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.

Very much a dump. The rooms are loud and the bed is like a board. Bathrooms are dark and very…read moresmall. You need a step stool to get in and out of the shower. Breakfast was below average. Avoid this place.

We came to Kirkwall to tour the lovely island of Orkney. The Ayre is on the main drag of town,…read moreparking in the front and more in the back. The registration is adjacent to the back door, the front is entries to the pub and dining room. The employees were pleasant and we were into our room quick enough. The room is beyond several fire doors, was kinda fhnny, so many doors, but it's a good thing. The room was adequate, clean, and comfy. The bath was nice, a great shower....ahhhh. The restaurant was lovely, nice draught of local beer, ample wines I think, and a good menu. The breakfast is in a large back hall, buffet of Scottish breakfast. The location to touring is fine as well. I enjoyed the harbor and the back streets for walking.

The Albert Hotel is a delightful guest house in the centre of Kirkwall. It has plenty of character…read moreand smart rooms newly refurbished to a very high spec, cracking Orkney breakfasts with plenty of choice for vegetarians too, and inexpensive metered parking alongside. There was free wifi throughout the hotel and our room had a flat screen tv, a proper hairdryer and one of the most comfartable beds I've slept in. A lift to each floor came in handy when we had cases in tow. The welcome was warm and staff went the extra mile to ensure our comfort. The Bothy Bar at the front of the hotel was warm and cosy with a nice selection of drinks and a homely vibe. The Bothy was also very popular with the locals and was a good spot to wind down and relax after a day of sightseeing. The meals served in the rear bar weren't amazing, and the dried out Hunter's Chicken had seen better days, but everything else about The Albert Hotel was pretty darned perfect. The tea and coffee making tray was generously replenished daily with the makings for multiple cuppas, and some very nice shortbread. We also got a bottle of water each every day. Its those little touches that make a place special. We'd come so close to not staying in Kirkwall, frightened off by hotels where woodchip wallpaper, swirly-whirly patterned carpets, chintz curtains and migraine-inducing bedspreads were a feature. So glad I persisted in my search for somewhere smart, fresh and clean with all mod cons. Mind you, there's not much competition when it comes to Hotels in Kirkwall - there just aren't that many of them. If you want to visit in high season, be prepared to splash some cash! Highly recommended.

I would've given this a much higher review but the music thumping all night long was beyond…read moreannoying. Trying to get restful sleep was virtually impossible. It's a shame that hey allow the bar to get so noisy. The hotel was clean and comfortable but good does that do a guest if they cannot sleep?! Wouldn't recommend this hotel if you want to sleep peacefully. A big letdown.

My travel companion and I were on a walkabout of Kirkwall and decided we were in need of a…read morerefreshment. We stepped into the Kirkwall Hotel Bar and were very pleased with the ambiance. We debated what to order and the bar tender (Kelvin maybe? such a great gentleman) - suggested trying some local gin.

We really came here solely for the 8 pages of Highland Park scotch they have at the bar and did…read morelunch at the same time to avoid being too tipsy and feed the kids. My wife and I are huge scotch fans and we really wanted to do a Highland Park tasting, but there was no way to do that with our kids. The distillery instead pointed us here, where they supposedly have the biggest selection of Highland Park scotch anywhere in the world and I believe it because they had 8 full pages. We wound up tasting our way through a relatively expensive collection of six different selections going as far back as 1973, which was awesome to do. That said, it was a bit disappointing because we basically had to do the selecting entirely on our own. I would have expected somebody there to be able to help some with what we might like given how extensive their collection is. Also, there were at least a few times where what we asked for wasn't available anymore. We still had a great time drinking very good and rare scotch. Beyond the scotch, the food was good, if not exceptional. My wife and I both got salads we enjoyed and finding a good salad with vegetables in Scotland isn't always easy. Our kids didn't really eat the mac and cheese, but that's sort of par for the course with them. The ambiance with the view of the bay and a very fancy dining room was actually quite nice. The only real downside (beyond wishing there was more Highland Park scotch expertise) was that the whole hotel filled up with people from the cruise ship in the harbor pretty soon after we sat down, which then resulted in very slow service for a while.

A part of my heart will always be in Kirkwall and the Orkney Hotel…read more I was there under unusual circumstances, and the kindness and professionalism these people showed me were simply unbelievable; I will always be grateful. The hotel is quirky because it is an old and extremely charming place. The food, the pub, and the room were outstanding. The location couldn't be better. Please book a room there only if you want to be surrounded by kind, friendly folks, sleep well in your comfy bed, wake up to a lovely breakfast in the bright and beautiful room looking out onto the garden, and enjoy all this amazing town has to offer. I will definitely be back, I wouln't miss it if I were you!

The Orkney Hotel (or Royal Hotel as it used to be called) can be a bit hit and miss for food. I've…read morenever stayed there so can't comment first hand on that, but do know several other people who have stayed there who would happily stay there again, which is generally a good sign. The bar - the Wild West Saloon - is popular and gets very busy at weekends. There's quite a good atmosphere there, and a good range of beers available. The restaurant is the bit that can be hit and miss. It's a little pricey - and for those prices you'd expect quality all the time, not just some of the time. Sometimes the food can be fantastic but the service very slow. And other times the service can be great and the food less so - such as puddings with what was supposed to be a caramelised topping which turned out to be about 6 teaspoons full of sugar!! Now I like sweet things, but really..

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.

DONT ORDER A HALF PORTION. Everything seemed fine at first,…read moreoutside of the Christmas menu on the front door in August and the crazy classical music playing. We were soon taken aback when my friend asked if they would do a half portion of lamb and potatoes. The waiter groaned loudly, glared at her, but agreed. When I asked for a half on my order of fish (the plates looked huge) he rolled his eyes snatched our menus and left. The food wasn't cooked to its best, nothing ghastly, but my fish was maybe a teeny, 4 bite filet, and on one side the edge was torn like it had been knawed on. Our boiled potatoes were still crunchy as well. I believe The original price was 11.85, and we were charged 8.85. Pretty high price for a teeny mangled fishy and rude service. (note:the young woman bringing our food seemed pleasant enough and the tables beside us had lovely looking dishes and desserts)

This is a rather fun and unusual hotel. Run by two gentlemen, it is best for seasoned travelers…read morewho love meeting people along the way and are happy to adjust to local ways. The building was originally built as a hospital, so there are lots of odd twists and turns. We had a lovely large room on the second floor. The dining room/bar/restaurant was a little pricey, but had some of the best cuisine we encountered on our trip -Leisurely service, cooked to order food, so expect to be there a while. Breakfast downstairs in the morning was full of options. We were there off season, so it was quiet and most all the guests were American. We had a great time chatting with others as well as the proprietors over breakfast.