The Crown hotel is amongst the more popular hotels on the island. It is not as big as say the…read moreCabarfeidh or Cala but still offers a comfortable, affordable place to stay. They have a bar and dining room both of which offer lunch and dinner and the food is always delicious. They have a great chef. It is in the centre of town meaning you only need to walk a few minutes to the town. The downside would be at weekend as it's next to a few pubs and the busiest nightclub it can be noisy. However, this should not put anyone off!

Right in the centre of town this is one of the smaller hotels…read more This is the place that Prince Charles tried to buy a Cherry Brandy at the age of 14 :) Nice decor inside and staff are friendly and helpful. There's a great lounge bar and dining room with fab views over the harbour and the food and service is always great as is the price. Downstairs is a great wee public bar, but gets very busy at the weekends. It's location is also a bit of a downside as it's right on the main road through town and close to some of the busier local pubs so can be quite noisy at the weekends.

A warning to those with allergies/intolerances…read more I'll preface this by saying that I was not allergic/intolerant to the item that I requested was not included in my meal. In all honesty I'd just prefer not to have it. I've worked in a food service environment in the past and would not find this wholly unreasonable as it was basically a garnish to be added literally seconds before the dish was to be expedited rather than altering a major part of the dish. Around half-way through eating I found evidence that the item that I had requested NOT to be added to my order had, in fact, either been on the plate and pulled off at the last minute without the plate being changed or an incident of cross-contamination (both absolutely unacceptable in my opinion). Not a big issue for me, but for those with allergies or intolerances this is *completely* unacceptable. Like many people, I have less than 60 minutes to take my lunch break during work; I waited 10 minutes after being seated for my drink order to be taken and in total it took 40+ minutes from placing the drink order to my food being served. There was 3 other tables seated in the restaurant at the time so I'm not entirely sure what caused the delay in preparing a relatively simple (in my opinion) dish. I witnessed a table of 3 leave complaining about lack of choice on the lunch menu - 4 main meals in total and a few sandwiches that I disregarded because I wanted something cooked. There was a very unprofessional-looking notice on the door of the main entrance (a sheet of A4 paper haphazardly stuffed into a poly-pocket and sellotaped to the glass, saying that the Indian menu was not available at present). Note: it was not a server that took my order, it was the owner of the establishment. My drink order was incorrect but not way off so I didn't bother complaining. As previously mentioned I have worked in both customer service and food service environments in the past 15 years and do not feel that it is appropriate to hurl abuse to a customer-facing colleague about my true feelings when I know for an absolute fact that the individual colleague is not at fault at all. Perhaps it's the teenage retail worker in me that lies to the person asking me "was everything OK for you?", sighing and replying "yes" so as not to demoralise an innocent party and dampen their mood even further than I imagine the owner does already. Nobody needs that at work. A very minor point, but the pepper shaker at my table was cracked and leaking small grains. Again, a very minor issue but if the owner and senior management are willing to overlook this then I dread to imagine then major issues that they have been made aware of. EDIT: to the owner, I do not have to remain anonymous, should you wish to contact me directly I will tell you exactly this either over the phone or in person. Also, this being a small community I have word-of-mouth recounts from several acquaintances that have previously worked for you. I have decided not to post them here as they are not my personal opinion, but as you know, word spreads fast in a small community and from a first-hand view of the way I've witnessed you behave towards both customers and contractors in the establishment, unfortunately for you I am inclined to believe every word they say.

Tried this place for Lunch, nicely decorated thats about it! Food quality was rather poor and the…read moreservice even worse young girls not interested at all other than standing at the bar chatting with each other. A big let down as im sure the place has potential.

The Cabarfeidh Hotel is on the outskirts of Stornoway and is the hotel to stay in when visiting the…read moreislands. They recently redecorated their dining room and completely changed the lay out allowing more room in the dining area meaning you are less likely to bump into other patrons whilst moving between the tables. The rooms are beautifully decorated. Because the hotel is on the outskirts of town there is very little noise from traffic meaning a peaceful nights sleep. The hotel is an ideal location for weddings or other functions. Their staff are friendly and always helpful in meeting your needs.

