To tour the Skye and Lochalsh area, any base close to the A87 gives easy access, since it is the main road running through the whole area:

from Loch Cluanie to Shiel Bridge, through Inverinate to Dornie, Balmacara, Kyle of Lochalsh and then from the Skye Bridge & Kyleakin through Broadford, Luib, Sconser, Sligachan on to Portree & finally Uig.. The benefit of being located close to the A87 is primarily accessibility.

There are plenty of smaller communities that are equally close to these larger villages, which although strictly speaking are not on the A87, are certainly just as easily accessed!   It is easy to tour the south of Skye from the north and tour the north of Skye from the south - tourists have many accommodation providers (across the whole Skye & Lochalsh area) to choose from, ranging from campsites, hostels, small B&Bs, guesthouses, restaurants with rooms, small hotels, boutique hotels & larger hotels.

Touring the central/north end of the island, bases could be Sligachan, Portree, Dunvegan, Struan, Staffin, Uig, Stein, Edinbane.

Touring the central/south end of the island, bases could be Sligachan, Luib, Sconser, Broadford, Waterloo, Breakish, Kyleakin & anywhere along the A851 (road leading down the Sleat Peninsula to Armadale). 

For those wanting to tour some of the Wester Ross/Lochalsh area as well as Skye (eg. Glenelg, Applecross, Plockton, Eilean Donan Castle etc.), then perhaps being based nearer the bottom end of the island - Broadford, Breakish & Kyleakin or alternatively, Kyle or Plockton, just across the Skye Bridge on the mainland (note the Skye Bridge is now toll free), might be an option.

Driving Travel times:

Plockton to Kyle (mainland) - 10 mins (single track with passing places) 

Kyle (mainland) to Kyleakin (Skye) - 5 mins across the Skye Bridge

Kyleakin to Broadford (8 miles) - 10 mins

Broadford to Armadale (17 miles) - 20 mins

Broadford to Sligachan (17 miles) - 20 mins

Broadford to Elgol (14 miles) - 30 mins (single track with passing places)

Sligachan to Dunvegan (23 miles) - 25 mins

Dunvegan to Portree (22 miles) - 30 mins

Sligachan to Portree (9 miles) - 10 mins

Portree to Staffin (16 miles) - 20 mins (sections of single track with passing places)

Staffin to Uig (via Duntulm) (17 miles) - 30 mins (single track with passing places)

Staffin to Uig (over Quiraing) - 20 mins (single track with passing places)

Uig to Portree - 16 miles (20 mins)

These times should give an idea of distances/times from most main points on the island.   Remember some distances take longer to drive than they look like they should (eg. Broadford to Elgol) simply because they involve single track roads. Basically, any other roads, branching off from the main roads metionned above, do reduce to single track.