Orkneylodge

Love Ralph, the proprietor. He was assisted by his newly graduated high schooler nephew and another friend of the family. They are very nice and helpfull. Good family atmosphere.

rooms vary as to size .the front rooms have a view of the bay.small fridge in room helps keep drinks and lunch cold. staff is very helpful. No restaurant on site so only brekfast is available for purchase - not included with overnight rate. more like a bed and breakfast than a hotel.

Lovely big room, with a massive bed. Great hosts who even insisted on running our washing through for us, very kind and we enjoyed our stay a lot. Whilst it sounds and looks a long way from places on a map, everything in The Orkneys is honestly just down the road so don't let that put you off.

The standard is ok for the region, but Houton is a quite remote location with no services nearby. The owners were friendly, but they almost seemed surprised that we were there. All in all, an ok hotel, but I will be looking for something in Kirkwall the next time I visit Orkney.

Very peaceful setting, friendly people but in November the heating needs to be on more than allowed. Customers should be able to turn on and off when we need it, went off early evening so if out no heating on return. Also local restaurant recommended was closed - we checked it more than once, really need to give visitors accurate local information .

Very welcoming & comfortable experience. Lovely setting, good parking and helpful staff. Only negative (bad trend in B&Bs) that breakfast not included (or only because I booked through Expedia?).

My husband and I recently spent three nights at the Houton Bay Lodge Orkney. We received a very warm and friendly welcome from Linda our host. The room was large,tastefully decorated and very comfortable. The lodge is modern and with beautiful polished wood features. The advice and local knowledge of our host helped us to make the most of our short stay. We would recommend this place if you are looking to stay out of town in a country area of Orkney.

The Lodge (inn) is away from the major centres on Orkney Mainland. But it is only 15 minutes from Stromness and Kirkwall (shopping). We travelled to the Orkney Islands to find our ancestors and visit the historical sites, which there are many. The staff are very friendly and helpful.

The location is about halfway between the 2 main towns in the Orkney's. If you want a place that is central and can drive everywhere then it is good. If you want immediate shopping or a choice of places to eat then not so much. The room could be darker with better curtains, there are several lights from the ferry service not too far away and the room did not get as dark as we would have liked. The bed was very hard but we are used to softer ones in the States. The manager did give us an extra duvet to soften the bed. Breakfast was a bit expensive but the dinner costs were comparable to both towns.

The hotel was a bit hard to find, especially if you are arriving after dark, so get a map before hand. Once you are there it is quiet and dark. You are right on the water and isolated, so the views are great. They serve a full Scottish breakfast if you want, but no other meal so make arrangements in town for lunch/dinner. The food was good and the inkeeper was very nice.