The Shore

Our 3-night stay in Kirkwall was . Note, The Shore is cosy annex of the Kirkwall Hotel - only a couple of steps away. The rooms are modern, well-appointed and we found the bed to be very comfortable. The Shore's location put you right on the waterfront in downtown Kirkwall so you have ready access (i.e., walking) to plenty of eateries, pubs, sights and shopping. The breakfasts in the Kirkwall Hotel were lovely too.

Walked past the Kirkwall Hotel to get here only to find a note pinned to the front door of the Shore telling me to go to the Kirkwall to check in. Probably would have appreciated this in an email prior to arrival. Room clean. Terrible view. Plenty of teabags. Sadly this room (number 16) gave me one of my top 3 worst hotel nights ever. Just before 4.30 there was a noise of rushing water next to my room - super loud. I thought it was an early departer in the next room having a shower. However the rushing water and loud droning noise then just carried on about every 15 minutes or so until I had to get up anyway, so I don't think it can have just been an adjacent room - maybe a water tank or pump. No sleep at all after this and the noise did drive me mad. Unacceptable to take money off people to sleep next to this row IMHO. Reception staff were polite but not very interested when I checked out. The window wouldn't open and the blind didn't meet at the window sill so light started coming in early in June, not helping the 'no sleep' situation. (The friendly guy who showed me over to the room from the Kirkwall did say he was going to get maintenance to look at the dodgy window.) In the day the blind really needed to be kept shut as well because the window of this room looked over the dinghy roof straight into someone else's bedroom a short distance away. Felt a bit creepy. PS if the shower doesn't work you might need to pull the cord in the bathroom. I didn't know this, but a lovely friendly cleaner helped me when I couldn't work out why the 'on' button didn't work lol.

Cozy rooms with a shower and facilities for tea and coffee. Within two blocks of most things downtown with a bus stop right in front. Grocery stores. Coffee shops, pubs and restaurants near by. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Floors are a little thin and we had a lot of footstep noise from the room above.

This has to be the worst ‘hotel’ I have ever stayed in and as a frequent traveller for work that’s quite a statement. Firstly, I booked a twin room and have been put into a ‘budget single’. The smell of stale cigarettes and body odour hit me the moment I entered the room. The window does not open so not only can I get some air I’m pretty screwed if there is a fire. The bedding feels damp and cold. Unfortunately the hotel is fully booked and looking online there are no rooms anywhere so it appears I’m stuck here. Don’t be fooled into thinking you are staying in the lovely Kirkwall hotel who ‘manages’ this abandoned building. Thankfully I’m only here for 1 night!

It’s criminal this hotel is allowed to operate. First the phone number published is not being answered. If it wasn’t for a local we would not know this hotel was taken over by Kirkwall hotel and to contact Kirkwall hotel. However it is abandoned and neglected. No staff. The room we are in is a dungeon. Dark and damp. Feels and looks like the place where victim of abduction is taken and kept into. This a major security concern. Paper thin walls and ceiling. £160 a night is absurd. Not worth £50. Thankfully it was our last night in Orkney in this hotel. Otherwise it would have destroyed our 4 day holiday in Orkney. This hotel is very poorly representing Orkney. Save yourself and stay elsewhere.

A "closed" hotel operated by the neighbours Kirkwall Hotel. Nice and 99% clean room. A strange location into an alley, but it worked. Good and friendly service in the reception, bar and restaurant. (Which again is the neighbour Hotel.)

I had read some poor reviews from previous years but obviously improvements have been made. Public areas clean and freshly painted with new carpets. Bedrooms clean and well equipped. Good breakfast in the Kirkwall Hotel.

This a centrally located and reasonable hotel. Getting to the room at 23:30 was a challenge up and down stairs. The room was clean and well appointed. The restaurant was located about a block away in the Kirkwall hotel. Here the food was good and breakfast was good and coffee hot. It is central to town so that made up for the minor issues we found.

Location really good but the booking website did not explain that “the Shore hotel” had closed during COVID lockdown and property was being managed by nearby Kirkwall Hotel. No good food and lively bar as described! Linen , towels (obviously came from large hotel next door) and room very comfortable , but corridors and stairs smelled damp and slightly “fursty”, no staff in building and concerningly our first floor room, rear facing overlooked an empty yard and blank wall. The windows did not lock, there were ladders lying in the yard which was open to the Main Street via an alley Would have booked elsewhere had we known