Columba Hotel Restaurant in Argyll & Bute

In our opinion not recommended The location is ok, right in the center. Some of the hotel's own parking spaces are in front of the door We didn't like anything else in this hotel. It was probably the worst hotel on our entire UK trip. We booked a better room with a view. I don't want to know what the standard rooms in this hotel are supposed to be like, but the room we got was dark, very worn and very dirty. Even though the relatively friendly manager at the reception assured us that it was the best room in the hotel, we don't want to believe him: firstly, because it would be a real shame for the entire hotel, and secondly, because it's not true: us We've already seen that there were rooms facing the sea in the same category, where it certainly wasn't as loud. And our room had a window facing the promenade with several bars and cafes, so it was very loud until late at night

The food was good, service was good, no long wait for food to be served. Young lad serving had a good sense of humour and was chatty. Reasonable choice of food on menu. Well worth a try.

You can easily walk around the city from the hotel.

One of the worst hotels I have ever visited, they have not even made our beds or replaced our towels. Old and dirty, food looking horrible. In short, if you can avoid it, I recommend not visiting it

Nice sized cleanly rooms. The view was pretty and the location is walking distance to many things in Oban.

Had a calzone and a bottle of decent Rioja crianza. Service was ok, but the calzone would have benefited from another 10 minutes or so in the oven, it was effectively underdone.

.The restaurant/bar was really nice and relaxing,the staff were very friendly and helpful . Fantastic food. Highly recommended. Taking my family for a treat next time they're up in oban.

This restaurant has the best chef & wait staff that I have experienced with my 2 weeks in Scotland! I went in for a pizza & with the waiter's mention of the special with sea bass, I was in heaven eating & drinking there! Try it!

A hotel with a proud age of over 80 years. This is noticeable in the building and in the rooms. The elevator is an impressive relic of historical technology. The floors of the hallways and stairs are covered with a thick, soft carpet, which makes walking on them special. Breakfast and cooked dinners in the restaurant are typically British. The location of the hotel right in the city center and at the harbor are special. Depending on the room, you can see the water or the city. The bar is well stocked...highly recommended is the local whiskey "Oban 14", whose distillery is almost across the street.

What can I say about this hotel? I booked it because it was close to the harbour and it was cheap. The car park was a pay and display public car park right outside the Hotel. The staff were very friendly and lovely to talk to. I even got one to help me with the parking meter as you could input your departure time. The room was huge and had a lounge area with a sofa and TV on the wall. The view from our room was spectacular, as it looked out to the harbour. The bed was super king-size and the most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept in. Breakfast was paid additionally and a choice of hot or continental. I had the fried breakfast and it was excellent and kept me going all day. We are planning to go back as we enjoyed it so much.

Very smiling and helpful staff. The rooms are good, for a 3 star. Lunch is okay! The location is ideal.

The hotel is very well located in relation to the ferry, and the city center… The welcome was very friendly and very friendly, the breakfast is complete and the room very clean, thank you very much for this visit to Oban!

Four of us had pasta for dinner. Food was very good quality and tasty. When we arrived at 8pm we were asked if we had a reso as the restaurant was supposedly full. No one arrived after us and there were only about six other guests. Seems like they do not want customers. Not Sure why.

Fantastic location and friendly staff.

Great location to walk around Oban,rooms comfortable,breakfast good as was evening meal!! Well worth a stay !!

My wife and I had a fantastic lunch the Bar Rio, my wife had the God Father pizza which described as one of the best pizzas she has ever had, I had the Buttermilk Chicken Burger which actually melted in my mouth, fantastic!!! I have to say that the service was also excellent, a very friendly experience.

Excellent service. Very friendly and good humoured staff. Had pizza and pasta. Both were excellent and the passion cake was divine. Appreciated the 60's soundtrack too. Will return next time we're visiting.😁

I was drawn in by the lunchtime soup and sandwich offer of £8.95 clearly advertised outside on chalkboard and in window (see picture). Food was nice enough, however when the bill arrived the waitress explained that offer was now actually £10.95, as price had changed recently, albeit this was not reflected in adverts outside. Felt a bit cheated and won’t be returning to this location sadly.

