Standing Stones Hotel

We spent 3 nights at the Standing Stones Hotel and came away with mixed feelings about our stay. The hotel had only opened in April after a 2 year closure when clearly some refurbishment had taken place eg new carpeting. The entrance was not well signed and we entered into a very unwelcoming reception that was spacious but cold and sparse. The staff however were great, welcoming, friendly and very accommodating. Our room was spacious and well appointed, with a comfortable bed and super bathroom with corner bath and large walk in shower. We had a balcony overlooking the Loch but underfoot was covered in bird droppings and the chairs were very dirty and unusable. The evening meals were served in the bar which was newly furnished but very much a pub atmosphere. The meals themselves were tasty and well presented but it was a limited menu. The location of the hotel was very good being situated on the road between Stromness and Kirkwall and the views from it were excellent. If more attention was given to making the entrance and reception welcoming and comfortable we would recommend this hotel.

The hotel has recently reopened after a couple of years and new management is making every effort to breathe life into this lovely hotel perfectly situated on the shore of Loch Stenness. Indeed what could be better than a view of the Stenness Stones and the Ring of Brodgar from your hotel window? We dined in the bar twice and the food was excellent. Breakfast choice was expansive and catered for all tastes and appetites. We wish Isla and Heather and the team every success with their new venture.

The positives, good location, cosy clean room with nice decor and lovely view of Loch Stenness and Standing Stones. Unfortunately there was nobody at reception on arrival just a mobile number to phone which we did and the call went to voice mail. When someone did appear we did not receive a warm welcome. The cooked breakfast was very anaemic the bacon and sausage looked as if they had been steamed. The continental selection was adequate on the first morning, but on the second morning most things had run out and were not replenished !! Poor value for money. Would not recommend.

Staying for one night as wanted to take in the local sights The Standing stones, Ring of Brodgar and the Maeshowe chambered tumulus, room was quite nice but my travel partner asked for another towel to which it was no. After the restaurant closed there was no presence of staff in the hotel, no reception. The restaurant was very slow and seemed to only cater guests. The breakfast was very nice but we were off early. Was handy for the sights.

We had such a wonderful stay here whilst we were over on Orkney! Some of the reviews I have read absolutely don’t do the hotel justice - I have no idea how anyone can say anything negative about the staff, rooms or breakfast!! We arrived at the hotel later than we’d anticipated but the lady who checked us in (Lauren) was so lovely and was straight there to greet us when we arrived. I can’t comment on dinner as we’d already eaten before we arrived, but once we’d dropped off our bags we headed down to the bar for a drink. What was going to just be one drink turned into two and a bottle of wine, simply because of the wonderful Lauren behind the bar who chatted away to us and made us feel so welcome - she is a great person and was so funny and lots of fun to talk to! She even gave us some tips for the rest of our journey along the NC500 which was really appreciated! We were on the late side coming down for breakfast in the morning, but there was still a full cooked breakfast available (bacon, sausage, eggs, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes), as well as coffee, a range of fresh juices, cereal and croissants - despite the fact we only got down 2 mins before breakfast ended, the staff were extremely accommodating and offered us coffee etc straight away. Again, I have no idea how some people have complained about this in other reviews I’ve read!! The location of the hotel is great - we had left our car in Thurso and travelled across on the ferry. We were able to get the X1 bus from directly outside the ferry terminal which took us right to the hotel (probably a 2/3 minute walk from the bus stop), and the hotel is also located very close to the Standing Stones (1 mile walk) and the Ring of Brodgar (a further 1 mile past the Standing Stones). With the bus stop being close, it’s also really easy to hop on the X1 down to Kirkwall/ The Italian Chapel with very little fuss (though my advice would be to plan your journey in advance as the X1 bus only runs once per hour across the island). Overall I thought this stay was excellent value for money - the hotel didn’t cost too much for our stay and we couldn’t have asked for anywhere better to spend the evening/ night!

I thought we were going to have an excellent stay based on the our late arrival . The ferry did not get in until late and we couldn’t get to the hotel until about 11.30pm. The manager/owner heather had our keys to our room all ready and we went straight to our room . Room itself was nice as was bathroom however no lift and plenty of stairs to negotiate our luggage ! Breakfast was ok . The restaurant was shut as the chef was unable to come in so no dinner available and as hotel is not close to other facilities we had to eat before going back to the hotel . We came in on second day and asked when the bar was opening . Heather advised that it wasn’t and then had a change of heart and said that she could open it for us . She kind of made us feel unwelcome . I had to go and look for her so we could get a second drink so we left after that . .