March 2024 by Abigail Gray
Hotel was fine for a night. Check in was a bit awkward, as was breakfast in the morning. Place is old fashioned but the room was really cute and I loved the view out of the window! Shower didn?t drain very well, room lock was weird, bed was possibly one of the most uncomfortable I?ve ever slept in (or tried to) at a hotel, and room was freezing cold all night even with the radiator on full blast as it was clearly only single glazing ! People were nice, and breakfast food-wise was at least decent. No hotel parking but street parking was super quiet at this time of year
October 2023 by D C
AVOID AVOID AVOIDI made a room booking via the hotel website as it's usually a better deal for the hotel because they do not pay commission to a third party....Big mistake!After booking, I was informed by friends who have previously stayed at the premises that the access is poor and involves stairs to reach the reception and further stairs to reach the rooms. This isn't mentioned anywhere on their website, in the confirmation or any follow up emails.As one of the guests has mobility issues, I emailed the hotel with a request to cancel due to the restrictions. The notice provided was 19 days which I felt was reasonable and allowed them time to resell the room. The response received was simply "Under the circumstances, we retain the deposit". I expressed my dissatisfaction but didn't receive a reply.It's only £30.00 lost but it's a matter of principle, maybe they can use the free money to pay for a simple line on the website stating that the property is not suitable for some people.
October 2023 by Tommy Bryan
Clean and friendly lovely breakfast and all the staff where all very nice will be back next year thank
September 2023 by Halima Reid
Spent a weekend in this hotel staff were very friendly food was very good and the location and veiw were fabulous.I'll definitely go back ?
September 2023 by Glenn Ralston
Staff and hotel
September 2023 by in428
Difficult to review this hotel because it is suffering badly from the lack of staff as is most of Scotland and is typical of the town of Rothesay which has seen much, much better days. Just a bit run-down. I have to criticise the hotel because the website does not reflect the current situation. There is no lift, which is important to know for people with mobility problems. Check-in is on the first floor. On the plus side, although no car park, there is free parking on the street outside. Due to lack of staff, only the upstairs restaurant, with it's wonderful views, is open and the food is straight out of the freezer. (Although we couldn't find fine dining anywhere on the island.) Breakfast was OK. Looking at the website we were expecting something better. The room itself was spacious enough, comfortable and clean, although the curtains by no means kept out the light from the ferry terminal across the road. Lovely views from the window though. No fridge or safe and the door lock was on the door handle that sticks out. Hardly secure. There are tea and coffee making facilities. The sanitary ware was clean but cracked tiles and some mould around the bath. Again, because of lack of staff, the rooms are only serviced after a 4-night stay. Clean towels etc were available if asked for. (The hotel needs to be upfront about this and update their website accordingly.) We were there in early September and had the feeling the season was over in Rothesay, so although the hotel is on the main road and there is only single glazing, it was quiet at night. It seemed that the hotel was run solely by the owner and his daughter (I think) who were very friendly and helpful. (Hence difficult to criticise them.) Hopefully he has more staff in high season and things will improve. Unfortunately the owner is a bit deaf and seems computer illiterate so it took about 20 minutes to check in, especially as he needs to write down everything you want for your breakfast next morning. We are living in difficult times but they were doing their best and I hope things will improve for them.
September 2023 by James S
The Bistro(Ghillies) at this hotel was closed for renovation but the upstairs restaurant was providing the same menu which featured fish as well as steaks and a varied menu. We both had Tomato Soup which was really good and haddock and chips with mushy peas. Nice wine list at around £20 a bottle
September 2023 by jackiemS3341MS
I've stayed in The Victoria Hotel before, so as soon as my brother and I decided to make a weekend visit to Rothesay, this is the first hotel I immediately booked without looking at reviews. Check in was the usual, but the place is looking very tired, needs freshened up, exterior paint. The twin room, basic, but was nice & clean. Could do with an up to date makeover, as looked the same since I stayed 10yrs ago. I have no major complaints about the room, just needs updating, but having to preorder breakfast is quite annoying, as I don't really know what I want to eat the day before my breakfast, would be nice to make my order when I arrive for breakfast. However, we did so, I ordered smoked haddock with poached eggs with brown toast, my brother ordered just poached eggs on brown toast. When breakfast arrived within minutes, the poached eggs where absolutely rock solid & so where mine. My brother sent his back which was quickly corrected with freshly poached eggs, however I wasn't even asked if my eggs were OK, which with a quick glance was obvious they were solid too. But I didn't want to make a fuss, but had to ask for my toast twice! If the room is basic, needing refreshed, you can look passed that if the breakfast is good. Was really disappointed as I had previously had really good breakfasts there. Also was really disappointed the grill bar Ghilles was closed as advertised was still running within the hotel so had to find other alternatives for evening meal. I will come back to this hotel, but some improvements need to be made, as perfect town location, views at waterfront, spectacular, but improvements need to be made for breakfast & general upkeep of hotel.