My partner had pasta, and I had pizza, and both were very mediocre. The service was efficient but not particularly friendly.

Had a late lunch today and I cannot understand why this restaurant is not busier. The service was first class and the food was tasty and reasonably priced.

Lovely visit to Bar Rio this afternoon, great food and fantastic service from Tricia and Sandy. We will definitely be back in January ☺️👍

Had 2 takeaway pizzas from here spicy meatball pizza and a mushroom thin crust both where really good, well cooked and really tasty.

Was in for dinner this evening with my partner at around 5pm, the restaurant was empty besides my partner and I. The waitress and the service was good but the food was a massive let down. We both had the chicken burger which Is usually amazing but tonight was the polar opposite the chicken was 3 tiny thin pieces of dried out batter essentially it was borderline inedible this was especially disappointing because we waited almost 30 minutes for our meal We usually love bar rio but tonight was a massive let down

Siano entrati in questo ristorante che prometteva anche pizza e un menù maggiormente mediterraneo Abbiamo iniziato con una caprese non male e proseguito con spaghetti alla bolognese Devo dire non male rispetto al timore che sempre un italiano prova all'estero aspettandosi la pasta della mamma o della nonna.Troppo abbondante il ragù (per i nostri standard) che di sapore era buono. Il servizio :gentile e spiritoso il cameriere gentile ma maldestra la cameriera Locale a vocazione raffinata Costo nella media

What a nice dinner! The menu is quite varied, but as we had had a late lunch, we decided on sharing a huge fish (haddock) and chips dinner. The fish was delicate and perfectly cooked and the fries were the best we've had in Scotland. But even better was the service from Trisha (drinks) and Sandy (food)! Even though it was a busy night, we always felt they were aware of our needs. Great job!

J'ai commandé un burger en pensant ne pas prendre de risque... Très mauvaise surprise lors du service, un steak surgelé 1er prix dégoûtant, idem pour la feuille de laitue iceberg et la tranche de tomate. Les pizzas avaient également l'air d'être surgelées. J'ai compris pourquoi ce restaurant n'était pas complet contrairement aux autres. Serveuse peu avenante. Je déconseille vivement à moins d'être à la recherche de sensations fortes aux toilettes. J'aurais aimé voir l'état des cuisines.

Decent pizza and a pint of Caledonia’s Best. The place was clean and not at all crowded at around 1:45 PM on a Thursday. Good stop for a light lunch in Oban.

Got the pizza and I’ve had better from Iceland and my wife got the barbecue chicken with chefs special tomato sauce it was more like chicken tikka bbq pasta had to load the pizza and pasta with Parmesan cheese so it tasted of something never again.

We ate here as a family of six and on the whole found the food to be okay. The waitress, however, was quite surly and rude. George was reasonably friendly but that's all I can say about the staff!

The food was delicious,pity about the appalling service,rude,surly waiting on staff arguing with customers!!!

Five of us went for a (3 course) meal and were so disappointed. The waitress was surly and unsmiling, verging on rude. One of our meals was forgotten completely. Mistakes happen, so if they had come up to us and apologised (maybe offered a free...

I've been coming back here whenever I wanted to eat out with family. As a local, this is one of the decent restaurants in Oban as it's already hard to find one. It's rare to find constant cooking that doesn't really change the taste if...

Great food. Shared meal of pizza, coleslaw and chip. Best meal out in UK so far. Staff were lovely. Background music was nice and not too loud.

The name “Pizzeria’ on the facade threw us off, and maybe that’s why the restaurant was fairly quiet when across the street people were crowded into the Oban Inn restaurant instead. We had an excellent fresh salmon with vegetables, and a penne arrabbiata that tasted...

I saw so so reviews here but I have to tell you this was excellent. We had a steak and a pasta dish. A glass of wine and a scotch. Food was amazing. Oh also the tomato soup was outstanding. I had a great experience...

Sadly, I need to write a negative review (which I have never done) because it is not a suitable destination for people with mobility issues as I was told they do not have a disabled toilet (or ground floor ladies). Just a warning not find...

