The Westward at Crinan Hotel in Argyll & Bute

Cool in decor and atmosphere. Beware the yougest staff. The Lloyd Loom chairs of various style can be uncomfortable. Breakfast, all served is quite poor. The "Fresh Orange juice" is not fresh but cheap. Dinner in this room can be dull too.

We only had breakfast at the Westward but thoroughly enjoyed the kippers and poached eggs - perfect Scottish breakfast with a view over the sea.

Ate here 2 times during stay in hotel. Seafood clearly the focus and done very well.. have to say that the Westward restaurant is better than the seafood restaurant in terms of service, even though the menus were the same. Crab risotto was great. Grilled Langoustines also a good choice Wine list is very over priced for the range and choices on offer.

Langoustines are amazing, the fish dishes are delicious. Staff very helpful & friendly. What a fabulous view out across the sea. It’s busy so if staying at the hotel make sure you book in advance.

Possibly the freshest, best cooked and prepared seafood I've eaten anywhere! Excellent food and the service is superb. Had local oysters both nights. Scallops cooked to perfection and shared the humongous seafood platter on our second night. Cheese plate was varied and plentiful. Husband had the famous fish and chips for lunch and it was gorgeous. Home made chips and fresh firm fish with crunchy, tasty batter. Worth the drive!

Beautiful to walk down to from Crinan harbour, views were stunning, beer was great, fish could’ve done with a wee bit longer but it was cooked just not enough crispy bits for my liking, though those crispy bits were good. Atttentive staff with a smile you could see through a mask

Mushrooms and poached egg were ordered for a cooked breakfast This arrived as two button mushrooms and a small poached egg on a 12" dinner plate

We booked for dinner here one evening while stopping at a local bed and breakfast. The building is a bit run down but the food is excellent we really enjoyed are visit and will go again next time we are in Scotland.

The menu provides for many cultures and tastes. The many walks in the locality assist in maintaining good calorie control

Stayed at Hotel ,food first class as was the service ,although hotel showing its self as now a little tired, views etc outstanding ,although prices for alcohol a little excessive for the measures that were submitted, not a great deal to do other than walking along the nearby Crinan Canal ,although this seems popular

My wife and I ate here to celebrate a special birthday and everything about the experience was indeed special! The menu is a fixed price, with a choice of starter, main course and dessert, interspersed with delightful little extras to tease the palate. The wine list overall was a little pricier than we we used to, but there was an excellent range and sufficient choice of affordable bottles. The service was friendly and very efficient, so we never felt rushed, nor did we have to wait any great length of time between courses. The location is truly amazing (try to get one of the tables at the west end of the room); if you're there at the right time of year and time of day you'll be treated to a visual feast as the sun goes down over the Isles of Jura and Scarba in the Inner Hebrides. The beautiful Loch Crinan was spread out in front of us and we enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Crinan Hotel.

We had a very good dinner in The Westward. It has a terrific view of the loch to the north and the Inner Hebrides islands to the west. The view is superb, very photogenic, especially at sunset. We each had 8 freshly caught langoustines for our main course which were delicious and well worth the long drive to The Crinan Hotel to experience. The one obvious downfall of the restaurant was the amateurish errors of the waiting staff. I appreciate that some of the staff were inexperienced summer students but a short lesson from the management on the etiquette of presenting a more polished meal would have gone a long way to making the meal more memorable - in a positive way. Firstly, the bottle of wine we ordered was brought to our table already opened and poured without us being given the option of tasting first. (A neighbouring table ordered a bottle of Meursault but a different bottle of wine arrived - it too was already open - and poured immediately.) Another server then arrived with a basket of bread, asked me which one I would like; I chose the (excellent) olive bread and before I knew it the server picked it up by hand and plonked it on my side plate; no tongs or even the opportunity to pick it out myself. These may be minor complaints but had the wine and the bread been dealt with correctly the excellent quality of the food would have been complemented by appropriate attention to detail. Having said this, I would definitely choose to eat at The Westward again when I am in the area as the food was superb.