The Caber is one of the main hotels on the Islands, just on the outskirts of the town it's far…read moreenough away from traffic to provide a nice peaceful setting. Rooms and the dining area have recently been refubished to a high standard which is fantastic as it was starting to get a bit dated. The hotel itself retains some nice features and is always a popular location for wedding receptions and large functions, staff are friendly and helpful though there's a fairly large turnover of catering/waitressing/other part time/low paid staff. There's also a public bar attached (as well as the private hotel bars) but it really needs updating as is very grubby and not great really! The caberfeidh is part of the same group (the cala group) as the other two hotels in town.

a little late writing this one (august stay)…read more The interior is dated and worn in places, BUT clean ! I had to wait quite a while for host to show up - i think this was more about covid protocols and not their normal way of doing business. but be aware - they are not always onsite. Basic hot pot with coffee and tea options. Room was small size, bed ok. Old furniture but everything was very clean and well maintained. I reserved ensuite but room wasn't working or something, so bathroom for room i was given was down the hall at the opposite end of room. Breakfast was a 'challenge". on site restaurant was closed. hours for local options were all wrong - not BnB fault, but take that into consideration if onsite meal is important. there is restaurant across the street but buffet is major part of meal service (no thank you during covid) or fried fish or very over cooked hamburger. Bathroom was clean, well appointed shower only. Lighting in room was ok - hard to use desk because it was stuffed between bed and wall, so i ended up sitting on bed to use natural light from window. Room was not what i reserved - some issue with the one i reserved - so i will chalk that up to maintenance. Nothing "bad" but nothing over the top "awesome" either. It is clean and basic. Very expensive for a basic room. You are 15 mins walk to the ferry - which was why i picked this location. There is a grocery store about 5 mins walk down the road. Plenty of places in town to eat but make your reservation for dinner (WEEKS) before you travel. there is no "walk-in" during covid -- even though window signs say it is okay - it just doesn't work.

The Park Guest House and Restaurant is a 4 star establishment. Only a few minutes walk from the…read moretown centre, it's ideally located as it's close to the town but far enough away where you won't be disturbed by noise. The road outside it is usually quiet on the evenings. If you are coming by ferry it's only a 5-8 minute walk or a 10 minute car journey if coming by plane. Their restaurant has one of the best chefs on the island. Many people tourists and locals come here for dinner as it's just delicious! Of course there are other places to eat, there's a great eatery across the road and the new Tesco's is a 2 minute walk down the road as well.

The Lewis has 2 parts to it - Lewis up and Lewis down…read more Its not the best place to go, upstairs gets far too crowded and you can't move, speak to people and struggle to get drinks from the bar at the weekend. downstairs is slightly better and is know for having live music on. It's a place to meet early on in the night for a couple of drinks before heading out to other places.

The Lewis is always one of the busier pubs in town and is also open on a Sunday…read more Upstairs is open at the weekends and is usually really busy with younger (late teens/twenties) clientele due to their being a pool table. The pub is very grubby feeling as are the ladies toilets (not a nice experience) Downstairs is usually packed with older regulars. There's a pool table downstairs too and they sometimes have live music on a Friday/Saturday night. Downstairs is also really grubby, the toilets too. And staff aren't always the friendliest either up or downstairs. Prices are comparable with the rest of town, but this is one place I like to miss on a night out.

Cala hotels was taken over by new owners a few years ago and completely renovated into the hotel it…read moreis now. Once known as the Seaforth hotel, the Cala Hotel is a very popular place to stay for bus tours and tourists alike. They offer affordable rates for a nights stay and offer a range of rooms from single to family. The rooms are spacious and kept clean. The staff are always on call to help. There is a restaurant downstairs called Eleven which is one of the best in Stornoway. They offer a carvery as well as many other items. Located just a few minutes walk from the town centre and from the ferry terminal it's a good place to stay while visiting the island.