On Islay’s famous Whiskey Coast, in the fishing village of Port Ellen, overlooking the harbor and marina and just 2 hours by ferry from Kennacraig on the Scottish mainland, The Islay Hotel offers a...
Irene
United Kingdom
The staff were welcoming and helpful. The room was very comfortable and lots of extras to make our stay enjoyable.
Featuring a fitness center and a garden, Machrie Hotel & Golf Links is located just outside Port Ellen. This 4-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi.
Angela Barbara
United Kingdom
Very modern room in an excellent location. Golf was excellent. Views are stunning. Food is excellent. Staff are great.
Located in Port Ellen, No. 1 Charlotte Street has a garden, shared lounge, bar, and free WiFi. The rooms in the hotel are fitted with a coffee machine.
Grant
United States of America
Great location, beautiful views. Staff was super helpful and breakfast was delicious.
Glenegedale House offers accommodations in Glenegedale and is located 5 miles from Port Ellen and 6 miles from Bowmore. Each room includes a flat-screen TV.
David
United Kingdom
Breakfast was really great, welcome was also great. Overall, really nice. Beds were super comfortable. Location great, but would advise to guarantee an evening meal, as it's quite a treck to the nearest town. Common areas encourage mingling with fellow guests in a relaxing manner.
Lochside hotel is located in Bowmore and features a terrace. Featuring luggage storage space, this property also provides guests with a restaurant. Free WiFi is available.
Bridgend Hotel is offering accommodations in Bridgend. With free WiFi, this 4-star hotel has a garden and a bar.
Phyllis
United States of America
This IS the place to stay on Islay. Under the watchful eye of manager, Ian, nothing is left to chance. Breakfast and staff lovely, dining room beautiful. Centrally located, rooms well appointed and clean. Warm. Friendly and knowledgeable Ian is happy and available to answer all questions, make local suggestions and call other services on your behalf. Stay at Bridgend if you can! You won't be disappointed!
Within 15 minutes’ drive of 4 of the Isle of Islay’s whiskey distilleries, Skerrols House has uninterrupted countryside views and is just a 5-minute drive from the coastal village of Bridgend.
Christine
United States of America
Fantastic breakfast - the best in Scotland! So much attention to detail at this property, and the most comfortable beds! Super friendly and accommodating host. Beautiful grounds!
Featuring free WiFi, Port Charlotte Youth Hostel offers accommodations in Port Charlotte. Free private parking is available on site. Each room has a shared bathroom.
Lovely, small and scenic, set around a beautiful bay and...
Lovely, small and scenic, set around a beautiful bay and also with a ferry terminal (note, this was main reason I selected Port Ellen for the destination of my final 3 nights on Islay; unfortunately, just before the trip, CalMac had announced that all ferry trips to/from Port Ellen would be diverted for the period from early Sept through mid-November to Port Askaig (on the eastern side of Islay). Since traveling that direction via bus can have a more difficult bus schedule to coordinate with the early ferry (for connecting at Kennacraig on the mainland to bus to Glasgow), so I ended up booking a Loganair flight back to Glasgow for 9/28 to ensure getting there in time for my early a.m. long-haul journey GLA/AMS - AMS/SFO on 9/29.
In general the town has wonderful dining options, scenic walks, both a small Co-Op and a Spar as grocery options, fantastic aged stone buildings, and the paved whisky trail at the far end of town to get to Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg on foot or bicycle, and if you have the energy (and often good rain-gear), you can keep going a few miles further on foot to the historic Kildalton Cross and Chapel.
And I would be remiss to not mention the lovely flock of swans at the north end of White Hart Beach!!!
Sharon
10
Scored 10
The food at the Islay Hotel was superb and very reasonably...
The food at the Islay Hotel was superb and very reasonably priced. The service was excellent too. We also ate at the Seasalt bistro and this was nice too, slightly more expensive than the Islay Hotel.
If you arrive on a Monday like we did you may not be able to get into the Islay hotel unless you have booked in advance and the Seasalt is closed Mondays. We got a Chinese takeaway from Ellen's Wok - the food was good but we found the rice a bit stodgy.
