The Colonsay in Argyll & Bute

Charming hotel with great views. Emma who looked after the hotel was helpful and friendly . The food was good and prepared to order. The hotel was quiet due to it being February re tourists.No locals came into the bar which is a pity as it’s always nice to hear from people who actually live there so this should be encouraged somehow. Decor could do with upgrading .

Rang twice to book, no answers, machine said leave a message, did twice, but still no booking when arrived. Table available. Half of menu off. Steaks cooked rare whatever people requested, salmon dry and over cooked. Friendly service. Coffee machine not working. All round rotten.

Charming, very quiet, informal hotel with 8 individual letting rooms, all modern and well-furnished. Some rooms are small, but the website gives an accurate description of each one. Great spaces downstairs for relaxing if the weather is poor. Food very nice, but would benefit from more regular menu changes and an enhanced breakfast range.

We had a lovely evening at the Colonsay Hotel. Food and Drink was excellent with only a few things not available (understandable due to time of year). Following our meal there was traditional music in the bar which was full of locals and visitors alike! Decor and atmosphere was up there with the best Island Hotels! Service was standout!

We stayed at the hotel for a few idyllic days on the beautiful island of Colonsay. The hotel and staff were wonderful. The food was locally sourced and delicious! Our room was clean and very comfortable. The sun shone every day, so exploring the island was a dream.... We couldn’t ask for more! Can’t wait until we return again. Thank you

6 of our family had a wonderful holiday at the Colonsay hotel, the hotel was very smart and clean we were very pleased with the friendly staff and David the manager - the food was always good. Although the hotel was busy there was always space to spend time as a family in and outside. The island is lovely with walking and lovely sandy beaches. Thank you for a lovely holiday David Sadler

An amazing balance of comfort, informality, efficiency and good service. Six of us (including my twin and sister) have just spent 5 days there and we’ve been looked after exceptionally well. David, the manager, couldn’t have been more attentive, the hotel cleaner, the food more delicious, the atmosphere more relaxing. I’m sorry if this sounds a bit OTT but we have been back and forth to the island for over 30 years and know the hotel well - but this time it excelled itself. We can thoroughly recommend it!

We spent the day at the hotel sheltering from the drizzle and had two tasty meals. When we decided to stay and watch the football the general manager offered to drive us back to our cottage on the other side of the island. It was really kind of him and saved us an evening walk through the rain. A welcome oasis of comfort on a beautiful remote island. Highly recommend

Stayed for 3 nights at the Colonsay Hotel over the bank holiday weekend. This was a hotel which I'd been waiting to stay at for over a year after a lockdown cancellation- the wait was more than worth it! Beautiful boutique accommodation and resident lounge areas, complimented by stunning views from the dining room and a great little bar area. Local beer and gin options are fully available- the island having 2 gin distilleries and a brewery. Not bad for a population of 125. We chose to stay in the Ardskenish room, which has a lovely standard of furnishings. Breakfast and dinner were both excellent throughout our stay, with local seafood options on the menu, as well as the core hotel classics. The hotel manager and staff were very friendly and knowledgable, helping to make the stay perfect for us both. For anyone who is undecided about visiting the Isle of Colonsay, this island is a true Hebridean gem, with possibly the finest beach in the whole of Scotland, still very much undiscovered by many!

A great meal in the dining room and a few local beers and gins served in the gardens by very friendly staff.

We are regular visitors to the island and normally have an excellent experience but sadly on our most recent trip we were really disappointed by our visit to the hotel bar. The woman who served us was really rude and there was a large group of unfriendly locals including a young woman who very rudely let us know that she felt we had made a mistake in marking her team’s quiz sheet. All in all we weren’t made to feel at all welcome and will think twice before making a return visit.

This hotel has no competition on this lovely island so seems to be able to get away with a low standard of service. It appears to be run on a shoestring - simply put, there are insufficient staff to deal with a dining room or bar full of people. Also one of the members of staff is incapable of noticing who needs serving next or even taking an order correctly. The breakfasts are poor, with tiny bowls for cereals/fruit (self served). On one occasion we walked into the breakfast room at 08:30 (breakfast start time) to find no milk, hardly any cereals, no sugar on our table and hardly any fruit juice. The staff aren't proactive in preparing for breakfast. Our bedroom was very small, with not a single chair. You can sit on the floor if you wish! Once your first night's complimentary toiletries and biscuits are finished, that's your lot! To summarise, a mediocre hotel which gets away with a poor level of service by dint of being the island's solitary hotel.