Ordered Buttermilk chicken burger and when it arrived it looked more like battered fish on a bun…it was actually fish batter coated chicken deep fried and it tasted greasy and of fish. It certainly was not buttermilk chicken. When asked if everything was ok I...

I went there for a dinner with my family. We ordered one pasta with a little tomato sauce for my daughter, one penne arrabiata for me and a haddock dish for my wife. My daughter pasta was a swimming pool of a kind of red...

Visited this place on our short break in Oban, 5 out of 5 great service from staff and the food was great as well nice and quick and no issues. We were looked after very well and would certainly come again.

Stayed at the Columba Hotel and decided to try out Bar Rio - the food was excellent. Had pizza and pasta which were really fresh and tasty. We had decided to use the restaurant after perusing their menu online and thought it looked good value....

Called into this restaurant last Wednesday 19th Oct just for a beer as we noticed they sold Menebrea beer which we both like. The 2 pints arrived and we both took one sip and went "yuk thats awful". Went to the bar and told the...

We were craving a break from the traditional food in the UK and popped into Bar Rio for dinner. The penne arribiata was delicious; spicy and acidic. I recommend adding garlic bread. They also do a very good Madras chicken.

Had a Buttermilk chicken burger which consisted of ‘2’ chicken breasts in a child sized bun. One chicken breast was 90% batter and the other was just over 0.5cm thick. Tasted ok, but was essentially a burger bun with onions, lettuce and fried batter.

The food here is OK Everything about this place is average except the price. I had one of the pasta dishes. It was ok Just overpriced. I was staying in the columba hotel which it is part of. I was reading the menu on way...

Great service and friendly staff. Large selection of wines. Decent pizza. Not the best, not the worst, satisfied the craving for it though.

Nice, relaxed wee restaurant with plenty of space between tables. Friendly, attentive staff and excellent food. No-one hassling you to eat-up and move-on-out once you've finished your meal. Would thoroughly recommend.

My friend and I once again visited Rio restaurant for the third time and everything was perfect. We had dinner last night and the staff are professional and attentive. We come from Glasgow and it is one of our favourite place. We had carbonara and...

Had an overnight stay in Windows12 as a gift from family. Have stayed in this room before and was looking forward to seeing the upgrade...mmm didn't see much difference..??shutting the curtains on those windows is a chore in itself as they are heavy/long curtains but need to be closed for privacy..breakfast choices was good and staff were very pleasant.overall we like staying in this old hotel so need to try other rooms next time...yes we will be back.

Clean friendly central and good food

Friendly, helpful staff Clean and well maintained Delicious food in the restaurant!

Checked into room and immediately did a Covid Test, which turned out to be Positive.. So did the right thing and immediately vacated the Hotel. The Management refused to give any refund, indeed stated that they could not use the room for 48 hours... Completely untrue. I was told that they were a business after all.. Think twice before booking into here and don't expect to be treated well in the event of a Medical emergency.. POOR.

Room was comfortable but lighting terrible, room cold not enough blankets.

Perhaps in need of a bit of an update but an amazing location and views. Staff were friendly and good breakfast options if not spectacular. We would definitely keep in mind for any future visits.

Lovely rooms, friendly staff. Evening meal good. Buffet Breakfast on the cold side.

Excellent hotel although not modern but the rooms and hotel are spotless the staff are all very friendly and helpful we had an excellent breakfast been to this hotel a few times would definitely recommend it Ideally situated town centre

Breakfast wasn't very good cold room could have been better.dinner sirloin steak 🥩 was chuck paid an extra £8 each for chuck steak had to pay for parking as hotel only had 8 spaces £16 extra I had to pay terrible

Good value hotel with pleasant staff. Happy with my stay.