...of the coast while you dine. We had both dinner and breakfast here on our overnight stay in Crinan. The absolute best langoustine you'll ever find anywhere on the planet...succulent and sweet beyond your imagination. Lovely breakfast as well.

Lovely restaurant in beautiful location. Excellent service from friendly and helpful waitresses. Pleasant lounge for pre-dinner drinks and after dinner tea and coffee. Seafood starters delicious - we had the lobster and the scallops.

We had the set menu for dinner which was a bit expensive at £49.50 per person but a lovely meal. The setting is beautiful and service attentive and cannot fault the food which was cooked to perfection however, at this price I thought it was top city prices in a rural location.

We had the five course tasting menu on our second evening, delicious with wonderful views to accompany wonderful food! Wine also very good and not expensive.

We stopped here on a car rally for lunch. They served excellent soup and more sandwiches than we could eat. The staff were extremely helpful and accommodating.

My wife and I recently stayed in the Crinan Hotel for two nights again and it was just as terrific this time! I have already reviewed the Hotel, but breakfast is served in the Westward Restaurant. We looked up the Sound of Jura, towards the Corryvreckan Whirlpool and the setting is simply magnificent! We were looked after by Guest Relations Manager Pedro, who has an amazing sense of humour and he was ably assisted by Gwen.Breakfast provides a wide range of options and I went for the orange juice (delicious). home stewed compote of fruit, then the full Scottish breakfast with free range fried eggs, grilled pork sausage, back bacon, Portobello mushroom, plum tomato, potato scone and black pudding. Fantastic - well cooked and beautifully presented! With a pot of tea and mixed white and brown toast with homemade marmalade, my joy was complete. All of that, combined with the stunning location, the Westward is the place to be. Because we had our dog with us, we couldn't have dinner there and ate instead in the outstanding Seafood Bar.

The restaurant and menus offer the days catch and are well prepared with the finest ingredients. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and houses throughout a collection of paintings by the proprietor Frances MacDonald.

We breakfasted in the Westward Restaurant with stunning views of Jura, Scarba and Mull and towards the Corryvreckan Whirlpool, the third largest in the world. With 30 ft high waves from time to time and a speed of 10mph, as a sailor it is definitely a place to avoid! In the distance, however, when eating, it looks terrific!.

Views to die for. Exceptional seafood. What else to say? Evening meals use freshly caught fish and seafood whist the breakfast kippers set you up for the day ahead.

El Oeste es el 'formal' en el restaurante del hotel, con vistas Crinan impresionante sobre el Loch Crinan a Jura. Muy confortable, con mesas bien espaciadas.

Toma aquí para mi cumpleaños. Lloviendo cuando llegamos pero cálida bienvenida en la recepción del hotel. Almuerzo en la cafetería que está al lado, entonces cuando la lluvia paró un paseo por el canal towpath antes de regresar para la cena. La cena era 7 campos a £45 por persona con una botella de Petit Chablis por £27 y vale la pena cada céntimo. Desayuno por la mañana siguiente era excelente, con todo lo que podrías desear. Avena seguido por un conjunto magnífico kipper es perfectamente para un largo paseo por la colina hasta el mirador con vista sobre el lago y las islas. Con el cielo azul y las vistas eran sencillamente impresionantes. Sin duda volveremos a este hotel muy bueno.

We were staying the hotel and had dinner in the restaurant. Fantastic views with a fantastic set menu of local seafood.

Amazing seafood stew is back on the menu - and not to be missed - make sure you order before going to look at the view outside as it runs out fast!

It was a more than 30 years since I last visited this area, & it hasn't changed. The seafood was delicious well worth visiting, the staff superb & very accommodating. You cannot get fresher seafood, caught that day. The Seafood Stew was plentiful, very tasty & wonderfully presented. We were even invited to view the gallery on the third floor, also a must. Will definitely return.

