The Stromness Hotel

This is a fine old hotel, it is right in the middle of town. It is on the waterfront and the main dock is just in front. The rooms are a nice size and there is some nice views of the waterfront. Reception is on the second floor, but they have an elevator you can use. They have free parking at the rear of the hotel, it can be a bit hard to find so ask at reception. From the parking area there is a rear entrance right into the hotel. The hotel restaurant was shut down when I was there. But there is a good little café right across the street, but it’s not open on Sundays. On Sundays, there’s a small food takeout place just a block away on the water. The Ferry Inn a block away has a great pub restaurant, it can get busy so book online for a dinner reservation. Most places are closed on Sundays, even the one gas station in town. There is a small supermarket at the start of the town where you can get most of your needs.

If you have ever wandered what it is like to stay in a dirty, cold, abandoned building, then look no further than the stromness hotel i have never stayed in a hotel this filthy and had it not been a work trip for 1 night i would have walked out immediately. everywhere i look in the room there are stains, peeling wallpaper with patches of white and yellow? please take a moment to look at the attached photos before you consider booking this hotel the owner (payman investments) state on their website that the hotel makes an impressive turnover and is in profit so the fact that they can not carry out basic improvements is shocking the hotel closed the restaurant 7 days before my arrival without making any attempt to notify me, which may have been a blessing considering the lack of cleaning

We had dinner there, very disappointed, we ordered garlic bread, chicken popcorn with chips and mussels, the latter 3 were cold, chicken didn’t taste fresh, very chewy, inedible, no garlic on garlic bread which had melted butter and herbs dropped on top of some nice bread. We were only the 2nd couple to arrive and we waited an hour for food to get to the table.Staff very nice.

The hotel is old and in dire need of refurbishment. Our double room was really too small for two people and the furnishings were not in good condition. The room rate was very expensive and it was poor value. It is basically opposite the ferry terminal and bus stop, but so are most hotels in the town. We did find all the staff to be exceptionally friendly and helpful. The included breakfast was excellent too.

First, I was not expecting all the stairs from the street up to reception. I may not be old, but I still have bad knees. The room was as expected, as it's an old hotel. It was apparent they'd tried to update the look with the teal drapes and accents. We saw no ghosts, which is a plus. The hotel's car park in the back was a bit hidden. On the third drive past the entrance, someone noticed a small sign. Luckily, the guest entrance from the back had a ramp, and it led directly to our floor. The door from the ramp was propped open, presumably only during the day. We ate at the restaurant downstairs at dinner and breakfast. My dinner was a lasagna with lots of cheese, and meat but I could only find one lasagna noodle in it, which was uh, unusual to say the least. The hot meal at breakfast was okay. It wasn't really worth what we paid for it, but we booked late, and had no other options. Overall, it was okay for one night.

The location, overlooking the harbour, is convenient and lovely, but the hotel has surely seen much better days. It had just reopened following renovation work before our stay but, walking through the front door we were immediately met by a view of a plumber on the floor renovating a toilet, but no Reception. When asked, the plumber told us that reception was on the first floor. There was no sign to show this. The whole place was a bit chaotic, still shabby in a lot of places, but there were some very friendly staff which made up for some of its failings.| |Our room was tired but ok, although one of the bedsheets had been put on so haphazardly that it looked like it had been done by a child. A slightly rusty bath, and faded pictures on the walls also didn’t help.||On our floor there was a cleaner’s room marked ‘contains hazardous chemicals’; when we came back to the hotel in the late evening, the door had been left open which, given its very recent closure for serious safety failings, seemed surprising. Although the management hasn’t changed, so perhaps not.||The dining room had a lovely view but someone smoking on the balcony meant that the whole room smelled of smoke when we were there – we went out for breakfast. ||Sadly, the bar, which apparently used to be a great local gathering place, only serves tea and coffee these days. No one was there at all when we looked in.||Having read the previous shocking reviews (as well as some suspiciously good ones) we only booked here because we were too late to find anywhere else. It was a gamble because it was still shut when we booked. And it certainly wasn't cheap. Anyway, at least it had reopened just in time for our stay, and we also did get a good night’s sleep, so that was positive. In addition, we were able to leave our luggage there and collect it later, which was also good.||Glad to be able to report that our other stays on these wonderful islands were notable for reasonable value and good standards. Sadly, this place still has some way to go.

We loved our stay at the Stromness Hotel. The staff are fantastic. They really care. The building is a historic building right on the ferry dock with views of the ocean. I’m very glad the new owners have reopened it and are continuing to improve it. If you want a perfect hotel, look for something else. If you want a quirky piece of Orcadian history in a quiet town on a relaxed island, this is your spot.

I had a 2 night stay at The Stromness Hotel and was seriously charmed by the place. I think you have to have a certain mindset to appreciate it - it's obviously very old, has undergone work and will doubtless need to be poked and prodded into behaving for years to come. Location was excellent, very short walk to the bus and ferry travel centre. Mattress and bed were very comfortable. Previous reviews mentioned smells but there were none that I noticed on the top floor (or while ascending the many stairs to get there). You will need to be stair friendly but I did overhear an older couple who got moved to a lower floor upon request. Cooked breakfast was just fine, I snagged the best seat in the house by the big harbour window both mornings which was a treat. I had dinner there one night as well (restaurant was closed the other, I suspect chef availability can be an issue) and I was pleasantly surprised by a very hefty sized salmon, hearty veg and a tasty sticky pudding for dessert. Staff were all incredibly friendly and charmingly "ah yes i'll add it to the list" accepting upon my reporting of the door lock to my room having issues. Will the shower be freezing cold or scalding hot without warning? Yes, but the water pressure is excellent, so do a dance out of the way until it returns to the right temperature. I wish the owners the best of luck in continuing to cajole the place into some kind of modernity, and if you're an easy going sort of person who can enjoy some quirks, I think you'd be tickled by the place like I was. If I was a local I'd certainly pop by for dinner whenever I could. But alas back to the other side of the globe I am returning.

This hotel was a decent place to stay for one night. I was stuck in Orkney for an additional night since the ferry was canceled, and I landed at this hotel. The staff were super friendly and helpful to our group of 25. Some of the rooms are updated, others are not. I ended up in an older room that had a mean draft coming from the window. It was clean, so I did not complain. There also seems to be some shutters that make a lot of noise when it's windy. It was a bit hard to get to sleep because of this. This hotel can use a facelift, but I think it can be good again with some help. 3 Stars

Took refuge in here when the heavens opened. Great old, imposing building with a bar overlooking the harbour on the first floor. A couple of good local ales, including Scapa Special, with friendly service. The roaring fire was particularly welcome.