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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