Annesso all'omonimo hotel,ne mantiene tutto il fascino dei tempi passati. Ottima cucina di pesce, gamberi, salmone, aringhe, zuppa di pesce (attenzione alla panna), tutto freschissimo e ben fatto.Ottima birra (ovviamente), e conto finale onesto. Annesso c'è un pub con ottima selezione di whisky che sembra uscito da un film, cosa volete ancora................

Un lugar encantador con vistas al mar y colinas más Crinan Canal Terminus. Mesas de estilo café simple que se puede unir a un grupo de familia más grande. Buen menú y deliciosos platos de comida. El personal es amable y servicial.

We ate at the seafood bar not the restaurant. it was fantastic recommend the scallops. They serve white wine by the glass (choice of 4) and have peroni on draught. Very reasonable priced.

Top cooking that recognises that good ingredients don't need fuss or adornment. Quiet room with wonderful sea views, and service from charming and attentive staff.

We arrived at 6pm to find the restaurant was fully booked so we ate in the bar. The tables seemed crammed in to a small space and they were the most uncomfortable seats ever! The twice baked soufflé starter was good, but the smoked haddock I had for main course came on a heap of lumpy mash, swimming in melted cheese and so salty! We felt as if we were in the way - nobody came to see if our meal was O.K. and we couldn't wait to leave.

We had dinner in the beautiful restaurant but were truly disappointed not only by poor service but very average food. The level of service or indeed lack of it was most disappointing for a hotel of this standard. This due to complete lack of experience and total lack of supervision. For staff to be allowed to spend so much time talking and laughing with each other whilst ignoring the paying customers was an absolute disgrace.

We ate here whilst staying in the Crinan Hotel - it was a set menu but there was a number of different choices available - my husband doesn't like seafood/fish which are the main choices on the menu but there is a non fishy option available and the night we ate there it was duck and it was delicious - I had salmon with capers which was also cooked perfectly - in fact all the courses were excellent and for £35 found it to be very good value - the service was also excellent and found it to be attentive without being intrusive - we will definitely look to go back here again next time we are in the area.

The sea food as you would expect (and hope) is as fresh as it can be. The food and service in the restaurant is top quality.

Lovely service, good food. great surroundings, beautiful views. Warm and very welcoming. Will be back again.

We were so disappointed. The hotel is tired, the restaurant is tired and the chef must be exhausted, so little effort did they make in the kitchen. This could have been wonderful, as the view out to Scarba, Jura and Mull in the sunset is fabulous, and the ingredients, locally sourced crab, mussels and langoustines, and organic leaves all could have made an unforgettable meal. No quibbles about the mussels in a delicious cream sauce. But the crab needed something else - even just the bread roll which we had to ask for - and the langoustines arrived dauntingly heaped alone on an otherwise entirely naked plate. Not even mayonnaise was offered. The seared salmon was OK, a little overdone on a bed of kept-warm mashed potato. The inbetween course of lemon sorbet was delicious however and the dessert - we only tried the lemon tart - also good. Service was willing but not highly trained or experienced - we had to keep asking for water when our small glasses were empty for example. We also had a very long wait between courses, strange for a restaurant with only four occupied tables. For £35 a head set menu this once leading hotel should be offering a trained head waiter, not East European young women in kilts, no doubt on a low wage.As for the ladies toilet, a long way away upstairs, it was absolutely dreadful. Not decorated or improved for at least 40 years as far as I could tell, just 2 loos for a restaurant and crowded bar. One loo stopped flushing before the end of the evening and the pile of paper towels ran out. They do better in my local pub.