This hotel was not up to my expectations or the pictures on the website. The receptionist who I think was the manager must have got his money back from the charm school, a customer relations course may help him. The room was a box and bore no relationship to the website photos. The advertised sea view stretched the definition to the limit. Using the toilet was an exercise in avoiding serious head injury as the washbasin was so close to the WC. The restaurant left a lot to be desired, the calimari looked as if it had been purchased in Iceland. The free parking advertised on the website is a joke, 10 parking spaces for 50 rooms, in fairness the website states you may have to pay, this information is well hidden. £410 for 3 nights that didn’t include breakfast is a ripoff, I spoke to another customer who paid a lot less. Do not use this hotel.

All good - great room and staff

Staying for 3 nights , got an upgrade to a sea view lovely large room . Staff excellent, stayed here several times and will definitely be back

Character hotel with fabulous views and food in stylish restaurant served by attentive staff, definitely going back for another visit

First time I've been here, I got an offer at a reduced price, otherwise I wouldn't have considered going here. I was not disappointed, it's lovely inside but bear in mind that it is an old building. There is a small lift which I needed and the rooms are clean an tidy. The staff are lovely and go out of their way to accommodate you. Breakfast was great and also hot, I really enjoyed my stay.

We went into Rio for the first time last week, as our usual choice of restaurant in Oban was closed. The food in Rio was absolutely first class and this will now be our new go-to place for lunch, when next on holiday in the...

Had a fabulous dinner here Saturday 15th January, service was so professional and friendly I had yummy steak pie and friend had thewfish we so look forward to visiting again in May. Veronica from Glasgow x

Had a meal here on the 1 1 22 food was excellent and staff are very pleasant and helpfull as it was quiet due to Covid still would go a gain any time well worth a visit

Very disappointed, I booked a room last minute for my partner as he was due to take the ferry in the morning after it had been cancelled already once and he was told to contact head office.i contacted the hotel and was told no refund and it wasn't cancelled within 48hours!given it was booked last minute surley something could be done!!

Terrible night. Lift takes only takes one person, long wait and then broke down. Out of action for whole stay. When eventually got up to room, key card wouldn’t work. Back down stairs for new one- second one still not working. Third time lucky! Up and down stairs three times and once with heavy luggage with no help from reception. Standard room ok but shower unpleasantly weak with no real force.

Lovely room with great view overlooking the sea and pier. Big, comfy bed too. Breakfast was adequate albeit the breakfast room lacking atmosphere.

Needs refurbishment our room was so cold

Great hotel & the Vintage lift, Awsome!! Highly Reccomend xx

Room really cold, due to old windows.

Great weekend break lovely room with a turret window overlooking Oban Bay

Staff friendly and efficient. Cleanliness excellent. Whole hotel is very tired. Plumbing issues need addressing, shower either scolding hot or freezing cold or none at all. Shower heads need renewing. Roller blinds in bathroom meed replacing.

Great location. Friendly staff....Rooms are a little dated. Great Seaview rooms..

Nice view, but modest rooms & breakfast

Once a lovely hotel but now a little tired and needs improving. Location is excellent, nice views over town and harbour. Everywhere you look there are signs of age and plenty of use. Room was dated and not very clean, massive cobwebs on wall lights being evident of lack of cleaning. Windows propped open on arrival is a tell tale sign of a musty & not so clean room. Tiny lift for upper floors. Can be a little noisy from surrounding bars and nightlife. Council owned car park outside, free parking after 6pm Breakfast in the morning was a little chaotic and reminded me of a scene from Faulty Towers. One person dashing around struggling to cope with language and guests. Check out photo of sign for Toaster Lol! Once seated and having eaten it was not bad, just needed better organisation.

Really tasty pizzas, we ate outside because we had our dog with us and the service was quick and efficient. Would visit again

Got take away on a Thursday night. Ordered the Sicilian pepperoni pizza. Was think and crispy just the way I like it. Would eat there again if ever in Oban.

Typical Victorian Hotel - lucky to find everything works and it's clean and tidy. Over priced.

Amazing staying here at the moment and I'd say the best hotel in oban staff fantastic hotel. Rooms. The lot spotless so lovely room looking onto the harbour

Had pizza here and must say it was really good…pleasantly surprised..staff friendly enough..not too busy..would return

Please do yourself a favour and never eat in this place. It’s beyond terrible - service = none, food = inedible.

Good hotel, staff excellent and food.

