Polochar Inn

We were really looking forward to this experience but it turned out awful. We booked through Booking.com and supposedly the hotel lost our reservation. That hasn’t happened with any of our numerous other bookings. I tried several times to contact them through Booking and their own website before we arrived but no answer. So there we were in Uist with no place to stay and no trip back until the next ferry. After a couple hours, the staff got us a room at a hostel for the first night of our 2 night reservation that they said they would pay for. They also promised to refund our money but we haven’t seen that. They offered us a room for our 2nd night and that room was a joke—I’ve never seen a room so small. They gave us dinner both nights to make up for some of the inconvenience. Uist is known for its seafood but the options here at the Polochar were limited, they were out of almost everything even though we ate early the next day. What we did get was tasty. Very disorganized staff. Not only the hotel management but the restaurant too. She talked so much with the locals that she knew that it was hard to get service. The location is beautiful but there is no beach to enjoy here. It’s a rocky edge instead which you can walk along but only a short distance. Find another place to stay and eat on this beautiful island chain.

For a two night stay in this cosy island hotel, my room was comfortable with an amazing view. As a group I understood the logistics to catering so we placed our orders in advance for 7.30pm. However the main course didn't get served till nearly 9pm by which time I just wanted to go to bed. What I ate was delicious - excellent chef - but the servings were so huge I really couldn't eat much - such a waste of food (how about Granny portions?). Serving of the deserts was so slow we didn't finish till 10pm. We appreciated the chef was working 16 hour days, 7 days pw.

The worst hotel experience of my life. The bathroom was covered in mould. Room was not cleaned. The restaurant was shut and I was offered a choice of chicken strips and chips or fish strips and chips for my meal, which I had to have by 6pm so they could close the bar. It was microwaved rubbish! Breakfast was awful and I heard the only two staff I saw in my two days there saying they had no sausages so would use the vegetarian sausages instead. No one was ever at reception (but if they only have two staff members that's probably why). I booked for four nights but left after two. I actually wanted to leave within an hour of arriving. I booked elsewhere for the remaining two nights. I believe the hotel has changed owners fairly recently and has gone down hill since. It's in a fantastic location and could be so good, but it's grubby, dirty and horrible. If you want a nice holiday find somewhere else to stay.

First thing to say - the food we had was excellent ( langoustines , venison stew , seafood chowder , fish and chips , scallops ). Great sea view from our room , comfy bed , good shower , friendly owner and staff. Service can be a bit slow but we expect that now with staffing challenges for most remote hotels. This did not impact our experience which was very good overall. We will be back.

The location of this inn is worth 5 stars. The breakfast is also worthy of 5 stars. Most of the staff were superb. Only 2 were a bit grumpy. The rooms are delightfully decorated with a wee bit of Harris tweed but not overwhelmingly so. The bathrooms, particularly the shower, are in desperate need of replacement and I found the black mould in the grout very off putting. The common areas are also in need of redecoration, particularly the bar area. I understand they are now closed to do some work on the inn so will be planning a return.

We booked via MAC Adventures as part of our Outer Hebrides Hopscotch. On arrival, when we finally managed to locate a member of staff, we were given our key. On entering the room it was clear it hadn’t been cleaned from the last resident - bed slept in and unmade, wet towels all over the bathroom and bin full. Went back to reception to find another couple who had found somebody else’s clothes in the room they were allocated. We were allocated a different room which had been cleaned but had a faulty shower, virtually no loo roll, fittings hanging off the wall and black mould in the shower. We were not allowed to bring our 8pm dinner booking forward to 7pm - fair enough but when we returned at 7.50 we were told our table still wasn’t ready but we could sit over there if you want. We were finally brought menus at 8.10 and were told that 4 of the main courses were not available (leaving about 3 to choose from). There was a wait of almost an hour between our starter and main course then we were told 2 of the 4 dessert choices were not available. The food we did receive was nice and plenty of it and they did not charge for the one dessert we did have. We couldn’t find anyone the following morning to check out- despite ringing the bell 4 times so ended up just leaving the key on reception. Would not recommend.

It's taken me five months to write this review as I've been trying to get my money back....to no avail.||Booked a room in the Pollachar in March for staying in July. Paid the balance a month before the stay. I was told a few days before we arrived there had been confusion over the date and we couldn't be accommodated. We ended staying in the Borrodale.||The manager did bring us over for food on the evening we were due to stay, but we were still considerably out of pocket and we were unable to get the money back through the hotel or our credit card company. Very disappointing.||The food was good and the management team did try and help, but money is money.

Unbelievably rude. The lady behind the bar ignored us as we went in for a drink. She was watching something on an iPad and eventually decided to turn around. The bar was empty. There was no ‘hello’ or ‘ welcome, how can I help’ just a sullen face and no conversation. ||We ordered two drinks and they were grudging poured, in silence. We paid contactless and again no conversation or ‘would you like a receipt’.||We rented a cottage nearby and went in to book dinner for the nights that we were staying. That lack of courtesy meant we couldn’t wait to leave and did not book dinner. ||The bar service was probably the worst I have experienced. ||No wonder the place is empty if that’s the standard of service.