West End Guest House

This place is very cute. Room was small but cosy and location couldn't be beat. It was within walking distance of downtown, restaurants, and sites. The breakfast was easy and just right for a chilly morning. The employees were very friendly and accommodating. We accidentally didn't book enough nights and the owner helped us find and book a room and even offered to take our bags there. A great start to our trip.

Nice place: clean comfortable and with a very pleasant Magyar owner. Good breakfast (good strong tea bags and nice poached egg). My only quibble is the unopenable Georgian window in our room -- it is a lovely building.

Disappointed that I had booked a double room and was given a room only suited to single occupancy. Small bed which I doubt two average people could get into, but apart from that the room was cramped, had no chairs and nowhere to sit down in the room or anywhere else on the premises. We are not disabled but sitting down is a fairly standard requirement. 12 inch tv instead of 30 inch as advertised. Generally dingy room, damaged paintwork and wallpaper. There is a dining room that is only open for breakfast, doors locked otherwise, so unable to sit down. Pics show outside garden benches which did not exist. There had been a bar and a restaurant under the previous owners, which are no longer in existence (the facilities, not the previous owners). The room was unacceptable and we couldn't bear the thought of having to spend a night there or sleep in that bed so we left and had the stress of finding other accommodation at 7pm on an Easter Friday. We did manage to get somewhere much nicer at the same price. I cancelled the booking via *********** and was informed that I had booked a non-refundable option. In the circumstances, we did not get what we paid for and I believed I was legally entitled to a refund. The co-owner Andrew agreed to give me a refund but that took took 12 days of phoning and emailing. This experience spoiled our visit to Orkney.

The West End Hotel (or Guest House) offers nice rooms with very comfortable beds, en suite bathrooms and all the other necessaries - except, unfortunately, a staffed reception. You've got to collect your room key from a box and find your way around on your own, which I think isn't quite the right way to run a hotel. The owners, though, once we located them on the phone, were very helpful when my husband had a little health problem, so maybe it can be done this way as well; it would just be nicer to have someone around at least during daytime.

Having come off the boat after a weeks sailing I needed a B&B to lay my head before flying out the following day. From the moment of booking this B&B has been so helpful. I requested if I could leave my bag early while I explored for the day, they allowed me to drop it off & even popped in my room when it was ready. The en suite room was clean, tidy & more than catered for my needs. Breakfast was a combination of help yourself & a cooked breakfast ordered the night before. I thoroughly recommend this place it’s a max 5 min walk to bus station & into town. Special mention to Andrew who was really helpful when it came to finding out the airport bus timings, holding my bag & dropping it in my room & generally helpful. Will definately stay again if passing through in the future.

Be careful when booking here based upon the reviews. This establishment has downgraded its offering from a full service hotel to a guest house offering B&B only. The guest house is largely unstaffed. Check in is a key box on the wall, check out is a letter box to drop off your keys in. There's no dining room offering evening meals, and no bar. My room was simple but adequate. There are tea and coffee facilities, and you can help yourself to top ups from a central store. Breakfast comprises a limited hot menu, which is cooked to order, alongside a coffee machine, juices, cereals and toast. Service from the front of house breakfast team was good. Location wise, it's a 10 minute easy stroll down the main shopping street to the harbour. Price wise, £95 per night is high for what's on offer. Is it comparable with other similar establishments in Kirkwall? I don't know. But whilst the West End is fine, I've paid less for better places many times.

A basic hotel with a poor first impression. The balcony at the front is in severe disrepair and the reception is shabby. The room was spacious. The staff are terrific, giving it everything they have to make out stay a good one. Breakfast was delicious and plentiful.