This review is for the hotel's bar area only. We actually did not stay here, as we were already staying at a different hotel.
We went to The Islay Hotel's bar for a few drinks while waiting for our reservation to become available at a seafood restaurant right across the street. We had gotten there an hour ahead of schedule after walking back into town from a distillery. The bar area, which is separated from the actual restaurant, wasn't at all busy so we were seated right away. It was this exact location where I learned that apparently all restaurants in Scotland don't allow carry out service on Sunday's.
I think this was the first time I've had coffee and an alcoholic drink at the same place at the same time, which is a little unusual for me. The three of us had a cup of mocha first, with my parents eyeing the amazing coffee machine that they had at the bar. After we finished our coffee, we moved on to their alcoholic drinks, where I had their Inch's Apple Cider and my dad had their Belhaven Best Amber Ale. I've been on the mocha/cappuccino train during this entire trip and the mocha I had here was really good.
The Apple Cider, which was made with real British apples, was excellent. Apple Cider is one of my favorite alcoholic drinks, so this really hit the spot. I didn't get the chance to try the Belhaven Best because I'm not the biggest fan of dark beers, but my dad said that this was one of his favorite beers so far during this trip. I'm happy that we got the chance to hang out at the bar here before heading back to the restaurant for our scheduled reservation, rather than waiting outside in chilly, windy weather. read more