The At The Colonsay - Argyll Bute

The hotel could be so much better. During our 3 night stay we felt that there was no one competent in charge. There was certainly no warm welcome, which was disappointing. First impressions were why had no one cut the grass or picked up cigarette butts outside on the gravel? The hotel sits in a lovely situation on an elevated sight a short distance from the ferry. So in theory a lovely place to stay. Bedrooms certainly need renovation, maybe this won’t matter if house keeping was up to an acceptable standard. Breakfast was poor, cold and undercooked served by young overworked staff. No sign of any one in management checking that all was ok. Until our final morning when a new manager introduced himself. I sincerely hope he can quickly improve things for paying guests and islanders alike. Colonsay is a magical place and visitors deserve better.

This restaurant serves excellent, well thought out dishes. After dining once we made a booking for the next night, it was that good ! Starters.... cauliflower in batter with chilli sauce..... mussels (the best I have tasted) Mains....pan fried salmon with crushed potatoes and green beans. Ribeye with sweet potato slices, asparagus, mushroom with wee tomatoes and to die for sauce. Well worth a visit.

Four of us went to the Colonsay Hotel twice during our stay on the island. The first visit I ordered rib eye steak with a red wine jus medium rare. I received a well done rump steak, with a sauce of little taste. Not to keep the rest of the table waiting I ate it, however don't just serve up something that was not ordered! A quick word from the kitchen would have helped. The other three meals were very good. On the second visit we had planned for two courses but despite arriving at 7.00 we only got one course by 9.00, so we gave up went home to have cheese biscuits. Also the website states there are always 2 specials, one of which is vegan. The staff knew nothing about this!! Staff were really good.

During our stay on the island, we visited the hotel to make a reservation at the restaurant to celebrate my wife's birthday. Strangely, despite being at the hotel and speaking to a staff member, we were informed that we had to make a reservation online. After booking online, we enjoyed a decent meal with attentive but not overly intrusive service. The food was well-cooked and served hot, although some might question the decision to serve custard with tiramisu. This mix of flavors seemed odd. Unfortunately, our experience was completely ruined when we decided to go to the bar for drinks. The only other patrons in the bar were a rowdy group using inappropriate language. The staff did not attempt to address the situation, so we decided to leave early.

A pretentious hotel with a bland atmosphere and poor acoustics. We had been asked to order our food the day before, when we booked the table for 8 people ?? We were shown to our table and the food arrived without any further interaction from staff, wine list, water all had to be asked for after the food arrived. The wine bottles when they did arrive were just placed on the table complete with screw tops, no offer to open or pour. The 3 burgers were exactly that, a tasteless burger in a bun, no garnish and condiments had to be asked for. Other dishes fine but overall prices are at least 30-40% above what I would have expected to pay for what was essentially bar food and bar service. Not an unpleasant evening but it could and should be a whole lot better.