers?
We sure do! Head over to our Gift Vouchers page for everything you need to know and to buy.
Where are you located?
You’ll find our unique cabins in Millport, on the Isle of Cumbrae – only 1.5 hours from Glasgow.
Our site is located on College Street; a short stroll from Millport town and seafront.
The island is only an 8-minute ferry journey over from Largs on the North Ayrshire coast. Here’s how to get there.
What are your check-in and check-out times?
Our check-in time is from 4pm on your arrival date and check-out is by 11am on your departure date, so enjoy that lie in!
If you plan to arrive on the island earlier than 4, feel free to drop in your car or bags at our reception (i.e. ‘The Stable’) and head out to explore the island – we’re a short 5-minute stroll into Millport town.
Daniel, Adam or one of the team will be there until around 4-4:30pm. If you arrive later than this, no problem! – You’ll be good to self-check in any time with your key lockbox code, sent the day before arrival.
On check-out, just fire your key back in the lockbox, and you’re good to go!
What is your cancellation policy?
Bookings are fully flexible up to 14 days before arrival ✅
From 4pm, 14 days before arrival, bookings are non-amendable/cancellable.
This is to protect the business against last-minute cancellations of date(s) previously reserved for a period of time, which will then have a low chance of rebooking with short notice. And, out of fairness to housekeeping staff already scheduled, and local produce suppliers already ordered from. See full Cancellation Term.
In the unlikely event of ferry cancellation, bookings will be rescheduled. See full Ferry Cancellation Term.
Adequate UK travel insurance is essential for your booking in the event of an unexpected change in your circumstances within 14 days of arrival. “Surely I don’t need travel insurance for a holiday in Millport?” – See Travel Insurance for a UK Holiday.
Do you have on-site parking & EV charging?
Yes, plenty parking!
The Birdbox, The Jungle and The Reef have a parking spot next to their terrace entrance.
The Hive, The Woods and The Summit have a parking spot 20-meters from their terrace entrance.
The Canyon and The Meadow have a parking spot 30-40 meters from their terrace entrance.
We also have 4 spaces in our main parking area at the site entrance.
We have 4x Type 2 EV chargers (7.4kW) available at the main car park. £0.40 connection fee & £0.30/kWh.
No app required – ‘check out as guest’ available via QR code. Connekt Charging App optional.
Check out all of the island’s EV charging facilities on Zapmap.
Do you welcome dogs?
Absolutely! We love dogs 🐶
We have a fox red lab (Rudi, 12) and a mini dachshund (Honey, 4) ourselves.
The Hive, The Woods, The Reef, The Birdbox, The Summit, and The Meadow are dog-friendly (+£25) (2 max*). The Jungle and The Canyon are Pet-free.
We’ll pop a dog pack in your cabin with water bowls, poo bags, a dog towel, and a wee treat!
We are delighted to be partnered with the Scottish SPCA 🏴 – supporting Scotland’s animals by donating £1 for every four-legged guest we have at Jack’s Alt-Stays. You can read more about the amazing work they do here.
*We have a 2-dog max recommendation due to the cabin interior space, especially if they are medium or large dogs. If you have 3 wee ones, reach out and we’ll see what we can do 🐶
How do the hot tubs work?
All five cabins have a traditional Swedish wood-fired hot tub on their terrace. We say ‘wood-fired’… We actually use briquettes sustainably produced in Girvan from Forest Standard-accredited forests in the UK and rejected timber from sawmills. They are Clean Air Act compliant, Ultra Low emissions and 100% sustainable.
When you arrive at your cabin, your hot tub will be squeaky clean, filled with water, and you’ll have all of the tools, eco-firelighter, kindling, and briquettes you need to get that fire going.
You’ll have an easy-to-follow hot tub safe use guide, which you must read before you get started, and we’ll be on hand or on the phone if you need a hand.
Please note it takes around 2.5 – 3 hours to heat up your hot tub to a welcoming +39°C!
Some people enjoy the experience of building the fire, but if you’d rather leave the hard work to us, you’re in luck – We offer a paid ‘Hot Tub Butler’ service as an optional add-on, where we’ll get the tub cosy and ready to jump right in on your first night!* (If you think we’re dressing like Jeeves, think again.)
Around 50% of bookings add this optional extra.
*Details at checkout. For your first night, but give us a shout the next day and we’re happy to get that fire going again!
What should I bring?
✅ Do Bring:
– Yourself (important)
– Your travel buddy(s) (optional)
– Swimsuit/trunks (+ flip flops recommended)
– Toothbrush & toothpaste
– Ingredients to cook up a storm (or not! Plenty of great local food options)
– Refreshing beverages for the hot tub (because… hydration is important)
– Good vibes
❌ No Need to Bring:
– Bad vibes
– Towels, facecloths & bath robes
– Pillows, duvet & bed linen
– Hand wash, shower gel, shampoo & conditioner
– Hair dryer
– Toilet roll & sanitary products
– Kitchen roll
– Tin foil
– Bin liners
– Pots, pans, and all cooking utensils; from measuring jugs, scales, a pizza board and cutter, to whisks, cheese grater, garlic press and even a potato peeler! (…and many more)
– Crockery, mugs, glassware & cutlery
– Olive oil, salt & pepper
– Washing up liquid, sponge & cleaning kit
– Everyday tea, decaf tea, earl grey tea, green tea
– Organic freeze-dried coffee & decaf
– Hot chocolate, sugar, sweetener, biscuits & GF biscuits
– Milk & orange juice (free to ‘add on’ while booking)
– Fun & unique games
– Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, YouTube, iPlayer, STV Player, ITVX, STV, C4, or C5 log-ins
– Lighter, firefighters, kindling & briquettes
– A car (optional – super easy to get to us by bus or bike)
How are the cabins eco?
Creating an environmentally sustainable business has been our goal since day 1. It’s in our Founding Values.
The Cabins have been built locally from sustainable materials, and are powered by 100% renewable energy, primarily self-generated by our own solar panels.
We also have a tree planted for every booking made, through our partnership with Ecologi.
Here’s our Climate Action Plan.
How many people do the cabins sleep?
Our cabins are perfect for couples and small family groups, looking for a unique and relaxing island escape.
Each Family Cabin – The Hive, The Birdbox, The Summit & The Canyon – sleeps 2-4 people (usually max 2 adults*). Children and infants go free.
Each Couple’s Cabin (The Woods, The Reef, The Jungle & The Meadow) sleeps 2 people.
For infants in family cabins, we can provide a cot, all bedding, and a high chair, free of charge (Please request this at the time of booking).
Unfortunately, we don’t accept large group bookings such as stag dos, hen dos, groups of adults, or similar guest parties. See our ‘Group Bookings’ term here.
*As standard, we have a max 2-adult policy in our family cabins. This is to protect the calm, quiet, relaxing environment we intend for all guests on-site. If you would like to book with 3 or 4 adults, and can guarantee consideration of other guests on-site, please reach out.
Are your cabins and site accessible?
We’ve worked closely with the architects, builders and accessibility campaigners to ensure our site and cabins meet the accessibility standards of Building Regulations.
We have one designated accessible cabin with a flat-entry threshold, disabled parking space, and a solid, low-gradient paving surface from the street and car park to its flat-entry threshold (no steps). This cabin and terrace has additional space to manoeuvre, a wide low threshold shower and many other accessibility features.
Please see our ‘Jack’s Alt-Stays Accessibility Guide’ for all information on accessing our site and cabins.
I still have a question.
No problem! Happy to help.
Give us a shout on 0141 4881 559 or email at [email protected].