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The Shore

3.0 star property
3-star hotel perfect for exploring Kirkwall

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for The Shore

Standard Double Room, 1 Double Bed
Property entrance
Dock
Premier Double Room | Bathroom
Double or Twin Room, Accessible | Bathroom

Reviews

8.2 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Bar
    Bar
  • Breakfast available
    Breakfast available
  • Housekeeping
    Housekeeping
  • Free WiFi
    Free WiFi

Explore the area

Map
Shore Street, Kirkwall, Scotland, KW15 1LG
  • Orkney Wireless Museum
    3 min walk
  • St. Magnus Cathedral
    5 min walk
  • Orkney Museum
    7 min walk
  • Kirkwall (KOI)
    6 min drive

Room options

View all photos for Double or Twin Room, Accessible

Double or Twin Room, Accessible

Double or Twin Room, Accessible

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Suite

Suite

Suite

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Premier Double Room

Premier Double Room

Premier Double Room

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Family Suite

Family Suite

Family Suite

  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Twin Beds and 1 King Bed

View all photos for Single Room

Single Room

Single Room

  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for Standard Twin Room

Standard Twin Room

Standard Twin Room

  • Sleeps 3
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Standard Double Room, 1 Double Bed

Standard Double Room, 1 Double Bed

Standard Double Room, 1 Double Bed

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed

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Parking included
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4.3 out of 5, Excellent, (142)
The price is CA $108
per night
CA $130 total
includes taxes & fees
6 Dec - 7 Dec
The Ayre Hotel

About the area

Kirkwall

Heart of Kirkwall.Within a 10-minute walk of the hotel, you'll find Orkney Wireless Museum and St. Magnus Cathedral. Orkney Museum and Earl's Palace are also within half a mile (1 km).

What's nearby

  • St. Magnus Cathedral - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Orkney Museum - 7 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Earl's Palace - 9 min walk - 0.8 km
  • Bishop's Palace - 9 min walk - 0.8 km
  • Highland Park Distillery - 2 min drive - 2.3 km

Getting around

  • Kirkwall (KOI) - 6 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪The Storehouse - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Trenabies - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Sunbean Coffee House - ‬8 min walk
  • ‪Skipper's Bar - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Empire Chinese Restaurant - ‬9 min walk

About this property

The Shore

3-star hotel perfect for exploring Kirkwall
Public spaces have free WiFi. You can enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge.

This 3-star Kirkwall hotel is smoke free.

  • 17 guestrooms or units
  • Breakfast available (surcharge)
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Storage area for luggage
  • No smoking on site
  • Bar or lounge
The Shore offers 17 accommodations with complimentary bottled water and hair dryers. LCD televisions come with digital channels.

Bathrooms include showers and complimentary toiletries. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is offered daily and irons/ironing boards can be requested. Housekeeping is provided on request.

Languages

English

Property amenities

Family friendly

  • Free cribs/infant beds

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free offsite parking within 66 ft

Food and drink

  • Continental breakfast available for a fee daily 7:00 AM–9:30 AM: GBP 17.5 per person
  • 1 bar

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • This property does not have elevators
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk

Room amenities

Entertainment

  • Digital channels
  • LCD TV

Bedroom

  • Bed sheets
  • Free cribs/infant beds
  • Heating

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower
  • Towels

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water

More

  • Desk
  • Iron/ironing board (on request)

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:30 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Contactless check-in available
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:30 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property ahead of time using the information on the booking confirmation
If you are planning to arrive after 9:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
  • Free cribs (infant beds)!

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Fee for continental breakfast: approximately GBP 17.5 per person

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a security system, and a first aid kit
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, debit cards, and cash. For guests' safety, the property includes a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, and a first aid kit in each accommodation.

National rating

This establishment has received its official star rating from VisitScotland, the National Tourist Board for Scotland.

Property is also known as

Shore Hotel Kirkwall
Shore Kirkwall
The Shore Hotel
The Shore Kirkwall
The Shore Hotel Kirkwall

The Shore Reviews

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 70 out of 152 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 47 out of 152 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 19 out of 152 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 152 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 10 out of 152 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

MARK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
wonderful, friendly lady on reception. Part now of Kirkwall Hotel which is very smart, and great food. Room in the Shore was very spacious. Staff helpful in general and perfect location.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

4/10 Poor

Rose, Brooklyn

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Hallways smelled terrible, window was stuck and I had to call front office to have someone open it, bedstand lamp flickered, I had to physically move the bed away from the wall as the bed frame was directly against the outlet and I could get to outlet to charge devices otherwise, the fire alarm went off shortly after 8:00 am on my first day off when I had hoped to sleep in - and I was told that ‘steam from someone’s shower will sometimes set off the fire alarm’ - I asked if an inspection would be made and was waved off, and on last morning when toilet was flushed it noisily ran and ran for over 10 mins, until I lifted the tank lid and jiggered the ball and placed a water bottle in the tank to float it until it could fill with water. Lovely staff, clean ‘to the eye’, but very poor condition of property.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

edward

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Very close to the cruise dock
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Miia