We stayed here for a few days and have mixed views. The room - Ardskenish - was spacious and comfortable with lovely linen and a very good mattress. The only problem was the kitchen below the room. We'd read reviews here warning about noise and smells from the kitchen fan below the bathroom window, but that wasn't too much of a problem. What was annoying was the noise from the kitchen in the morning when the staff arrived. You expect some noise, but radios played loudly and lots of shouting. You have to assume that they know its a hotel and that one of their best rooms is above the kitchen. Or do they? The breakfasts were average and the dinner choice was disappointing. The daily specials didn't change all the time we were there. This could be an amazing hotel, but as the only hotel on the island, they really don't have to try hard, and don't. The garden is a lovely place to sit and have a drink, and some of the staff went out of their way to look after you. The others didn't really seem to care. Such a pity as this could be a truly wonderful hotel.

We were here twice during our stay in self-catering accommodation - once for an evening meal, which was delicious, and once for morning coffee and cake (again delicious, and came with a bonus scoop of ice cream!) while waiting for the ferry. The public areas of the hotel are beautiful (can't comment on the rooms, obviously, as we didn't stay here) and it has a very welcoming atmosphere. All staff members we encountered were eager to help and friendly. Highly recommended!

Being the only hotel on Colonsay and one of the few places to eat, the Colonsay Hotel might be tempted to rest on its laurels. It does not. The food and service are both excellent and the prices are not off the mark when compared to the mainland. We are repeat visitors and will likely return again.

On the last day before the Hotel closed for the season we went for lunch ahead of the ferry. Great service and a lovely lunch.

We visited Colonsay and after our walk we visited the Hotel for drinks. We sat in the garden when it started to rain heavily. We were welcomed into the hotel lounge to finish our drinks,The staff are excellent. We would stay here for a very quiet, quality getaway break.

Stayed in a cottage on the island and had an evening meal in the hotel on our last evening and breakfast the following morning prior to boarding the ferry. Very pleasant and helpful staff. Food good. View from restaurant amazing. Probably seems expensive but this is on a small island over two hours sail from the Scottish mainland so everything is pricey.

Went here last summer. Restaurant dead. a few people eating in the bar. refused service despite being nigh on empty. standard piss poor scottish service. Had haggis on our yacht. All in all, a better experience. Would not recommend in any way.

Servido por un precioso, buena de Europa oriental que nos dijo que ella estaba en su 5ª temporada trabajando allí. Espero que el voto brexit no voy a dejar de hacer gente como ella como este encantador lugares. La comida era principalmente local y sencilla pero perfectamente cocinada. Una buena selección de cervezas y vinos a un precio razonable. Como el único verdadero lugar para comer en la isla podrían fácilmente ser displicentes pero definitivamente trabajar en mantener estándares.

Nicely served attractive food full of flavour. They employ a decent chef who understands how to make the best of lovely fresh ingredients,

We stayed at the hotel for four nights and dined in the restaurant several times. The food was top quality though the selection was somewhat limited.

Mi esposa y yo nos alojamos en el Colonsay por 4 noches y estuvimos muy impresionados. El personal es muy amable y acogedor. Las habitaciones están bien equipadas y modernas. El hotel tiene un encantador bar que es frecuentado por la gente local, que también son muy amables. En conjunto, un lugar estupendo para pasar unos días.

Cenamos en el restaurante del hotel una noche durante nuestra estancia en esta hermosa isla. La comida y la acogida fue muy buena. El menú es bastante limitado, y algunos de los platos bastante caro (comprensible en una isla remota), pero encontramos fácilmente platos a nuestro gusto. La comida fue preparado y servido caliente y llena de sabor. Lo único negativo fue el servicio era muy, muy lento. En la noche que estuvimos allí un grupo grande de más de 20 (incluyendo el propietario de la isla) llegamos para una comida y el personal se esforzaban por mantener. Nos ignoraron las edades entre campos con los platos vacíos en nuestra mesa esperando para pedir nuestro campo al lado, y tomó varios intentos de atraer la atención de la camarera. A veces nos sentimos como si estuviéramos siendo ignorado deliberadamente para que la camarera podría centrarse en los clientes más importantes. Estoy seguro de que en otra noche, hubiera sido bien y nos encantaría volver la próxima vez que estemos en la isla.

