Stopped in for a pint (8 of us) - clearly the bartenders have a problem with tourists. Stood in…read moreline for 10 mins and younger bartender kept serving locals and ignoring our group. We did not feel welcome. Will now spend less money here.

I can't believe there aren't more reviews of this place! The staff at the Ferry inn are absolute…read morepros. The tour company we used to ferry over to the islands, that also bussed us around seeing the sights for a couple hours, had a lunch voucher for this place. It was hard to pass up the discount, so we stopped in during our free time before the ferry back. The place was packed! The special must be on offer for multiple tour companies because it seemed to be overloaded with tourists during the typical lunch hour. But there was no wait to sit (at least when we arrived, can't speak for everyone) and our waitress was efficient and upbeat. The beer battered haddock with chips and peas was great. The batter was in perfect ratio to the fish and prepared well. We were happy to get some peas on the side -- a couple other restaurants in the highlands had different approaches that while good, left us wishing for peas! -- and the chips were some of the best we had in Scotland. All in all, we were very impressed with the quality provided from an establishment that could very easily get away with far less. *Visited in June 2015*

We stayed here for 4 nights in August and loved this place. The rooms were clean, the bed was…read morecomfortable, and the hotel was quiet. More importantly, the bathrooms had been updated recently, with a good shower and heated towel rack. My only complaint about the bathroom was that the hot water took a bit to heat up but it got plenty warm and had good water pressure. We also ate in the bar for lunch and at the restaurant for dinner. Both meals were excellent. The staff was very helpful, let us use left luggage when we arrived early and let us settle our bill the night before/gave us instructions for leaving our keys when we checked out very early. Location is convenient to buses at the visitor center and to the city center for shopping, sight seeing, and dining.

The shore provides some lovely rooms, a restaurant, a back bar and a bar open to the public. The…read morefood is always delicious, the staff friendly and everything is spotless. The bar is the only place in town where you can get a proper cocktail, which are always delicious. The interior is stylish, with leather sofas, a tv showing sports and a tempting display of bottles behind the bar. It is right by the harbour and open for lunch and dinner for food.

John o Groats is the furthest north you can go, it has a few touristy shops but the hotel itself is…read morebeing regenerated into a hotel with leisure facilities, you can also take boat trips just around the coast to see the local wildlife including puffins or a slightly longer trip over the water to Orkney

John o Groats is the northern most tip of the Scottish mainland. It is at the same latitude as…read moreJuneau, Alaska. There are several nice local gift stores and the ferry terminal to the outer islands. It is often cold and rainy but it is worth the trip. 5 Stars. By Gregg L. Friedman MD

The Pierowall hotel is famed for serving up the best fish in Orkney. When they say 'fresh' they…read moreliterally mean straight out of the sea. You can't beat it. It is situated on the Island of Westray, one of the bigger Isles off the mainland of Orkney. Fun piece of trivia: the shortest flight in the world (1 and a half minutes) runs from Westray to Papa Westray. Anyway, the hotel. The food is excellent, the service good and it has a great old fashioned feel to it. Definitely worth a visit if you are a foodie type.

There's a pub attached to the St Ola Hotel and if you walk through the bar area it takes you to a…read moresmall dining area (there's also an outside side entrance). Very straightforward, just a couple of booths and tables. We weren't terribly hungry so we got the soup of the day (Basil and Tomato), cajun fries and a very good Steak and Orkney Ale Pie. (Steak & Orkney Ale Pie £14.95 Orkney Ale Braised Beef Pie served with Mash Potato and Buttered Greens). The pie came with a massive but tasteless puff pastry topping and a delicious beef interior. My only complaint was there wasn't enough sauce, it was a little dry. I'd have asked for more sauce but the dining area wasn't really staffed well that night. The beef was memorable and delicious though. Quiet, even though the bar was busy, it was great for a quick, casual bite.

This review is for the restaurant at St. Ola Hotel. I came here for dinner with my husband and…read moreanother couple and our experience was not so great. My first impressions of the environment and ambiance were good. It was a pretty standard-looking pub. It looked like a chill environment. There were tvs and it was very relaxed. We sat down at a table and it took quite awhile before our server asked us if we wanted any drinks. My husband and I shared the "Orkney Farmhouse Crispy Cheese" as a starter. It was alright. It was nice that the cheese was local from the island, but other than that it wasn't too special. I tried to order the "Beef, Bacon, & Grimbister Cheese" specialty stuffed burger, but they were all out of it so I was bummed about that. I ended up ordering the "Ola Burger with Chili" and again, this was nothing special. I was starving but only finished half of my burger. It was just sort of bland and didn't taste very fresh. Our server never came by our table once to see how we were doing. We all had no water in our glasses for a long time. I kept trying to track down a server and no one was coming over. I was so thirsty that I eventually just walked all the way to the bar and asked if we could get a pitcher of water. She said yes, but then she continued to talk with her co-worker for awhile before she even thought about getting the pitcher of water. The prices were not bad. Overall, I was not impressed. We were all very chill about this because we were on vacation and just going with the flow, but I was pretty disappointed. I'm giving it 2 stars because the food was not the most terrible that I have ever had and the restaurant was clean, but the service was severely lacking.

Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. They totally scammed me. Ran my card and claimed it didn't work. Then…read moreI paid cash. $330+. Get a notice the next day that my card was charged. Was enjoying a lovely time in Scotland, and Kirkwall in particular...but this will change my outlook entirely. IN addition to the scam, the food was meh. Prawns were DIRTY. No follow up service.

A fantastic find! I don't want to leave. The staff, Malcolm and Paulina, are very warm and…read moreknowledgeable. Their service goes way above any five star hotel I've ever been in. The rooms are exceptional and beautifully decorated in eclectic antiques. The whiskey collection is an envy and the chef's dinner effort was amazing. Best of all, Archie, the adorable black springer poodle was an affable and charming host! Well worth the money and plan to spend some time enjoying the experience.