Black Isle Bar & Rooms — Restaurant in Crown and City Centre

Not sure where to begin. I don't like having to leave bad reviews but, this was quite bad. I'm fairly easy pleased when it comes to accommodation & happy to excuse a few issues when I run into them but, just too many bad things stacked up here. We only stayed here as our normal place we like to stay in Inverness was booked. We stayed 1 night & paid £115 for 2 people. I guess this place is like a hostel but, not really all at the same time. You check-in at the bar which wasn't a bad experience for us as it was early & not busy but, can imagine this might be not so great if arriving later when busy. We got our keys & made our way to the back steps that lead up to the beer garden & rooms. The back steps are carpeted & looked as though a troop of crofters with sheep (rhymes with kite) covered wellies were having relay races up and down it for a week solid. Absolutely mawkit! Yes, I get it, loads of folk tramp up and down to the beer garden all day & evening so, lots of foot traffic but, time to get out the steam cleaner folks. We were on same floor as the beer garden but, street facing. We opened the door and there was a damp, musty stench. We later figured out the shower was leaking through the wall onto the floor and saturating the carpet & obviously had been doing for quite some time going by the smell. The room was tiny but, ensuite. The room was absolutely boiling so at night it was either suffer in the heat & musty stench or fling the window open & get a break off the stench & heat but, now a load of noise off the street at pub emptying time. Meh. The shower room looked to have been not to recently done up & was decent enough though bar the leaky shower. They have quite a nice beer garden up there with heaters. Now, you would think it would be nice if your key also opened up that beer garden door for guests in the morning to go out & sit & have a coffee & a smoke & read the news but, nope! Went out into the wind tunnel of a side street instead. Couldn't wait to leave to be honest. Poor show folks and the price! Good grief, there is far better hostels in Inverness for a LOT cheaper & a lot more going for it. If it was cheaper you might forgive them for a few of the bad bits but, still was worse (& more expensive) than any hostel-like accommodation I've ever been to in all...

We stayed at The Black Isle Bar and Rooms for three nights in June 2024 in a double room. The hotel is very well-located, the room and bathroom were clean and the shower worked well.

Unfortunately, the bed was the most uncomfortable bed we have ever slept in in all our years of travelling and staying in hotels. The mattress was thin and completely lacking the padding which every other mattress we’ve ever encountered has. We could feel the hard springs as we lay in it and, when we moved, they creaked noisily and dug into us, making for one of the worst night’s sleep either of us has ever had. We paid about £120 per night for the room and, while this seems to be relatively inexpensive for Inverness in June, we did at least expect a comfortable bed.

Some other minor things to note: the carpet on the stairs is filthy and smells badly; the curtains need repairing. Two of the tabs which hold them on the curtain rods were torn which looked shabby and, more importantly, meant that the curtains didn’t close properly; there was no TV in the room. We assumed there would be so it’s our fault for not checking but take note if this is important to you; there is nowhere (except the floor) to put bags; the floor lamp didn’t stand up properly and so couldn’t be used;

During our stay, my husband told the bar staff (our only point of contact with whoever manages the hotel) of our dissatisfaction with the bed and asked for someone to come to the room so he could show them the mattress. The staff member said he would contact a manager but we never heard anything more...

I booked a double bunk room for myself and my teenage son as stopover to catch an early train from Inverness. |I was very pleased with the whole experience, from dropping our bags early which the staff looked after until we were able to check in later in the day, prompt and efficient check in, and helpful and informative staff. |The room was on the top floor so there were a couple of flights of stairs, no issue for us but worth noting if you have mobility issues. |The room was very clean, small but well appointed for a bunk room, toilet, sink and shower facility, tea/coffee with a kettle, towels and hand soap. Beds were wooden and very stable so they didn't rock when moving around. The radiator worked well and the room was very warm (essential in Scotland), with a nice thick duvet. There was also not that much noise considering the city centre position. |I also appreciated that they concentrated on sustainability. |My (literal) only gripe was that the mattress was not brilliant (but not terrible) and the pillow that was provided was super flat. They did provide us with an extra pillow each on request but I still woke up with a neck ache. This sadly let down an otherwise excellent value, clean and tidy accommodation option. |That being said, as we need a regular stop over for early trains, I would stay again but maybe ask for four pillows next time if they are...