Name: Amhuinnsuidhe Castle
Address: Amhuinnsuidhe Castle Estate Ltd, Amhuinnsuidhe castle,, Amhuinnsuidhe, Isle of Lewis, United Kingdom, Harris, Harris, Harris, HS3 3AS, United Kingdom
Rating: 8

24-hour reception

Elevator/lift

Currency exchange

Smoke-free property

Heating

Newspapers

Gift shop

Garden

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Toiletries

Rooms

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Bottled water

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Library

Billiards

Fishing

Recreation

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Meeting and presentation facilities

Conference Hall

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Stornoway Airport

Benbecula Airport

Amhuinnsuidhe Castle

Harris

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

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king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We had a positive experience when we stayed in 2019.  We booked again for May 2020 and encouraged some relatives to join us.  Sadly the trip had to be cancelled due to Covid 19.  When booking you need to give a 50% non-refundable deposit, so for a party of 5 for 2 nights, this was considerable sum.   Government guidelines clearly indicated that in the case of cancillations due to Covid -19  "the CMA would expect a full refund to be offered if no service is provided".  We offerred to transfer our booking to a later date, rather than seek a refund.  Amhuinnsuidhe Castle have unfortunately not responded to our request.  So, beware of expecting reasonable customer care and the 50% booking fee.

Beware

Although the weather wasn’t the best we still enjoyed the drive here. Unfortunately it was closed due to covid. As was a lot of places. Beautiful building lovely walk near by. Will visit again when we come back to The outer hebrides

Stunning

The lady in the front office was really friendly.  Everything else about this hotel was really odd.  

The place is clearly someone’s house and is not set up as a hotel.  There’s no reception (I walked around the dead silent castle for ten minutes before I found someone to check me in), the rooms have no keys, everyone sits at the same table, it’s full of family photos...  so you feel like you’re a guest in someone’s house. 

But you don’t know them. 
And they aren’t there.  

The general atmosphere is one of unspokem imposition.  It’s awkward and uncomfortable.  

Breakfast was good but no one greets you, you sit down at the table with other guests, in deathly silence and the staff are really hard to track down.  A young American couple arrived, sat down and after feeling awkward for five minutes, left again having had no breakfast.  I felt really sorry for them.  It’s bizarre. 

Dinner is served at 8pm for everyone and because of the ferry times I missed it by half an hour.  This was expected and they promoted me a cold platter on arrival instead.  Given that I was charge a DB&B rate which includes a full four course dinner, the cold platter left in my room could have taken considerably more effort and I went to bed hungry.  It was OK but it was a ploughman’s lunch and little replacement for what I’d paid for the four course dinner.  

They make a big thing of the ‘house ghost’ which is a weird thing to do for somewhere that is supposed to make you feel relaxed and homely.  The staff (apart from the front office) are awkward and impersonal and the entire place is absolutely silent.  It’s really, really odd. 

It desperately needs someone who knows how to run a boutique hotel and make people feel comfortable. I (and the American couple)  checked out as soon as possible and breathed a sigh of relief. Someone said ‘I feel like i’ve just escaped from a surreal horror movie’.  Probably not what a hotelier is aiming for. 

I realise that the Isle of Harris is extremely disconnected from the mainland but the things that are odd about this place are not effected by that.  It has a weird atmosphere and nobody makes it feel welcoming or comfortable.  It’s like you broke into a museum and now you plan on staying the night.

I’m afraid I really wouldn’t recommend it.

Really Odd Experience

Amhuinnsuidhe surpassed expectations in so many ways. The castle is beautiful and our room had a terrific view over the loch. Carol Ann was so friendly when making booking arrangements and gave us a very welcoming tour when we arrived. Afternoon tea delicious both days - served in the drawing room overlooking the loch,  with binoculars supplied. Would be lovely for a long restful afternoon but there’s so much to do as well in the vicinity. If you swim there are steps down to the water which lead you straight into beautifully clear sea with a river running down to left hand side. Huishinish, further down the road has a spectacular beach and information centre and also marks the start of possibly the most beautiful walk we have ever had. Although some parts slightly strenuous, very walkable, track shoes fine. Dinner begins with drinks in the honesty bar at 7:30, meeting the other guests followed by delicious dinner both nights with lovely service. Great company too. Don’t hesitate, well worth it, for a very special time. 

2 very memorable nights

The castle is extremely comfortable with beautiful views.  It is a privilege to be able to stay in what is essentially a family home.  It is a home with a Renoir and a Chagall however, which makes it very special.  The staff are helpful and charming and special mention must go to our ghillie Steve who tried so hard to enable us to get a fish. We were only able to catch a few brown trout but saw some wonderful salmon.  The big fish are there but perhaps it was too early in the season!  Dinner is served at 8pm and we enjoyed two great dinners and met some super people.  I would have rated the castle a five but unfortunately our room was not made up or cleaned and when you are paying these prices that is a big oversight.

