Standing Stones Hotel0

Rooms clean, breakfast ok. Location good for standing stones and ring of brodga. Quiet. The few staff that we met were courteous.

We assume that Due to lack of staff the hotel was unattended for most of the day The hotel is not very well sign posted, it may need a sign on the other side of the road. The communal areas, particularly the stair well was shabby and the windows were not clean. When leaving the hotel from either drive way it is hard to see up or down the road as the hedgerow is overgrown, dangerous when pulling out.

It may sound picky as our stay was very adequate, but that is it. It was adequate and yet the location should have made it excellent. They could have made more of the location and views, however, the latter was spoilt a little due to the car park at the back and the container style new buildings. The en-suite was better than we expected, but this was let down by the lack of shampoo. A better selection of teas/coffees in the room would have been nicer. All of that being said, we had a good stay.

Breakfast could have been better, the croissants/pain au chocolat were nice enough and this is just being picky, but they could have been fresher. The cooked breakfast was okay but was under the heat lamps a little too long, The eggs could have been freshly cooked. None the less we were not left wanting.

The hotel is very close to several of Orkney's famous neolithic sites - the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stennes, Barnhouse neolithic village and Maeshowe. Indeed, I walked in the evening from the hotel to each of these, usually having the site to myself. Skara Brae was close too. The Orkney West Coast Path, which runs from Stromness past Skara Brae to Birsay, was also easy to get to from the hotel.

Sometimes when using the wi-fi to load a website, such as the BBC's, my iPad would timeout. Other times sites were slow to load.

This was a pull at the heart strings. It's been 10 years since I've been on Orkney and it was with my Dad on a coach tour, and we stopped there for coffee. Dad told me at that point, that this is where he and my mother had their honeymoon in 1960. So I vowed to go back one day. The hotel has been improved, you can see that in the lovely decoration, and comfort of the rooms. The current owners are selling but that in no way impacted our stay. We had a good meal the night we arrived and a fantastic breakfast to set us up for our journey back to the mainland. A truly magical setting, I could have stayed much longer.

Like all UK hotels, staff shortages I think are causing frustration, but again the lack of 'bodies' around did not in any way inhibit our enjoyment of this lovely hotel.

The two staff on duty were very helpful. Mother and daughter. The room was gorgeous and the hotel clean. Breakfast was served in the small room off the reception and there were only a few guests within the hotel during our stay ( out with tourist season) Both mother and daughter were happy to show us around, direct us to our destination and when the snow hit we also had an extra heater put in our room. They were both incredibly professional. The room was large - we had the family room. Two singles and a king-size. The beds were comfortable and the duvets incredibly thick and cosy. I really do love a bed with a decent duvet and pillows. Sleeping on a hotel bed with limp pillows does not make any sleep in a stranger bed comfortable. However at the hotel I felt in a cloud of luxury in the bed and could have happily stayed longer.

Sadly the tourism in Orkney has changed since covid. It was sad to hear that the hotel is for sale. And due to covid and a lack of hospitality staff they cannot do evening meals. We would have liked to have known that prior to booking as there is a lack of nearby facilities for food.

Amazing location, clean room, nice friendly staff, comfy bed, plant milk available with the breakfast coffee- thank you for that. Look for the little bench past the wall on the Loch side of the hotel- stunning views of the swans and the standing stones across the water- a great place to sit and watch the setting sun.

A few more veggie options and more fruit at breakfast would have been good, and the sliced bread for toasting was quite cheap (sorry!) but I’m just being picky really.

Knowing some of the history/background of the property and the various transformations it has undergone allowed me to appreciate it for its location. This was convenient for exploring the Neolithic sites of Orkney, and gave us a very serene experience.

Due to staffing challenges, the restaurant was not functional while we were there resulting in us going to Kirkwall for dinner. Based on prior reviews and the menu I had seen, I was hoping to partake of all Standing Stones had to offer.

Loved the room size (suite 18) and the bathroom was lovely, ginormous shower and bath. Wonderful views of three sets of standing stones. Very nice function room for breakfast. Staff very kind and helpful. Food good quality, limited choice.

Would have been nice to meet the owners, hotel staff are very pressed for time. Some areas still awaiting refurb I think, like the bar and stairway. Would have liked a fine dining option. Bed a little too firm.

Excellent location if you have a car. It was midway between Skae Brae and Kirkwall. The only thing you could walk to was the Standing Stones of Steness.

The rooms were spotless and well equipped, the staff were very nice. The whole place felt a bit cold though. The lobby was small and sterile. The hotel restaurant and bar was only open limited hours and we were told by the bartender that she couldn't make any mixed drinks? The food was good, but not great, and they ran out of 2 of the maybe 5 dishes. I think this hotel has potential, but would have preferred a bit more for the price.

Beautiful hotel in a stunning location. Although they were short staffed, the service provided was excellent. We were given a dog bed for our dog which saved us taking hers in from the car - the weather was pretty wild as the ferries weren’t running. Dinner was very enjoyable and we had a delicious breakfast. The staff are definitely a credit to the hotel.

The hotel was short staffed as are most of the hospitality industry, however the staff made sure we had everything we needed and apologised for the slightly longer wait for courses to come out.