8/10 Good
JULIAN
15 Oct 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Central, Convenient, Friendly
This was night four of my Inner Hebrides holiday on the MV Hebridean Princess. Night 4 on a long very long journey from the south coast.
The hotel is imposing, central, very convenient for the railway station, the ferry port and the town centre. It is a "grand" hotel in the tradition of Victorian grand hotels.
The staff are friendly, helpful & knowledgeable and gave me the advice I needed.
Not withstanding I'd booked in March, I was up on 5th floor in a room which was fine for one night but might have become a little claustrophobic after a few days. But it had everything I required, the bed was comfortable, the bathroom clean ( if lethally slippery with its glazed ceramic tile floor) It had a desk, a window which opened, WiFi and a TV. The furniture does look like it was purchased in a 1950s auction, but it works. Given the slightly "tired" appearance of the hotel I fully expected to find a Gideon's Bible in the bedside drawer.
Supper was a mistake, it was all a bit burghers or spag.bol. or scampie/lasagne/ mac.cheese & chips and the choice of beers was limited to cold lager, cold Guinness or chilled John Smiths, probably the world's worst bitter.
In the morning I took one look at what was on offer for breakfast and stuck to toast, marmalade & tea.
It's clearly a very popular, friendly & successful hotel which merits a solid FOUR.
It just needs a more imaginative menu, a good range of Scottish real ales, a bit of a brush up and thicker walls between rooms.
JULIAN
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2024
