Inver Lodge

“Old world charm and service meet modern convenience.”

Such a charming hotel. Stepping inside feels like entering a luxury lodge in the remote Scottish Highlands from a century or two ago. From the wood fireplace to the heated clothes drying room, the tartan and the decor; it makes a great impression. The rooms maintain the historic feel while mixi… more

Such a charming hotel. Stepping inside feels like entering a luxury lodge in the remote Scottish Highlands from a century or two ago. From the wood fireplace to the heated clothes drying room, the tartan and the decor; it makes a great impression. The rooms maintain the historic feel while mixing in a recently renovated bathroom with a great shower and full size tub and all the other modern conveniences. The entire hotel has wonderful hilltop views down over the town and harbor. This was a wonderful backdrop both for our morning coffee at the in-room sitting area and the lovely dinners in the dining room. The staff are always genuine and friendly and go out their way to be helpful. This hotel is an experience worth going a bit out of your way.

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“Probably the best in the Lochinver area.”

Excellent views over Lochinver. Friendly staff. Nice rooms, though not very warm.

“Give it a go”

I agree with all the comments about the architecture but our stay was very comfortable and the view from the room was fantastic. The staff could not have been more welcoming. Dinner was delicious and breakfast good. I would definitely recommend.

“Still the best hotel in the ares, but it's experiencing some stress”

Dinner was good as expected, though there were surprisingly few people in the restaurant on the first night. We decided not to have a starter, but two kinds of warm bread appeared. Then I had rack of lamb and my husband had linguine with scallops and crayfish tails, followed by 'Chocolate Nemesis' … more

Dinner was good as expected, though there were surprisingly few people in the restaurant on the first night. We decided not to have a starter, but two kinds of warm bread appeared. Then I had rack of lamb and my husband had linguine with scallops and crayfish tails, followed by 'Chocolate Nemesis' for him and bread-and-butter pudding for me. Breakfast was good –I had Feared the Worst when I learned it had changed from fully served to a buffet (quelle horreur.) It turned out that the hot dishes are still cooked to order, thankfully. My husband had eggs benedict and I had egg, potato scone, mushrooms, black pudding and haggis. The haggis was slightly off-putting, due to it looking rather like something else (see photo!), but it tasted fine. However, the buffet part was unremarkable; fresh fruit salad consisted of melon or melon (anyone would think we were in a remote location.) Jams and marmalades were definitely 'could do better'; one that was just 'red', and marmalade was Golden Shred. They don't have to make them in-house, but better ones are easily obtained in shops. We noticed that some things have changed as regards this being a ‘fishing hotel’. The gentleman on Reception had made a note that my husband would like to go fishing, and immediately set about helping with this. However: the hotel used to own a couple of boats that were free to use by hotel guests, but now they are owned by MacKay chandlery and there is a cost to use them. Also, my husband caught a fine trout and requested to have it grilled for breakfast, as he had always done in the past; but this was refused due to ‘Health and Safety’. Eventually he was allowed to gut it and they froze it for him; but if the hotel might like to think about whether they need to state that they operate a catch and release only policy. On subsequent nights we tried the devils on horseback and the goat’s cheese and beetroot salad with couscous, and the prawn and scallop au gratin – both very good. However, the menu did not change during the three nights we had dinner there – even the specials stayed the same. We thought this was perhaps most people stay only one night, while driving the North Coast 500, but when we queried it the manager explained that the state of hospitality here is parlous, and it is hard for them to make money – this despite the fact it’s an expensive hotel. It was the first time we’d seen large (and noisy) groups in the hotel – a sign of the times, I guess. The waiters are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch; and the new (lady) manageress seems very nice too. This is still the best place to stay in the Lochinver area, and the high standards of food and housekeeping have been maintained. The beds are very comfortable and towels are big and fluffy. Views from the bedrooms are fine too.

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