Buena comida y bebida (desde el propio brewry de la isla) y un gran concurso de pub. Gran lugar para ir si puedes reunir el esfuerzo de llegar allí- no es que la isla es tan grande.

We are regular visitors and there is nowhere better. The hotel (staff, ambiance, food, rooms) is exceptional and the island is a true find. Best beaches in the UK.

We ate in the bar 3 times during our stay on Colonsay and enjoyed our meals each time, the risotto excellent although a rather large portion. It's dog friendly and the barman brought water for the dog, and there was live music on the Friday night which we enjoyed .

We had a very small room at the back but the hotel is lovely, in great surroundings. Plenty of places to sit and relax.

Great hotel very friendly staff and always there to assist and give advice on where to go on the island

Love this hotel. It is beautiful inside, great local beers fantastic fish and chips and the dog comes in to!! One of my favourite places.

Food very good and well priced. Friendly service and very efficient, of course not native. Contemporary bar and hotel, would return.

We ended our walk around Colonsay by descending on a path from the hillside near the hotel, so we popped in the a well earned drink as we had a couple of hours to kill before the ferry. It seemed as if everyone in the place was doing the same thing. Lovely bar and very friendly staff. Would recommend a stop off on a visit to the island. It's only 5 minutes walk to the ferry terminal.

Go and visit - what a beautiful place and a beach from your dreams (especially with blue sky). Went with Kevin for a tour around - full of knkowledge and brought the place alive, with history, geology, botany and archaeology. Finished at the hotel and sampled a fine beer or 2 - well I did, my husband was driving, so had to just try mine. We wished we were staying in the hotel - coudl have enjoyed a fews days there. Very friendly

We try to travel once in two years to Colonsay. A perfect island to excape for a while. The Colonsay is a good place to spend some evenings. Tasteful food and drinks and a charming interior. We will come back.

The food at the Colonsay was excellent- fresh and good quality with a wide selection. It is a little expensive but the friendly helpful staff and quality of food make up for this.The bar is also homely and welcoming and a good place to stop off and use the WiFi! They have Colonsay beers on tap which is a nice touch. Try the hot chocolate- it is amazing!

What a delicious meal we had in the Colonsay hotel prior to catching the ferry home. Tasty homemade mackerel pâté followed by vegetarian goats cheese salad, all beautifully presented. Yummy chocolate brownie & good coffee. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Hotel ambience first class with big comfy sofas and log fires. Very relaxing . Although more expensive than the nearby Pantry there is absolutely no comparison.

It's the lsiands only pub at present, with virtually no other options and on a Sunday, none at all for the best part of the day, the Colonsay represents a severely missed opportunity.Small portions, high prices and poorly cooked food spoil a beautiful setting and a lovely old hotel.Linguine is overcooked, with no traceable blue cheese in the sauce, the lamb is far too sweet.At £13.95 the pre ferry menu represents poor value.Somehow the local lager brewed at the bottom of the road is marked up by 30% from the brewery and shop prices.It could be so much more and is a disappointing option for visitors with little else to choose.Saved yourself the money and cook at home or eat on the ferry.

It's the lsiands only pub at present, with virtually no other options and on a Sunday, none at all for the best part of the day, the Colonsay represents a severely missed opportunity.Small portions, high prices and poorly cooked food spoil a beautiful setting and a lovely old hotel.Linguine is overcooked, with no traceable blue cheese in the sauce, the lamb is far too sweet.At £13.95 the pre ferry menu represents poor value.Somehow the local lager brewed at the bottom of the road is marked up by 30% from the brewery and shop prices.It could be so much more and is a disappointing option for visitors with little else to choose.Saved yourself the money and cook at home or eat on the ferry.

We dined on a tuesday night, where the children eat at 6pm, then are settled in the front lounge with a DVD, whilst you eat in the restaurant like a proper grown up! The children's meals were very good, the staff were excellent with them and highly tolerant. Our meals were very good and the restaurant has a lovely ambience, white tablecloths and simple crockery, we really did have a super time and the children all had a game of tig on the lawn where we had coffee (another g&t) although expensive it was well worth it for our night night of indulgence in a weeks holiday!

A fantastic evening - excellent meal for the children after which they were escorted to the lounge for a film. Meanwhile we had a delightful meal for two in the dining room. I had scallops followed by the most divine beer battered haddock. I would happily have eaten the children's chicken nuggets and chips, which were fantastic also. The staff were very attentive, especially Ivan who was the epitome of hospitality.This was our first trip to Colonsay but we will definitely be back to the hotel in the future, for dinner, breakfast and lunch!