The other thing was for 2 meals we ended up with 4 plastic take away boxes with lids and food remnants that we couldn't recycle. Apparently there is no food recycling on Islay at the moment which means that everything goes to landfill. However this should change in the near future. The litter bins in the street were full of everybody else's take away meals too!
My recommendation for food is to book in advance to avoid disappointment!
Helen
United Kingdom
6.0
Scored 6.0
Beautiful location for taking a break from busy life.
Beautiful location for taking a break from busy life. Amazing beaches and plenty space to enjoy quiet and tranquility. Not a great place for dining out surprisingly. We’ll stock stores though for anything you need.
Gita
10
Scored 10
Port Ellen isa very pretty and friendly village.There are...
Port Ellen isa very pretty and friendly village.There are not many dining out options available though. What's there is tasty. We had trouble with our ferry being cancelled, so would recommend not to make tight connections
krystel
Australia
10
Scored 10
Port Ellen is a wonderful place. A great beach.
Port Ellen is a wonderful place. A great beach. Just the right number of places to eat. It has a smashing traditional Pub called The Ardview where visitors can meet `The Locals` all in all a first class base to visit the rest of Islay.
Richard
8.0
Scored 8.0
Port Ellen is a tiny village on the south of Islay with a...
Port Ellen is a tiny village on the south of Islay with a mainland ferry port. However, sometimes the ferry is cancelled so be prepared to travel back up to the north of the island if this happens. The village is extremely picturesque but if you like hustle and bustle Bowmore is more touristy. However there are 3 main distilleries within a few miles and the beaches are superb. If going remember to take clothes for all seasons as in Scotland the weather can change in seconds, from a blisteringly hot day to freezing and wind-buffed. But scenery is out of this world.
The Hotel is marvelous and the Golf course absolutely pristine. But please do not come hungry between lunch and dinner service in the restaurant. Even though the hotel facilities menu states that there is room service available from 9am - 10pm. It does NOT exist. You cannot even get a sandwich between 3pm & 6pm. Nothing! Nada. They do not even answer the phones.
Quite disappointing seeing that this is a supposed 4-star facility.
Neil, Linda and Iona were the most lovely hosts! Neil gave us great advice on transport and the distilleries close by. The bedroom and bathroom were spotless and very comfortable. Brilliant breakfast prepared by Neil! One minute drive around the corner to the Port Ellen Ferry. Couldn't fault our stay! Will definitely be back!
Breakfast is amazing. In general, the hotel restaurant is really good, probably the best around the island (and certainly in Port Ellen).
The location is outstanding if you want to walk the three distilleries path and is close to Islay airport which is also convenient. Also two small supermarkets in close proximity.
Great view out of the bedroom over the bay of Port Ellen, clean room, nice bathroom and a lovely, freshly prepared breakfast by the host (at Trout Fly). Niall was an exceptional host, friendly and helpful. You can also park right in front of the property and there is a bus stop nearby.
Stayed at Cala Sith guest house right next to Port Ellen for 2 nights as a base for cycling on Islay. Hostess was genuinely warm and friendly. Facilities were excellent and 'breakfast room' so handy for making a cup of tea/microwave meal or simply to sit in and read.
Fantastic property. Great location. Comfortable beds. Loved the shower too. Great breakfast too. Bring your toiletries if you are particular about them. Walking distance to Islay Hotel and Sea Salt restaurant. Book the restaurants in advance due to Covid restrictions.
Central spot along the main road in Port Ellen. Owner was helpful in messaging early to recommend making early reservations for food/distilleries as most places were booked solid for dinner.
It’s a lovely hotel in a perfect location for smoky scotch. The Scottish breakfast was tasty and the room was comfortable. we really enjoyed our stay. Just remember to book dinner in advance.
Well-equipped kitchen with everything needed for cooking and cleaning. The property is well situated with a quick drive to Port Ellen and many of the distilleries on Islay.
Top Location on Islay. Near the Water, calm, everything possible on Foot (shopping, restaurant), even Laphraoig destillery (or Ardeg and Lagavulin in some time)
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