The Islay Hotel

This was a GORGEOUS place to stay on our whisky-distillery-pilgrimage! Our room was spacious and so comfortable, with a breathtaking view of the bay and sunset. Immaculately clean; a window and jacuzzi tub in the bathroom and great water pressure in the shower; cozy robes; a Nespresso machine and full coffee/tea service tray for first morning coffee; really beautiful vintage or antique furniture. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the bar had a delightful selection of whiskys to explore. We walked the “Three Distilleries Path” all the way from the hotel to Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg, and back again, tasting some of the finest whisky in the world and taking in some of the most gorgeous views we’ve ever seen, and were very grateful for such an ideally-located and well-equipped home base for the adventure.

Like the entire island of Islay, this is a warm and friendly place! The welcome begins when you walk in the door - felt like family! The room was spacious, cozy, well decorated and had so many ammenities! They stocked the room with teas, cocoas, coffee, water, cookies and had both a kettle and Nespresso machine. The bathroom was large and had a lovely shower and loads of toilitries. The dinners and breakfasts were excellent and featured lots of local produce and meats. The staff was so nice!!! I have heard Arbeg is closing and updating the hotel soon - I have to come back because I can;t imagine topping what already exists!!!

Loved our stay here! Great location for seeing all that the wonderful Isle of Islay has to offer. Room was superb, staff and food all top notch and we also loved the bar. Very comfortable hotel and beautifully decorated. Would love to go back.

We had three nights here and the contents of this review have been shared in face-to-face discussions with the manager who was friendly and professional. The front-of-house staff are of the highest calibre I have encountered. There is always a risk of naming individuals for fear of forgetting individuals but Ishbel, Ciara and Orla should all take a bow. Congratulations and thank you. There are hotels that crave for staff of your friendly and professional approach and in so many ways you made our stay. Thank you. Our room (N0 12) was comfortable and spacious, well equipped and nicely furnished. The housekeeping staff are all equally worthy of high praise; our room was spotless and always very well serviced. Very high standards of hospitality indeed. From these 'highs', the kitchen, sadly, is a different story. Without penning a litany of failings, suffice to say that if a chef fails to turn up for work in time for the breakfast sitting then its time to part ways! We had one evening meal, on the first night of our stay and elected to eat elsewhere for the remaining nights. Our understanding is that the owners, Argbeg Distillery, are closing the hotel for a refurbishment, therefore some of the key parts of this review may become irrelevant. What I very much hope Ardbeg do during this hiatus, is save and look after the very good, passionate and customer focussed staff we met. They are a treasure, and deserve the best care and attention.

Hotel was very well presented, decorated and in a perfect location for ferry arrivals and the three distilleries walk. Room was just enough space but what let this down was the lack of consideration taken with our milk allergy, which was particularly worrying.

The room was spacious & comfortable and the shower worked well. The food was excellent at breakfast & dinner in the hotel dining room. Best of all we’re the friendly & helpful staff. One of us had a bad cold & stayed in our room for 3 days &nites to try to recover & not spread the cold. The staff brought up meals & helped us however they could. They made us feel very welcome.

Dropped in for dinner after harrowing trip on Scottish roads to have one of best meals of our trip accompanied by a great French wine. The only way it could have got better is if the host was convivial and helpful and then we found out he was.

As we walked around Port Ellen with our dogs looking for somewhere to grab a coffee, we came across this hotel, Emily served us in the bar area and was great. The coffee and cakes were great and she was very helpful when it came to looking for dog friendly places to eat and drink. Thank you Emily

Stayed at the Islay Hotel for three nights in June. Room was super clean and outfitted with vintage furniture. Breakfasts and Dinners were outstanding - definitely get the oysters! Excellent wine selection. Nigel and staff were welcoming and helpful. The Three Distilleries Path (Laphroig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg) is beautiful and starts just a couple blocks from the hotel. Highly recommended!