Scalloway Hotel

About Scalloway Hotel

The Scalloway Hotel sits on Main Street in Scalloway, the town that served as Shetland's capital before Lerwick took over the role, and its position on the waterfront gives many of the rooms a direct outlook over the harbour. The Cross family runs the hotel personally, overseeing everything from renovations to day-to-day hospitality, and the result is a smaller, more local feel than the larger hotels in Lerwick seven miles away.

Guest rooms are comfortable rather than showy, with sea views a particular draw in the front-facing rooms, and the hotel covers everything from romantic breaks to family holidays and business trips. The restaurant and bar/lounge form the social centre of the building, serving food to both residents and locals, which keeps the atmosphere lively rather than purely geared to passing tourists.

Scalloway itself rewards a stay with its own castle, built in 1600, and a museum telling the story of the town's role in the wartime Shetland Bus operation, which ferried resistance fighters and supplies to and from occupied Norway. The short drive to Lerwick makes the hotel a genuine alternative base for exploring the whole of the Shetland mainland, usually at a lower rate than the capital's own hotels.