Stornoway Hotel Accommodation
Stornoway was once one of the busiest herring fishing ports in Europe. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the beginning of the twentieth, the town's population would suddenly jump from just over 10,000 to around 30,000 (more than the current total population of the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides). This occurred when the herring fishing fleet arrived during the herring season, along with the fleet arrived an army of auxiliary workers who gutted and salted the herrings ready to be packed into barrels and shipped off to areas around the Baltic.
At that time there would have been many hotels in Stornoway as well as plenty of other accommodation. Since the heydays of that time the population has declined but a small fishing fleet has been retained. Only the Royal Hotel survives from that period (see below).
Stornoway Hotels:
The Royal Hotel
The Royal Hotel: As mentioned above the Royal Hotel is the only hotel to date back to the days when the harbour of Stornoway was a hive of activity landing and packing herring. First opened in 1850 the Royal Hotel is Stornoway's most historic hotel and, thankfully, retains a fine period exterior. Inside the hotel only the forward facing rooms retain any of the period features.
As well as offering a historical appearance the Royal Hotel is very modern in it's outlook. Their Boatshed Restaurant is incredibly popular and so is their HS1 Cafe Bar, which was the first of it's type to appear in Stornoway.
The Caladh Inn
The Caladh Inn: The Caladh Inn is the largest hotel to be found in Stornoway. As you can see from the photograph on the left the Caladh Inn is a modern style of building. It is situated a few minutes from the town centre and considered to be on the outskirts. It is also the hotel closest to Stornoway airport which makes it highly popular with business visitors.
The Caladh Inn has an excellent reputation for it's very friendly hospitality.
The Cabarfeidh Hotel
The Cabarfeidh Hotel: The Cabarfeidh Hotel has something of a look about the 1970's but inside all of the rooms have been totally modernised to a very high standard. In fact the Cabarfeidh Hotel has been known, for a very long time, as the finest, most luxurious, hotel in Stornoway.
Found on the outskirts of Stornoway (on the opposite side of town to the Caladh Inn) the Cabarfeidh is about five minutes drive from the town centre. Set in it's own very well kept gardens which features a number of mature trees, the Cabarfeidh is one of the most relaxing places to stay in Stornoway.