Royal Oak Guesthouse

This is a welcoming and beautiful guesthouse. It had everything I needed in my room and a great lounge room with a microwave and tea and coffee making facilities (in addition to the tea, coffee and kettle in each room). The breakfast was delicious! I loved staying here :)

I loved being a guest here. Our room was comfortable, modern and clean. You can adjust the heat in the shower to the temperature you prefer and there is no wait for hot water. Towels and blankets are plentiful if requested. The beds are comfortable. This Guest House is only about a fifteen-minute walk from the center of Kirkwall, yet it is in a quiet residential area. The breakfast is a generous amount, and it is phenomenal! There are quite a few choices which you can pick the night before, and the homemade jams are delicious. The lounge has an at home comfort feel to it complete with a microwave, sink, and dishes so that guests can heat something up if needed. The artwork throughout the house is beautiful, sometimes humorous, and thoughtful. Our host Eric Bruce went above and beyond to make our stay incredible! Eric is authentically friendly, an incredible cook, and he sincerely does care about his guests having a good experience in Orkney. Our luggage was delayed and when it finally arrived in Kirkwall, the Airline failed to ship our bags to us. Eric did not want us to miss our plans for the day, so he took a great amount of stress from our minds and went to collect our luggage for us from the Airport! We will never forget his kindness. I highly recommend this singular Guest House! Please note: The walk to the center of Kirkwall is only about fifteen minutes. Keep in mind on the way back it is all up hill, this could of course be a challenge for elderly or disabled travelers. However, I know for certain the host family will help anyone in need find a ride back to the Guest House if requested.

My friend and I stayed for three nights at this excellent guest house recently. We arrived late evening as we were coming straight off the ferry. I had sent email earlier to advise owner of this. Alix gave us a warm and friendly greeting as we arrived. He spent time showing us around the guest house and explaining how things run. For example, ordering breakfast night before to ensure everything is cooked fresh at the time we requested. The rooms are just beautiful. Modern, warm, well thought out and spotlessly clean with everything you could possibly need. There is a guest living room upstairs with books, games, a microwave and fridge. Also large comfortable sofas to relax into if you wanted to. Alix is so bright and cheerful in morning. Breakfast was just delicious. There is plenty on offer including cereal, fresh fruit and homemade muesli. Cooked breakfast could not be faulted at all Alix and his wife are Orcadians and full of local information and top tips. Alix was happy to chat and give us information on local tourist attractions. The guest house is not in central Kirkwall, but the town centre is within walking distance. I would suggest having a car to get around the islands to see what beautiful Orkney has to offer. I would not hesitate in recommending this delightful guest house. We certainly plan to come back at a later date