It was fine for a pizza and a beer. We were seated straight away. Food was very hot and tasty, with quick and friendly service. They had a coach party in so were a bit jammed, but dealt with us quickly and professionally.

Excellent excellent excellent excellent

Very much pub food nonetheless very satisfying after a day on the beach. Pie, pizza, fish and chips etc. Excellent staff. Pints of beer.

Lovely clean hotel & great staff & fabulous breakfast - we also had great views from the room. Would return again without doubt

Arrived to an amazing view, however after 2 nights on the double bed found the mattress too hard and giving both of us a bad back, leading to a lack of sleep. They then swapped our room and found this to be softer but still terrible. Feel the hotel needs a massive update.

Avoid this place if at all possible. We should have known upon arrival, when someone in front of us wanted to speak with the manager. This place is costing 181.00 US p/night and it’s not worth 40.00 a night. They wanted an extra 18. Pounds for breakfast (the lady before us said she found hair in her eggs, so yeah, no thanks).The photos on their website are misleading. We are ok with the age of the hotel, but there seems to have been no money reinvested into it to make it nice. The furniture is the absolute cheapest-you could get something nicer at a dump yard. The lamp shades (those that worked) are falling apart. The radiator looks disgusting. The first thing we did was check the mattresses for bed bugs, thankfully there weren’t any, but the mattresses are super cheap and flimsy. The warped and bubbled ceiling looks as though it’s in poor condition-just covered up with wall paper, and the bathroom pipes drains could be heard all night.

We arrived in town and didn't realize that almost everywhere required a booking. The staff was so kind to seat us outside (the weather was beautiful). After day of traveling we really appreciated her kindness and were rewarded with great food!

Great location at the centre of the city with good sea facing view, rooms were clean and well maintained. staffs were very helpful when needed. Breakfast was good too. Enjoyed my stay and definitely recommend it 😊

Visited as nowhere would let us in, asked for carbonara without cream and got given a carbonara that was devoid of any egg. Spaghetti, Parmesan & pancetta???? Anyone who’s got access to YouTube knows that you can’t make a carbonara without eggs. Ordered another pasta...

During a very busy evening in Oban, after a long drive from England with my wife and two young children, we were looking for a place to eat and to our relief found this restaurant, which had 2 tables occupied out of 15 or so...

Brilliant absolutely loved it will be back soon

really disappointed with this hotel .. paid a fortune.. 1st room they put us in wasn’t even cleaned for us arriving .. the girl gave us another room.. slightly better but not worth the high price we paid .. the hotel is very dated badly needs money spent on it .. and don’t get me started on the lift .. that’s downright dangerous!!! hotel isn’t worth the 3* it’s been given.. but that’s just our opinion.. staff seem nice though

Room and staff were great left a prized possession in the room and the staff found it couldn't be happier ✨👍😁

The staff were amazing, the room was quaint and the sea view was lovely, there's a cool little victorian style lift that you'll either love or hate, personally loved it. The bar was nice, the drinks priced pretty reasonably and the breakfast was nice. There's an issue or two though, plumbing on the third floor meant that having a decent shower was difficult, the mattress felt well overdue a replacement, the television got no reception and the WiFi was slow with poor reception. Enjoyed my stay but for 150 a night (double with breakfast for 2) I feel like I could have gotten more out of my money, although that's made a little more bearable by the location which is incredible. Never managed to meet the mythical Michael but the girls on the desk were doing a stellar job!

Great ocean side cozy hotel with amazing food and splendid scenery. An amazing bar (Bar Rio)to top it all off!!

No parking, room wasn't up to standard, lampshades mouldy and watermarked. Breakfast poor and waiter had mask covering his chin rather than his mouth even though signs everywhere telling guests to wear a mask and he was going from table to table.

Unfortunately this hotel at the rather extortionate price of £120 a night was more akin to a hotel of £40 per night. I’d guess that the management has changed and now they have taken to fleecing customers without providing standards. Unfriendly, very poor school canteen style cooked breakfast and coffee, rooms tired and small, windows could not be opened lest you might commit suicide. Charming