The restaurant looks tired at best - it looks as if nobody has really tried since the 70s at least. There is only a fixed 4 course meal available, which was limited in choice. The menus were poorly photocopied and had no description of the food on them. The food was OK - if quite uninspired - e.g. a starter of a scallop brochette with leaves, was a small kebab of scallops, wrapped in bacon, with just a few leaves from a salad bag, piled beside it (no dressing). My son is vegetarian, and when we had been earlier to explore and book, he had informed the receptionist that he was vegetarian as there was nothing for vegetarians on the set menu. She went to ask in the kitchen, and they said that they could make something special for him. when he ordered he was asked whether taglietelle pomodoro would be OK - it was edible, but I could have done much better. Langoustines were OK, but missing some of their claws. The service was OK, but I felt quite sorry for our waitresses, who were 2 german girls, who clearly had little experience, and had been wrapped in weird tartan skirts. I certainly would not waste my money on the restaurant again, but would consider a bar meal. They also do take away fish and chips, which seems like a good idea, but interestingly, you only discover this if you visit the ladies loo (?70s Laura Ashley), where there is a sign.

On the same date in 1991, Nick Ryan refused to allow my then teenage sons into his restaurant without ties. It has taken me 24 years to risk returning! I’m pleased to report that the entry protocols seem to be a little less pompous these days. We had dinner in the downstairs (“Westward”) restaurant at a table with views across Loch Craignish to the islands of Jura and Scarba: nice setting. The décor of the restaurant is pleasant enough but it’s all rather tired and could do with a facelift. We found it rather hot in the raised area.The set menu is priced at £35 and comprises four courses plus coffee. There is a choice of four dishes for first and main courses, a soup course in between and two choices of dessert, or cheese as an alternative, to finish. This is not a menu for meat eaters. There is a meat alternative for the starter and main but basically the menu is fish; which suits the location and suited us but might not be ideal for everyone.We chose a crab risotto and the smoked salmon as starters. Both were OK. Portions were adequate but not generous. The smoked salmon was probably the better buy. They serve a choice of fresh well made bread rolls.A middle course of soup is offered. When we were there, it was a teacup full of a thick hot sweet potato broth. It was not so sweet as to spoil your palate and pleasant enough in its way. Not a thing one would normally order but a help in filling a gap.Of our party, most chose the “langoustines”, which has become the fashionable name for what we used to call “prawns”. Whatever they were called, they were served hot – about 8 or 9 rather small specimens with a few scraps of salad. [I think all the big ones go upstairs to the up-market Lock 16 seafood restaurant. You need to be a party of more than 10 or 12 and, no doubt, really rich for that!] The better buys were the salmon or lemon sole fillets. The former was served on a pile of nicely seasoned mashed potato, with some well-cooked sugar snap peas the latter similarly but with bits of calabrese rather than sugar snaps. Both were good and portion size, although modest, was adequate.To follow was offered a small fruit tart, something called a “sabayon of fruit” or cheese. Some tried the tart, which was deemed ‘good’. Nobody knew what a sabayon was (I gather it’s the French equivalent of zabaglione) so we gave that a miss and had a couple of portions of cheese. These were more than adequate; indeed, one portion would have easily satisfied two of us. It was a good mix of cheeses, too, no grapes or other fruit but by far the best course of the four. Coffee & mints followed in the lounge: the staff made it clear they did not favour our hanging about in the restaurant. The lounge is tired, too, and in need of some refurbishment. If you sit on the settees, it’s quite possible you might never get out of them again!

This lovely light and airy restaurant looks out over the Sound of Jura. The food was fantastic - over two nights we dined on langoustines, mussels, salmon, scallops and a wonderful caramelised lemon tart - each course was better than the last! Great breakfast in the morning too with table service - no buffet!

I could not believe that somewhere would charge £3 for a small coffee and £3:50 for a large (medium by Costa standards). It was expensive and not that good, weak tasting like hot milk with a bit of coffee. The sandwiches were a bit better price wise but a cheese and pickle in a white bread bun is nothing special. Problem was we had cycled 7 miles and the hotel only did meals and drink not snacks and nowhere else to go. Toilets out of order. Crinan is such a lovely place to visit but next time we will take a picnic.