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Nice hotel on a central location. There were usually good, free parking places across the street. Our room had been recently redecorated. Plenty of hangers but the only downside was that none of the drawer units opened smoothly.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Richard

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Eunice

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

6/10 Okay

Andrew

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The hotel looks closed, possibly for a refit, though high season seems an odd time to do this. A small sign on the door informs guests that check-in is via the next-door hotel, which proved straightforward and friendly. The room itself was fine, clean and attractive and obviously quite recently refurbed/redecorated. Kettle, teas, coffee and biscuits were provided - though no milk. A ground-floor room, it was designed to be fully accessible, with appropriate clearance and an ensuite wet room with fittings adapted for wheelchair users. Access to the room was via a 20m lane off the main road, which looked a bit shabby but was convenient and proved surprisingly quiet. Unfortunately the decorative scheme chosen for the wet room was stained-concrete-effect. It looks terrible - hard to imagine why it was chosen. The effect was worsened by rusting on some of the fittings. But the shower was good, everything worked fine and nice toiletries were provided. Quite pricey for what it is but I know that Kirkwall is very busy in high season.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Glenda

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The reception lady was exceptional and went out of her way to provide great information and took the time to answer all our questions. Really exceptional highly recommend
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Megan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We enjoyed our stay at The Shore. Clean, comfortable and updated room. We had a few “learning curves” including discovering check in is next door at The Kirkwall Hotel. Also, we had to climb 2 flights of stairs through a narrow corridor to reach our room. Fine for us but may be a challenge for others. Also, there are very limited dining options -especially in the evening. Shops shut down around 5pm and if you don’t have reservations you have very limited choices to eat. Overall a great experience though!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Kimberly

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The staff was very nice and competent. Would go back
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

James

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Large clean room and close to everything.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

2/10 Terrible

Kelvin

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Kev

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Don’t let the outside of the Shore put you off, the rooms are fantastic and it’s obvious it’s been under restoration. Hopefully the outside gets a lick of paint next 👍
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

4/10 Poor

CATHY, Colchester

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Walked past the Kirkwall Hotel to get here only to find a note pinned to the front door of the Shore telling me to go to the Kirkwall to check in. Probably would have appreciated this in an email prior to arrival. Room clean. Terrible view. Plenty of teabags. Sadly this room (number 16) gave me one of my top 3 worst hotel nights ever. At 4.30 there was a noise of rushing water next to my room - super loud. I thought it was an early departer in the next room having a shower. However the rushing water and loud droning noise then just carried on about every 15 minutes or so until I had to get up anyway, so I don't think it can have just been an adjacent room. No sleep at all after 4.30 and the noise did drive me mad. Unacceptable to take money off people to sleep next to this row IMHO. Reception staff were polite but not very interested when I checked out. PS if the shower doesn't work you might need to pull the cord in the bathroom. I didn't know this, but a lovely friendly cleaner helped me when I couldn't work out why the 'on' button didn't work.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

john

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is on the water with easy access to the main avenue with shops and food options. There isn't a lift if you have an issue with stairs. Easy access to the towns sights, pubs and the staff was very friendly and helpful. We just needed to stay longer!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

6/10 Okay

Philippa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
In need of investment and more staff
Shown to our room by member of staff who was very pleasant & explained everything. We were in a front room with a view of the port which was nice. The room was modern & nicely decorated & the bed was very comfortable. The wooden blinds at the window did not reach the bottom as the strings were too short so we had to use a blanket to shut out some of the light. As a result it was quite light in the room all night. Breakfast was in the main Kirkwall Hotel a short walk away. Not ideal if it’s raining or freezing cold but thankfully it was fine both mornings. Our shower would not produce any hot water although we had hot water to the basin. Not a problem as we wanted to get out & explore anyway we thought it would be fixed by evening & we would just have a shower then.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Robert, Stamford

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Convenient location near the harbor, easy free parking and walkable to nearby restaurants and bars.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Margaret

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Appreciated nearness to northern islands ferries Reasonable value for money
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

william

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice stay in Kirkwall
A nice place for several nights in Kirkwall. Withing walking distance of shops and restaurants. Picked this place due to pickup for tour.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

John

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Stay in Kirkwall
I was a little concerned after reading some of the reviews. We found the complaints baseless. The Shore is an annex to the larger Kirkwall Hotel. Check in/out is handled at the Kirkwall. The room, while a little musty smelling until you open a window, was fine. It was immaculately clean. There was plenty of hot water, and the breakfasts were basic but tasty. I would stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Liliana

Travelled with partner
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
In the middle of the town. Very good
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Graham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Two night stay May 24
Were shown to our room, which is in an annexe to Kirkwall Hotel. Room was very spacious with comfy chairs overlooking Kirkwall Harbour. Comfortable bed also. Overall would recommend The Shore. Only downside for us was that the blinds in the window were a poor fit & let in a lot of light, but then we do prefer a dark room at night.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Frank

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023