Found this little gem as we were driving across Orkney. It's easy to find, park, and has an…read moreinviting dining room with a big bay window. There were but three empty tables when we came in for lunch. The decor is part bar, part restaurant with letter stools and banquettes that are clean, and comfortable. It seems to be a spot for people who like to fish, with a few fine specimens mounted on the wall, and an art piece of tied flies (surprising delicate and beautiful; I would bite on these). The grab-a-menu-from-the-bar menu is large, and offers conventional Scottish cuisine of fish, and meat, tatties (potatoes), and salads/vegetables. You order at the bar. They tell you to give them 30 minutes to prepare each meal to order, but ours was out in 15. And it was some of the best food I've had in Orkney. All three kinds of potatoes (!) were tasty. We both had slow-roasted pork with apple sauce and it was tender and delicious, with a light gravy on top. There were also steamed vegetables, and they were as expected. Each plate cost thirteen pounds, which seemed more than reasonable for the quality. Service was minimal but just right. Loved this find. Pro tip: Kitchen closes at 2:00 pm.

A stunning location especially if you are a fisherman :-)…read more Food is excellent and the resturant is well worth a visit. Accomodation is a little tired but the staff are very helpful and friendly.

Sands Hotel provides a perfect, secluded base from which to explore Orkney. While the village of…read moreBurray doesn't offer the amenities of Stromness or Kirkwall, it offers instead quietude and charm. Sands Hotel is prettily situated on Waterside Bay along Burray Harbour. Each of the six ensuite rooms overlooks the water and the folksily painted fishing boats in dock. We were fortunate enough to book the Waterside Suite which provided more than enough space and sleeping accommodations for five, as well as a kitchenette. The rooms were comfortable, modern and clean. Breakfast (ample and delicious) is included with the price the room as well, served in the hotel's ground floor restaurant. Evenings, the restaurant's bar fills with colorful locals enjoying a beer or a game of snooker. It's a convivial place to partake in a dram of Orkney Scapa whisky or a pint of the iconic Dark Island Scottish ale from the Orkney Brewery. Kirkwall may be livelier, but there's something to be said for the peace and solitude provided by Sands.

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.

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.

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*