August 2023 by George Morgan
We did not stay in the hotel we just stopped for a drink and a snack overlooking the mini golf course, the harbour with the bay and the mountains across on the mainland like 'sleeping kings' looking down. It was wonderful.
July 2023 by Allister Cameron
The room was very nice,the only problem was the stairs which isn'tmentioned when booking.
July 2023 by Explorer53378343713
15 quid for a fish supper which was clearly cooked in the oven from frozen. No salad. Not what was advertised in themenu. Rothesay does Faulty Towers. Pint was OK. Burger was average. Good view if table available.
June 2023 by Christopher OHare
Great experience. Booked very last minute as we were at a wedding and hadn't sorted a room out yet. Checked in no bother at all. Room was clean and had everything we needed. Breakfast was fresh and ready for us in the morning and they were even able to look after the vegan! Would book back here again.
June 2023 by Tartan Spoon
Approaching this hotel, did not give me good vibes at all. The whole places looks run down and in desperate need of repair and a lot of TLC.On arrival you need to climb stairs up the reception which is a table outside an office. A very strange set up but I have no doubt it works for them. Check in was fine.My room was up 2 flights of stairs, with threadbare carpets although clean.The room lock was the first thing I had trouble with. A very old hotel room lock that you open with a key but press and turn to lock from the inside. Just very fiddly.The room looked fine. Clean enough although quite small and I paid extra for a sea view which was really just a small window tucked away in an odd position which from the bed, you couldn't even look out of!The curtains didn't fit the window nor did they close properly which means that come 430am - its bright daylight and you're wide awake.As for the mattress and the pillows, I would have been better sleeping on the floor, they were so hard. I pulled a further 2 pillows out the cupboard but the pillowcases where a strange shade of yellow, as so got discarded.The bathroom was almost the same size as the room, and at first glance was clean and quite stark. But on turning the shower on, the gunk around the temperature dial was disgusting and there was a few large spider webs on the window sill that clearly had been there for a while.When asked how my stay was, I said it wasn't very good and got a shoulder shrug and a 'we will try to sort that' reply - which really isn't good enough when they change £108 for a room! (and room only) and I was checking out!There is no wi-fi and the signal on 4G is temperamental.All the towels were arranged on the bed in the shape of bows - why not just fold them and place them in the bathroom and spend the time used making the bows to clean the room properly!There is also a lot of laminated literature that greets you on the bed as you enter. Felt like I was in a school dorm!The only thing this hotel has going for it is the location. Its perfect. But there are plenty of great B&B's on the Isle of Bute. Only book here if you really, genuinely cannot find anywhere else to stay and you have to even have considered camping as an option!
May 2023 by Mary Daniels
Very friendly, great food. Will be back xx
May 2023 by Lizzie072
On the plus side, the Victoria is in the best position in Rothesay. The Victoria's rooms and corridors appear to have been recently decorated and carpeted and the cooked breakfasts were well prepared. The room was large and clean and well equipped. And, to repeat, you can't wish for a better location in Rothesay. It wouldn't take much to make it more welcoming, smart and attractive in the entrance and reception areas. And just get rid of the grimy old flagpoles! One completely spoiled the otherwise wonderful view from room 201! Externally, it looks down-at-heel, in need of a good paint (see my up to date photo rather than the main one here) and the service was not consistently customer focused. It's tricky to know where to park when you first arrive; there are no helpful signs and the road parking obscures the hotel entrance. The entrance itself has a closed bar as part of it. And an old rusty A board with one A4 paper on it telling you that the restaurant is closed. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are stairs! All the rooms are at least on the 2nd floor. The reception area on the first floor is unloved and uninviting; printed A4 notices on the desk and walls and with a cluttered feel, with Radio 2 blaring out all day. There doesn't appear to be an inviting residents' lounge, and no bar open, so nowhere other than the room to sit. At last, we did notice a lounge area on the way into the dining area, but it was partly closed off with more A4 printed notices, and not inviting. We didn't expect to have to settle the whole bill as soon as we checked in. We wouldn't have expected, either, to have to choose every single item of breakfast at check in. It's fair enough to have to book a time to have a cooked breakfast, when there are few staff around, but we had to ask for cereal as we hadn't specified any the day before. We were here for two nights and our room was not 'made up' during the middle day. This wasn't a problem for us, but smacks of lack of attention to detail. The restaurant was closed for dinner too, so we were directed to a sister hotel (The Esplanade). The food here was mediocre, although not expensive.