We enjoyed a day trip by ferry from Islay to this perfect island. Although the ferry was late leaving Islay, we had perfect weather.. Five minutes walk up from the ferry all 12 of us sat in the garden of the Colonsay hotel and were looked after by a charming Romanian couple, and fed home baked bread, fish, freshly cooked pasta with wild garlic, sandwiches and PROPER home made chips with aioli. We were very happy as we set out for the beach to walk it off.

We had some lovely smoked mackeral pate but very surprised a good portion was accompanied by two small fingers of toast. Had to suck the pate off and eat tiny pieces of toastHusband could not believe the price of the Colonsay bottles of beer sold at the brewery in the village for £2.85 ans resold for £4.50-ouchGarden was very pleasant but did not go into main hotel so cannot comment

The menu is simple and short with a good selection of locally sourced items making up the dishes. Watch the ferry arrive while enjoying a drink with your meal from the restaurant or sit by one of the open fires with your meal if the weather is a bit colder.

Just stopped for beer and some tea. Very friendly staff, comfortable lounge available even though we were not hotel guests.

What more can I say the hotel is very relaxing with friendly staff rooms and whole hotel area clean log fires with plenty of wood to keep them going lovely to sit beside and read etc food was very tasty and excellant

We adored Colonsay and were lucky enough to catch two of the finest days of the year. We trumped about on foot enjoying the fabulous beaches, Oronsay and Kiloran. Ending a long hike at the Colonsay Hotel in front of the fire with a G & T was very fine.....if only we had left it there! The staff at the hotel were lovely but the food was poor and over-priced. I had a very odd fish cake and a friend the smallest piece of meat imaginable ..the salad was a glass bowl of lettuce leaf without any dressing. Nearby, a fellow diner had a mushroom risotto which he refused to pay for. Contrast this with the wee Pantry at the pier the following night ......fresh oysters, battered fish in Colonsay beer and a wonderful smoked fish omelette......all home cooked and a fraction of the price!!

We visit the restaurant on a regular base during our stays on Colonsay. The service is not as professional as it could be but the food is very good. They have a nice selection of wines and offer the good local Colonsay beer. We enjoyed our meals and will come again as soon as possible.

We were on a yacht visiting Colonsay. We used the hotel for showers in the afternoon and booked a table for dinner. They wouldn't accept a booking earlier than 8:15 as they had an event.We arrived early and watched the Olympics on the tele in the bar. They didn't want to know about us until 8:15 and then told us it would be at least 8:30 before they could take our order. In the event it was even later but we weren't too put out because we were enjoying watching the tele.We asked if they could serve our food in the bar so that we could continue watching the tele. When the food did arrive it was good. Four of ordered steak which was cooked exactly as we had asked.The beer was good - local Scottish real ales - not the xx shillings stuff!So food good, location great (i.e. you eat here or in the cafe by the ferry terminal or cook your own), nice atmosphere but on this occasion service was poor.

It has to be said that food as good as this in such a remote corner of Scotland is quite a find, the oysters are as good as I have eaten anywhere, the mussels; small perfect and tender with good flavor and lovely local bread for the juices. All at the table enjoyed their mains, perhaps not polished restaurant fair but very good home style cooking. This place has real charm and is easily the best food on the island, they need to work on the way they greet guests, on later visit we felt they were actually happy to turn us away even though the restaurant was not full, I respect spacing for the kitchen and that service standards need to be protected but there is a way to handle it - and no matter what, guest or potential guest should be made feel welcome. Well worth a visit!

Great at mosphere the hamptons of Scotland really chilled out place!

we were self catering on the island and had a couple of meals at the hotel. We were a bit disapointed with the service, although our food was good. Hard to pin down what was lacking about the service............I guess it just didn't seem as professional as one would hope for, as has been said the marketing sells it well but maybe staff have not been invested in as much as the website and the decor. THe restaurant lacks atmosphere I think, unless you are lucky enough to get a window table. But having said all that we did go back for a second meal!

Oysters from the island, honey ice-cream from the island, langoustines from the island. You may have to accept Oban for your haddock or turbot, but this is Scottish food at its best; simple, largely well done and left alone just as it should be. Bravo to the owners who seem to be clear about reflecting the best of this part of Scotland and when the weather is nice which it was for the few days we were there there really seems to be nothing better.