Comfortable Stay, Fabulous Fishing

Fantastic location amazing views and great scenery.
The castle suite exceed our expectations. 
The staff were friendly and helpful and couldn't do enough for us. 
We would recommend a visit. 
Stunning and beautiful.

Fabulous

On a recent trip to Lewis & Harris, we drove past the front door on the way to Hushinish beach ! The road is amazing, the castle looks tremendous, the whole adventure, the people, the atmosphere, the beaches, the . . . . . I’m going to stop there . . . . try this out for yourselves. It’s an eye opener and I guarantee it’s something you will [ fondly ] remember for a long time 

But not an American Driveby ??

Meals set at 8pm for all guests, no suitable options if unable to attend at that time and dinner is a pre set menu with no selection other than take it or leave it (one item per course, no choices). All we got for dinner was a pathetic feeble tiny sandwich, two cheese slices an egg and a tomato. No TV in room, WiFi didn't work, top of doorway into room is blocked by a wall so virtually had to crawl in and out (that must be against H&S), we were leaving before breakfast started and asked the day before if sandwiches could be made up for us instead but refused. All in all not worth £360 per night.

Not worth it!!!

My husband took me here for our 10 year anniversary. I was really excited about staying in this hotel as it is all inclusive and being vegan I was really looking forward to it. My husband had organized the trip, we have a little dog and he was told he could not get into the room, but would sleep next to the concierge. We checked in early, which was no problem and got welcomed very warmly. Our dog had to go straight in the fishing room, he was not allowed anywhere else in the castle, and we were not allowed to walk him on any of the grounds except the little driveway in the back. The room we got was nice but the castle is more of a private home then a castle. There is no bar where you can sit and order a drink. When we arrived we were told there was no lunch untill june (bummer) and dinner was served at 20:00 (which i thought was quite late) Anyway, we went out for the day and got back at 20:00. It was a bit weird eating with other people the first night. The menus on the table were different from what was served, and the staff had no idea what we had on our plates (oh, we have to call and ask the kitchen) but the food was very good and they really tried with my starter, main & desert. There was nothing for me with the coffee (as in a cookie or chocolate) but my husband said the chocolate balls he had were nice) I was promised the next day they would have something for me as well. With there being nothing else to do, we had an early night. The next day I was excited about breakfast, only to find there really wasn’t anything for me but fruits & soy milk. Bummer! So if your vegan: take your own breakfast!!!
We got back after breakfast and wanted to shower, but the shower was very weak and cold! The bath worked, but that does not help if you want to wash your hair. We also found it impossible to operate the heating to our own liking. That evening dinner was really good again, and having seen the other guests before, we enjoyed their company. When the coffee came, there was nothing for me again. When I asked about it, they looked flustered, called the kitchen and told me it was too short notice (my husband had emailed them months ahead!) to make me something. 
All and all, this place has got a lot if potential, but for the price you pay, what you get is not in comparison. Also, I would not call them dog friendly as our dog was alone (there is no night concierge and he had to stay in the fishing room) When we brought up the heating/water & food issue at check out I don’t feel like we were being heard. The staff was nice and really tried at some points (they advised a great walk and I could put my own food in a little fridge. Some were def more knowledgeable & helpful then others) and then at other points they really need to improve. 

Would not stay here again

We were surprised to find this castle almost empty on a bank holiday weekend, with only 3 other guests. The furnishings were first class, staff friendly and fantastic views. 

The website doesn’t do this place justice. The fine art, lavish furniture and grand rooms make it feel like a regal experience. 

Unfortunately the management left a very bad taste in an otherwise lovely stay. The hot water in our shower only lasted for around 3minutes. We explained this to the staff who said she would check it out. The following day, the same issue occurred. When explaining this to Mr Morrison (the estate manager) on our departure, he denied any problem and said ‘he would know if there was an issue’. We explained that we had encountered the issue twice during our short stay and that the other guests had told us they experienced similar issues. He offered no apology and insinuated false accusations. 

We understand historic buildings can have issues and would expect such issues but the attitude and manner of the Estate Manager was unacceptable. 

The beauty and elegance of this building alone should drive a successful and high occupancy hotel. If the attitude we experienced from management is anything to go by, I can only assume it is their incompetence that means such a building is almost empty on a bank holiday weekend. 



Amhuinnsuidhe Castle

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