Skeabost House Hotel

Third stay with the Sonas hotel group, and though we want to give them our custom they fall well short of the 4 stars when dining is concerned. While the hotels (Skeabost & Knipock) have charm and the rooms are excellent and worthy of the 4 stars; lovely sitting areas with wood burning fireplaces, nicely appointed rooms with comfortable beds, excellent bathrooms, robes, Nespresso machines and a small fridge, but the restaurants are weak. Service is ok, but the culinary team is putting out precooked banquet meals on a set menu; common plates with all the same vegetables with a few variations and no thought to the composition of the ingredients and how they complement the center of plate protein. I had a duck breast I requested mid-rare, it arrived far too quick to be cooked to order (it takes time to render the fat under the skin) and thus was dry and a reheated medium. I could tell by the colour it wasn’t cooked to order. The chef’s choice of shortcuts (quality for speed) are obvious to the discerning eye- Big thick lobes of faded pink meat rather than thin slices of juicy duck breast with crispy skin, which was what I expected. The accompanying vegetables were the same as my wife’s (also) overcooked salmon. The scallop starter was ruined by smoking them under one of those gimmicky domes but no mention of this on the menu description (leek ash?) amateur oversight for something so distinctive. We had a similar experience at the Knipoch (near Oban). One more chance to redeemed or we are finished with Sonas. It’s a shame they can’t deliver on their food programme, because we like the properties and the locations.

4 months ago · via Google

Very friendly and welcoming hotel. Our deluxe room was very spacious and comfortable and the bathroom was traditional and very spacious too. Complimentary toiletries were Arran which smells amazing. The food in the restaurant was superb. Starters, mains and dessert were all delicious. The food made our stay.

5 months ago · via Google

I stayed in January while traveling for a work trip. My room was really comfortable, and I was very impressed—I had a great night's sleep. The seasonal menu was also fantastic; I had the pheasant starter and the venison main, both of which were superb. Breakfast was also very good. All of the staff I spoke with were friendly and welcoming; they are a real credit to the hotel. My employer's booking system does not normally have availability at Skeabost House due to the prices, but I think because it was off-season, the rates were more reasonable. Like the rest of Skye, nightly rates are insane in high season, but for this trip, they were ideal. Hopefully, I'll get lucky and get to stay here again soon!

5 months ago · via Google

I am so disappointed in this hotel. We are half way through a stay here. I had high hopes this would be the dream part of our week in the Highlands. The photos on the web site are lovely. In reality they are deceptive. The setting is delightful and the views are sensational but this is magnificent Skye after all. Perhaps it is also ‘massively over-priced Skye’ too? Our ‘Seaview’ room is small and very tired. It is part of a block resembling a set of portakabins. The wood panelling is cheap and tatty, the terrace furniture awful, the door is hard to lock, the toilet water runs, it is a 3* level room in a hotel with 5* prices, £500 a night for b and b. The corridor leading to our room is cheaply decorated, thedoor to the laundry room was jammed open, big bags of laundry and a vacuum cleaner left unattended in the corridor. The fire alarm went off twice. Once during dinner. The welcome was not warm; staff ignored us and when we pointed out there were dirty glasses and rubbish left on the terrace from a previous guest the girl giggled… In fairness the receptionist apologised for the dirty terrace and offered us drink vouchers but this cannot make up for the feeling this is an overpriced Fawlty Towers, rough and tumble, cheap and cheerful and poorlt managed. I expected far better for the price.

3 months ago · via Google