The Portland Hotel

Our room was large with a comfortable bed , good heating , great TV , a good shower , and kettle with tea/coffee. What more do you need ? Evening meal was really good in both quality and price and breakfast was good too. Nice bar that was quite busy and ' jumping ' until the golfers left :-). Oh , and lots of easy parking within a few yards on the front door. Staff / Management were most helpful and friendly.

The Portland Hotel is an absolute gem and the list of things to recommend it is quite long: it’s full of character (being an old coaching house), homely (just like a home away from home), relaxing, unpretentious. We felt we were welcomed not just ‘processed’ like most places make you feel. But wait, there’s more…. 1. the restaurant on site is first class, 2.the food was stunning but still reasonably priced, 3. the service was brilliant even though they were pretty busy, 4. they had lovely shampoos etc in the bathroom which lots of places seem to have stopped doing, 5. nice biscuits in the room (not the often yucky ones you get) & finally, 6. the family/team running the place, Jane (GM), daughter Lydia & the chef Ian - they were the cream on the top. We were touring Scotland but if we ever get the opportunity to go back - we will 😊

Room was small but ok and bed very comfortable. We never got to grips with shower, despite being shown how to work it. Ensuite very small and cramped but just about adequate. Bins not emptied everyday . No loo brush. Food was standard pub food, but chips were soggy and oily. Breakfast was adequate, but only fresh fruit was whole apples, and only plain yoghurt. Orange juice tasted diluted. Toaster was excellent! Staff very pleasant but nobody at reception as we left. All in all a very average experience, i believe it used to be known for its excellent food!

We booked this hotel (and restaurant) for a stay with 25 friends, while on a 'Scotland' tour with our motorbikes. Until then we had been amazed by the friendliness of the Scottish people... We arrived in the hotel, dropped our stuff in our rooms (clean but very old) and wanted to have a few drinks in the bar. We arrived in the bar at 17.24. The young lady that held the bar rudely said that the bar would only open at 17.30 an went away. After that it just became worse. Service and attitude by the girl was 'unseen'. Also every drink we ordered needed to be paid immediately. We could not open a tap or register it on our room. Then we went to the restaurant for our evening meal. We wanted to order some wines, and we had ourselves to go to the bar, order the wine and pay for it, before they wanted to serve us. The next morning we went for breakfast. I did not opt for the Scottish breakfast and as a result the choice I was left with was extremely minimal. Only some small croissants and some jam. No cheese, ham, ... and when I then kindly asked for a coffee, the responsible (lady) shouted through the breakfast restaurant that only the first coffee was included, not the second one. First time I heard that in my life ! In summary, such a bad and disappointing experience. We travel a lot, but this kind of attitude and service I had never experienced in ly life. So I certainly do NOT recommend this hotel, nor restaurant.

Wonderful hotel. Really nice staff, comfortable room, great service, excellent breakfast, evening meals really good. We also requested a salad that wasn't on the menu, and it was superb. To cap it all, the price was really good too. Not cheap, but good value for money. Make sure you walk down to the harbour - it is beautiful. Local Whaleingo Steps are also well worth the visit - but if you don't so heights, prepare for a worrying walk!

Popped up for a drink whilst visiting family in the village. Didn’t have food but menu and prices looked fine. I expect the roast dinner on sundays is good (runs once a month). Had a nice chat with the chef who was very friendly. Barman also friendly and the bar was ok. Bar could do with warming up - flowers - some comfy chairs - bar itself looks a bit crap and needs an update and more stock and some proper gin glasses please. Also needs a bit more attention to cleaning but these are easily fixed and it is a new owner so am sure they have plans. The hotel has huge potential and lots of history. Also fab location for exploring Caithness and lovely views and walks nearby. Hope it does well and we will eat there next time we visit.

Went for a meal only as I live not too far away. Had high hopes as we used to regularly go out for meals here 10-20 years ago which was great but, changes in management & certain issues around that meant I chose not to spend any money or time here for several years & looked forward to new management. I had been in a few weeks ago just for a drink & one of the lads was real friendly & accommodating & seemed a good craic. I'm always looking for new places to recommend to my guests so, was excited to see what it was like for a meal. Went in a week or so later for a meal & was rudely snipped at by a younger lass for not having a booking (only for 3!). Food was just ok. For the time being, will be choosing to have meals out elsewhere nearby instead & not going to recommend to guests if they'll be nipped at just for wanting to walk in to get a meal.

My husband and I have just spent 3 nights at this charming hotel, which we found last year by complete accident. It is simply one of those special places that as soon as you walk in you get such a lovely feeling. The rooms and everywhere is simply spotless. The food is really, really good and such generous portions!! It has only been open a few weeks after being taken over by the new owners Sam and her husband Jeff. They are going to put their own stamp on the hotel but without taking away any of the charming features. The breakfast is just delicious as is all the food. The staff, Jane, Lydia,Charles and the chefs can't do enough for you and they work so hard and some of the loveliest people we have ever met. Please do give the Portland hotel a try if you are in the area, great place to use as a base. We can't wait to get back later in the year and we can't recommend this place enough, we give it a 10 out of 10. Thankyou to all of you at the Portland for your wonderful hospitality. We will be back later in the year and wishing Sam and Jeff all the very best for the future on you new venture 😄😄😄

On the East Side of the North Coast 500 between Helmsdale and Wick the old coaching Inn has recently re opened under new management. We called in to book for relatives visiting the area soon and were fortunate to meet the new owners and their general manager. We received a warm welcome and were shown the rooms which looked comfy and had very good facilities. We treated ourselves to some freshly baked homemade scones with jam and clotted cream - they were delicious and reasonably priced. We will be back soon.