The Inn Guest House

The reception was strange and we had to wait till 4 before we could check in. The room was cramped, but sufficient and clean. When we asked for an extra toilet roll (twice!) we got a very awkward reaction. Shona said that there was enough paper in the room but that some people prefer to have extra. She almost shouted at us when we wanted to go out for dinner without our dog. Breakfast was okay and she was very nice to our dog.

Great overnight stay, close to the ferry at St Margaret’s Hope and a short drive into Kirkwall Shona is a brilliant host and cooked us a lovely breakfast. Tazzie the dog was defo a plus point, an absolute bundle of joy who was clearly delighted to see us!

As the title suggests the breakfast and room cannot be faulted in any way for our 1 night stay. This is the good bit and I should start the review by stating this. Room was spotless and the bed comfy. Shower was excellent. Arrival / check in :- We were delayed by around 90 mins due to poor weather meaning the ferry docked later than planned. When we arrived no-one was around. Saw another guest who said Shona would be somewhere. Eventually after around 10 mins Shona arrived - not a great start and we were told that we were late to which I found it necessary to explain why. Next we were asked did we wish to settle up the bill now before even going to see the room. We agreed and then followed an issue with our card. I knew exactly why it didn't work (it was not a contactless card and the PIN was needed) and I tried to explain but clearly our host knew better. Finally the card was accepted and payment taken. By this time we were concerned we might be late for our dinner reservation in Kirkwall. Our host then went into another room - we waited outside for about 5 mins and I eventually knocked to check all was ok - our host said she was emailing us a receipt - this could've waited in truth and we just wanted our key (which she had trouble finding). Once we had it she was about to leave but I had to ask which room we had and where it was !! Directions were given and we went up to find our lovely room. By this point had it not been late and the fact that we thought other places may've been full so no rooms available we would've left without staying. Now we cannot be certain but a previous review from Jul 2021 suggested that our host may've had a drink or 2. We did both feel this may've been the case for us. On our return from dinner we were asked would we like to join our host for a wine - we declined thinking this may've lead to more than just 1. On going to our room we feared that breakfast might be a disaster but how wrong we were. We were greeted warmly and enjoyed a fabulous well-cooked spread - one of the best in fact. So in summary - great room, fantastic breakfast with a welcome the like of which we have never previously experienced.