Lochranza Country Inn — Restaurant in Isle of Arran

The hotel is in a beautiful location in Lochranza, with the loch directly outside and it is very pretty. The room is comfortable and clean and the staff in the bar/resturant are very friendly. I understand the hotel was closed for a few years after Covid, so good it has re-opened under community ownership.||The food in the bar in the evening was good and the Wifi also worked well in the room, as mobile signal is a bit patchy. Staff are friendly and helpful and can provide lots of advice etc if you need it.||Transport links, at least for Arran, are good with the main road outside and bus stops directly outside and the ferry to Kintyre is only a few minutes walk away. ||Downside - well the breakfast is basic (no cooked options at all) and staff not always present in the morning. The room has minimal soundproofing and so you will hear noise, especially water being run in the adjacent rooms, which did disturb me one night.||Also (and obviously NOT the fault of the hotel) if you are visiting from the mainland be aware the advertised ferry service to Arran is nothing like what actually operates. I booked from Ardrossan for a specific sailing but both outward and return got cancelled and moved to sailings from Troon, which meant a later arrival and an earlier departure, despite pre-booking. That crossing also takes longer and you have to get a bus to the station. It seems the service to Ardrossan doesn't actually run (and hasn't for a while) despite the fact it is on their website and they will happily sell you tickets for it.....! Also no...

Problem with TV in my room. 2 separate staff tried to sort it. 2nd person was going to swap with screen from another room but came back to say none of the TVs were working so it must be an aerial problem. Asked after dinner if problem with TV had been fixed but member of staff I spoke to did not know there was an issue. They did however say I would be recompensed. Next morning when I checked out no mention was made of this so I asked member of staff dealing with me. Again she was unaware of the TV issue. She went away and spoke to someone else, then came back and rather sharply told me I hadn't been charged for breakfast, but no-one had communicated that to me. A few other issues - my room had a nice en suite shower with smart modern flooring and wall covering but the peeling paint was hanging off the ceiling. Other parts of the decor were a wee bit scruffy such as marks on wall where something (old smoke alarm perhaps) had been removed but the paintwork hadn't been touched up. There were cobwebs in reception and a grotty old cooker outside right next to the entrance. I really wanted to support this Community enterprise but some tighter management, better staff communication and some tidying up would make a lot of difference. I hope they will accept what I have written as constructive criticism to help...

The wife and I along with my Auntie & Uncle (with our two Cavvies, Lucy & Charlie) visited the Lochranza Country Inn this past Tuesday (Oct 1st 2024) whilst we were staying on the local campsite.

A warm welcome was had as we entered by both the staff and the clientele. We were shown to a table and ordered drinks. Service was good and drink selection acceptable for an Island establishment.

We ordered food, 2 x seafood linguine & 2 x pizza, it was pasta & Pizza night. After a small but not unacceptable delay our food arrived. Well, I have had some pasta in my time but this was without doubt the best pasta dish I have ever eaten, which includes many high end restaurants in London. Plenty of seafood, rich creamy sauce and a portion large enough to satisfy without overdoing it. The pizza’s were freshly stone baked and were delicious, I had to help the others with their meal.

To top it off the bar has an exceptional whisky menu with many special releases and old bottlings.

Next time I’m in Lochranza I shall be sure to visit again.

As I didn’t stay I can’t comment on the quality of the...