This restaurant was formal but not stuffy. The food (particularly the sea food) was excellent and obviously very fresh. The service was attentive but not intrusive. The view from the large window table at which we were placed was almost enough to distract us from our food, but only almost !!

Ate 2 nights in the restaurant and enjoyed lovely meals, which were well presented and seved by friendly, professional staff. The seafood was exceptional!

The place was packed the night we dined so we were thankful for having booked in advance. The service was excellent and the food divine. Afterwards we retired to their lovely sitting area in the conservatory for coffee and mints.

Meal was great - as always - the view from the top of the hotel with a glass of wine - highly recommended and worth the squash in the lift.

I am sure a coffee at the Crinan hotel coffee shop would have been delicious, and worth every bit of £3(!) but whilst I waited for the sour-faced barista to berate someone on the phone for not cleaning the cafe floor properly (why not do it yourself, mate!) I had time to read the menu prices. The cafe will get some captive customers waiting their turn in the lock and judging by their boats, they would have a bit of cash to spend but, for my part, I had a set of wheels and a sense of value for money so off I went to pastures new.

A truly wonderful place to stay the location was just idyllic with amazing views over the islands & canal.The food was fantastic & very reasonable .And so were the staff friendly & couldn't do enough for us .There was lovely walks around the area especially up into Crinan Ancient rainforest.A true retreat .

We ate wonderful fresh seafood looking out towards the Sound of Jura. The restaurant is not unduly expensive with a decent wine list and well prepared and presented food.

Cam here with 2 best walking friends.Full of sunshine and calm, rooms overlook the sea, great food.Prefer to come in good weather, which transforms the whole experience.

Exstensive menu makes it difficult to select your meal but whatever your choice you will not be disappointed.Views from the restaurant seaward will make your meal perfect.

I worked as a receptionist at the Crinan Hotel some 40 years ago (my first job away from home) and had always wanted to go back. first Saturday with nothing planned for ages we decided to go for it ! The car trip from Glasgow was lovely through Inverary then Lochgilphead and right along the canal and there at the very end is the Crinan Hotel. Really strange stepping back in time and I couldn't quite believe that not a lot had changed. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and shock shock my old boss Nick Ryan and his wife Frances still run this family hotel. had a lovely walk around, Mr Ryan told us the take the lift to the 3rd floor where they have a spectacular gallery displaying Mrs Ryans paintings, with outside space to take in the breathtaking views out over the canal. We had lunch in the seafood restaurant which was really fab. The dressed crab was delicious as were the salad leaves and tangy salsa. My husbands haddock was super sized and fresh fresh fresh fab.!!! what a great place has really stood the test of time, will not leave it another 40 years before we return that's for sure. !!! Ps and Mr Ryan was a bit less scarey than he was a way back then !!!!!

After a brilliant 9 mile drive down the side of the Crinan Canal, you will find at the end of the Road the Crinan Hotel. Very posh looking and perhaps not the spot to stop for a drink and a bite to eat, but there at the Canal Basin and the Sea Lock for the Canal is a Coffee Shop which is undoubtedly run by the Hotel as the Staff appear to move between the two.What a pleasure- I must be honest, I cannot now buy a Sausage Roll from any other supplier as I was totally blown away by the Sausage Roll provided. Follow that up with a large slice of what was described as Chocolate Cherry - I left there replete and very happy.

On est arrivé par hasard dans ce restaurant. L'accueil était un peu froid (ainsi que la température de la salle à manger) et les serveurs stoïques face à notre groupe de 6 adultes et 6 enfants. Finalement, les plats étaient délicieux et le service sans reproche (sauf qu'il n'était pas toujours facile de se faire comprendre même en Anglais :-)). On y retournerait donc sans hésiter.La vue sur le petit port de Crinan est magnifique et il y a de chouettes balades à pied possible à partir du restaurant. Le canal et ses écluses sont exceptionnelles.Remarque : on n'a pas testé l'hôtel et je pense que l'on a mangé dans le bar et pas dans la salle de restaurant.

