Best hotels in Kirkwall

Explore Kirkwall with 14 stays near iconic landmarks, luxury hotels, and top boutiques for the best shopping and dining

The Kirkwall Hotel
8.2 (43 reviews)

The Kirkwall Hotel ★★★

📍 Harbour St, Kirkwall

"Wonderful Hotel. Excellent room overlooking Bay. Staff are brilliant. Very friendly and couldn't be more helpful. Food was delicious. Thoroughly recommend Thank you "

Ayre Hotel & Ayre Apartments
8.3 (102 reviews)

Ayre Hotel & Ayre Apartments ★★★

📍 Ayre Rd, Kirkwall

"Good hotel. At the centre of Kirkwall. Great food at its restauran"

Albert Hotel
8.9 (81 reviews)

Albert Hotel ★★★

📍 Junction Rd, Kirkwall

Karrawa Guest House
9.7 (49 reviews)

Karrawa Guest House ★★★

📍 Inganess Rd, St Ola, Kirkwall

"It was a very cozy guesthouse. Anyway, it's close to the local bus stop, but it's hard because there are only a few buses."

The Shore
7.9 (48 reviews)

The Shore ★★★

📍 Shore St, Kirkwall

Royal Oak Guesthouse
9.6 (57 reviews)

Royal Oak Guesthouse ★★★

📍 Royal Oak House, Holm Rd, Kirkwall

"Lovely experience. Spacious room, clean and well appointed. Very reasonable price with excellent full breakfast included. Welcoming friendly staff. Not in the center of town."

The Orkney Hotel
7.4 (51 reviews)

The Orkney Hotel ★★★

📍 40-41 Victoria St, Kirkwall

"Checked in, and was hugely underwhelmed. Within a few minutes the fire alarm was going off - but apparently it was okay, because that floor had nobody staying there… It was freezing, dated, moldy and dirty. All for the princely sum of £160. The only redeeming features were the breakfast and the lady serving the breakfast."

West End Guest House
7.6 (8 reviews)

West End Guest House ★★★

📍 14 Main Street, Kirkwall

"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. "

Grainbank Mews
9.5 (174 reviews)

Grainbank Mews ★★★

📍 Grainbank House, Kirkwall

"I had the absolute pleasure of staying at Grainbank Mews whilst attending to work related business on the island of Orkney. I met the owner on my first evening who was charming, engaging and helpful. The room was nicely appointed, very clean and spacious with a great “wet room” en-suite. Breakfast was first class and certainly provided that much needed early morning boost! If you are looking for family operated accommodation, in a good location then you must certainly book a stay at the Grainbank Mews - You will not be disappointed."

See All Hotels in Kirkwall

Real traveler reviews of Kirkwall hotels

8.0
Excellent community rating
Real & verified guest reviews from all over the world
E

Emily H

Couple
The Kirkwall Hotel ★★★
"Really comfortable stay in lovely refurbished room with harbour view. Breakfast was ok but decided to eat elsewhere in evenings."
★★★★★
2026-04-19
G

HK GabaZhao

Solo traveler
Ayre Hotel & Ayre Apartments ★★★
"The location is excellent, not far from the airport bus stop and several restaurants, and it's right by the sea with a sea view. The facilities are a bit dated, but acceptable, and the heating works fine. There's a damp smell upon entering the room, which is much better with the windows open. For a small archipelago town, these conditions are acceptable."
★★★★★
2025-03-04
G

JP Guest User

Solo traveler
Karrawa Guest House ★★★
"It was a very cozy guesthouse. Anyway, it's close to the local bus stop, but it's hard because there are only a few buses."
★★★★★
2026-04-24
G

Guest User

Other
Royal Oak Guesthouse ★★★
"Alice and Eric are just delights and the house is comfortable and clean! The fresh and home cooked breakfast was a pleasant way to start out day. Highly recommend. It was booked by our tour company and if we return we hope to stay with them again!"
★★★★★
2025-09-02
G

Guest User

Other
The Orkney Hotel ★★★
"Booked to stay one night with husband and that was more than enough. This is a tired old place well past its prime. The room we stayed in was basic with dated decor, not clean with dust on surfaces and a spiders web with lots of dead flies on it. The carpet needed a good hoover. The bathroom was ok but with old fittings and the bathroom door didn't shut properly. The bed and mattress were of poor quality and I wakened through the night with back pain. We had booked an evening meal at 6.00pm. On arriving at the dining room it was locked and we sat around for approx 10 mins until a member of staff opened it. Food at dinner and breakfast was ok however the staff were clearly overwhelmed as there was a large group of travelers eating together and therefore other diners had a longer wait for food. The staff we encountered were all very pleasant however I would not recommend staying at this hotel. The hotel is in a good location in the centre of Kirkwall however the room rate was far to high for the standard of room we encountered and honestly we couldnt't wait to leave."
★★★★☆
2026-06-08
G

Guest User

Traveling with friends
West End Guest House ★★★
"This establishment cannot be described as as a Hotel. At best it’s a Hostel. No facilities, no personnel on site . It’s jaded & apart from the Linen & towels is in need of major refurbishment. The location is reasonable if visiting Kirkwall or touring from the port /airport"
★★★★☆
2025-06-24
G

Guest User

Other
Grainbank Mews ★★★
"Exceptional accommodation in Kirkwall. We stayed on two separate occasions and both rooms exceeded our expectations. Everything was spotless and a lot of thought has gone into what travellers require at an accommodation. Continental brekkie was also excellent, especially the porridge :). We highly recommend this accommodation when in Kirkwall."
★★★★★
2024-08-22

Kirkwall travel info

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Power Plug & Voltage

230V/Type G

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Exchange Rate

1 USD ≈ 0.75 GBP

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Local Payment

Cards/ApplePay/Cash

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Connectivity

EE/Vodafone/O2/Three

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Current Weather

Mostly cloudy

More Kirkwall hotel info

Data type

Details

Number of reviews

485

Total properties

14

Weekday Avg. Price

$146

Weekend Avg. Price

$152

Trending hotel

The Shore

Kirkwall hotel FAQs

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