Lovely hotel on a beautiful island spoiled by poor food produced by a thoughtless chef. Avoid the steaks - premium price charged for tough and tasteless sirloin. If he only had frozen steaks then he should have cooked them differently. Coq au vin tasted as though chicken and sauce had been cooked separately.The main problem for hotel guests is that the beautiful island of colonsay has only one other place to eat - the Pantry, which is an excellent licensed cafe but not a beautiful evening restaurant

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay on this stunningly beautiful island and found the hotelto be friendly, clean and nicely decorated. Our evening meals were delicious and notoverpriced with a relaxed atmosphere.The only disappointment was the breakfast,if you wanted a cooked breakfast you had topay £7.50 each. The continental breakfast which was part of the package was less thanbasic with very little choice.We would certainly return and we were well looked after.

Extremely tastefully presented but expensive and not great value in terms of food. We did not stay at the hotel but did not find the staff particularly accommodating or welcoming. Top marks to the interior decorator and web-site designer, great marketing but better content and value would make this a really great place.

We have visited The Colonsay hotel many times over the years when staying on the beautiful Isle of Colonsay. The bar is certainly worth visiting and serves good locally brewed beer from the Colonsay Brewery, although the way it has been designed is not the most conducive for a friendly local pub and it lacks character compared to the old bar which we knew in the 1990’s. The bar has a very well attended weekly quiz night with teams of islanders taking on the holidaymakers and there is also a kids night where parents can relax in the restaurant and bar while the kids are looked after by a member of staff, watch a film and play games. The restaurant at the hotel is not cheap but is we believe good value. The service could have been a bit faster and more attentive but the food was very good, especially the fabulous Colonsay Oysters which come from “The Strand” which is the strip of sand that separates Colonsay from it’s neighbouring island of Oronsay and produces award winning oysters. We think the hotel provides unusually good quality food for such a small island community and are planning to celebrate our Mums 70th birthday there in summer 2012, the bar is also a nice place to finish the day and discuss your day’s activities over a pint of Colonsay lager or beer.

A bar lunch in the Colonsay Hotel is simple, very home made, but oh so tasty. Soup and a ciabatta sandwich with really fresh ingredients. Just great.

The Island is amazing and certainly worth a visit but the hotel has some major problems. The hotel has an identity crisis - i think somone needs to be reminded its located on a small remote scottish island. The menu, which was the same for the bar /restaurant and hotel residents, did not contain anything local and was well overpriced for what appeared on the tiny dinner plates. The choices were very limited and undescriptive - i.e Steak. I will never be eating there again. Its such a shame the hotel is no longer the hub of the small community and famillies are no longer catered for.

The only two reviews for this restaurant were negative. But we spent last week on Colonsay and ate dinner at the hotel twice. Our meals were a baked haddock and chips and lamb casserole. Both meals were delicious. The meals were not overpriced and the service as friendly and quick.

The bottom line is that the Colonsay offers poor value for money.The reader is advised to stay at a B&B offering dinner than have dinner at the Colonsay.Pictures of exotic meals may be featured on the Colonsay's web-site, however I have never seen or experienced any of them.Unfortunately the Colonsay has a captive audience as there are only 2 places for non-residents to eat on the island, these are the Pantry and the Colonsay.The Colonsay's only virtues are that it is clean, a good base to explore the island and to have a relaxing drink at.Cusine wise - I have now visited the place twice in October - there is nothing to be experienced; the last dinner that I had at the Colonsay was soup followed by a flash-fried fish dish (fish and chips by any other name) and a non-descript dessert.This cost me £25 - very poor value for money - better meals were available at the B&B where I was staying, which were more honestly priced.Dinner at the Colonsay is definitely overpriced given the cuisine that is served.Service was also poor - I had to keep hailing the waitress whenever I wanted anything - there was no anticipation.

Went here for dinner and the hotel charges an absolute premium for being the only place to eat on the island. Ordered "Seared Scallops" for a main course (without anything else like potato and vegetables) at a cost of £17.95. When the dish arrived I had only 3 scallops! At just under £6 a scallop I felt a little hardly done by - especially when each additional side dish I ordered to pad out my 3 scallops were £2 each. Beer and Wine and other foods were also overpriced. Not very impressed at all. Overpriced and pretentious was my opinion of the place. In fact, if travelling through the Scottish islands, I would advise giving Colonsay a miss - nice place, shame about the locals.