We had been for a walk along the Crinan canal and had worked up an appetite. We had wanted t Try the Crinan hotel for some time so took our chance when we had it. The restaurant, at first sight, looked a wee bit dowdy. But it was clean enough and smelled of very good food so we stuck to our guns and sat down. A good number of the seats looked like converted church pews but were very much more comfortable. My wife had a seafood stew in a cream sauce. She loved it. I had razor clams with salad leaves. Again, great. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very relaxed. No one rushed us to finish and they were fairly relaxed about the bill. During our meal I watched a fishing boat being unloaded and one of the seamen brought a case of razor clams into the hotel for the kitchen. I guess you can't get much fresher than that. The toilets were spotless with plenty of hot water and a choice of hand towel or drier. I will definitely be back here at the next available opportunity!

Just go and experience this yourself. You will not be disappointed with anything, except maybe that everything is old but that's the point. The whole area and the hotel is trapped in time and it's great. It's a true life Brigadoon. Not that I'm suggesting that Brigadoon isn't real. But this is.

Having had a meal in the Seafood Bar on Monday night, we decided to eat in the more formal Westward on Wednesday and what a treat it was!! We had a round table at the back of the restaurant and although we ended up by ourselves, it was just fabulous. There were 4 choices of starters; I had the scallop brochettes and my husband had the smoked salmon. Both were lovely. The soup was a shellfish veloute and was super. There were again 4 choices for the main course and I had halibut and my husband had lamb; again both wonderful. For dessert I had peach sabayon and my husband had cheese and we both thoroughly enjoyed them. The service was very good without being overwhelming, as it might have been considering we were on our own. The whole experience was just wonderful!

Sometimes, being by oneself is awkward, not here, made to feel welcome, the service was brilliant, the food (scallops) fantastic. Despite weather, the view and the spectacle of watching boats negotiating the locks are well worth a visit. Highly recommended.

Cosy bar with excellent fish and chips andview of the comings and going at the entrance to the Crinan canal.

On yet another wet night, I decided to treat her indoors to a meal at Crinan Hotel.Well we were not disapointed, one of the best seafood meals we have ever had.I went for the fish of the day, which was grilled Halibut with lemon and caper butter, wow, so tasty!Wife went for Scallops, she loved them, and a very generous portion.We shared a sweet of the day, a delicious home made Apple pie.Friendly staff, quality food, very fair pricing, we will be back!

The views and whole outlook are fabulous, food is excellent, you can spend the day pottering around here. Make sure you walk up the canal and find the artist living on a houseboat, he does some great stuff

If you're looking for fresh food, a fantastic view, and warm friendly service, stop at Crinan Hotel. We usually eat in the cafe bar and consider ourselves lucky if we catch a boat being lowered from the canal. Don't miss the hotel garden above street level. It's a fine small garden.

Excellent scallops, lamb and gazpachio. I t was just very formal and did not appear in keeping with the very laid back nature of the rest of the hotel

I have visited the bar of this place over the years as we kept a boat nearby at Ardfern. My opinion was generally low with mediocre service/food, so I am pleased to revise my opinion having recently visited after a nice walk along the canal from Cairnbaan. Our family of 5 had lunch in the seafood bar. The place is simply decorated and small but has a nice view of the canal basin. Between us we had the seafood stew (misleading as more like a creamy chowder with langostines, mussles, halibut). Pricey at £17 but really quite delicious. My wife had langostines which were lovely and two others had superb fresh haddock and chips. All served promptly and hot. Very nice indeed and would return.

L'ho già recensito insieme all'hotel, ribadisco che vale il viaggio, ho mangiato degli scampi meravigliosi, ma poteva anche essere un asdtice o un pesce di un altro titpo, li' non si puo' sceliere si mangia quello che i pescatori pescano poche ore prima..... il cibo è fantastico e tutto perfetto. il personale molto professionale e gentile

We enjoyed their special seafood meal, it was delicious.Shocked the next day at the price. The room rate was "per person," making it twice as expensive!recomend eating there, but dont stay its a rip-off!

Stayed here for 3 days looking for rest and relaxation and found it in abundance. The staff go out of their way to make sure you are happy and comfortable. Beautiful view from our room over the Sound of Jura, bed perhaps a little too firm. Shabby chic style of decor, including original paintings (you can sense an artist's touch in the hotel) make it feel elegant yet homely and welcoming, and a peaceful atmosphere contributed to a very restful ,rejuvenating stay. It has a great restaurant with an amazing chef, and the food was first class every day making good use of local produce. If you like fresh seafood you will LOVE this place! would be good to have a vegetarian option on the dinner menu some evenings. Breakfast was cooked to order,( no dried up buffet service here!). It would be a good move to have some background classical music in the restaurant as it lacks atmosphere when it is quiet which is a shame as the food is so good and the views from its windows are magical, especially at sunset. Crinan itself is a little piece of heaven and we will return!! Thank you Catherine, Marek, Ulla and all the staff for your warm welcome, professionalism and hard work.

My husband and I dined at the Crinan hotel recently. My husband ordered Haddock Fillet , chips and salad. The food arrived in no time, we wondered hpw they could cook fish and ships so quickly. On closer inspection my husband found the haddock uncooked in the middle. as we were starving I told hime to just eat around the raw bit,(we don't like to complain). After three mouthfulls my husband let out a yelp, a large fish bone was lodged in his tongue. He left the food barely touched on his plate. The waiter came over and did not ask was everything ok. I told him of my husbands discomfort and he said "oh I will tell the chef". He returned some minutes later with our bill, we had been charged full price for the fish. Disgraceful service. Will never go to Crinan Hotel again, even tho we have a holiday home nearby.

This was a classic case where initial appearances deceived - the hotel looks old fashioned and frumpy, but the bar-restaurant was recently refurbished and surprisingly contemporary, and the food was excellent - fresh seafood mostly from Loch Crinan, pleasant staff, and a stonking view of the loch and the canal basin at Crinan. Only slight negative, on a sunny Sunday lunchtime that we were there, were some hideously pretentious and arrogant rich 'locals' who were totally obnoxious, fat and complained about everything, Hopefully they'll have died of their gout soon!

Nearly night two because after half an hour, we decided it was not the place for us. This was booked in advance after looking at the website and speaking to lovely Catherine on the telephone. The hotel is in a fabulous location with the most amazing views and our room was reputed to be one of the best in the hotel. We were disappointed by the standard of cleanliness and furnishing were very poor, although it is priced as a 5 Star hotel. The bedspread had holes in it and the valance was dirty. The whole hotel looked like it was in desperate need of renovation. We are unable to comment on the quality of the food as we did not stay long enough to sample it! The owner explained that it was popular with the Royal family, although it may be some time since they stayed. We chose to forfeit our deposit (£75) and move on. Overall, we were very disappointed as, views withstanding, it was not at all what we were expecting.

Room had dirty, stained top cover and was badly in need of total refurbishment. Same for the bathroom. Balcony railings needed painting, large puddles congretated on the balcony surface floor. Patio door and frame unit should be replaced a.s.a.p.Food was disgusting, badly presented, awful quality, cold food and cold plates.Whole hotel could do with an uplift although it appears they have tried in several reception areas.Very, very expensive for the level of accommodation and food - we thought we were getting 4-5*, instead we wouldn't give the Crinan half a star.

One of the best restaurants and hotel in this part of Scotland. Nick and Francis are great hosts. The freshest seafood you will ever have can be had at Lock 16!