Polrudden Guest House

The guest house was very clean and tidy. The rooms had plenty of storage, a TV, tea and coffee facilities, and a spacious bathroom. You cook for yourself in the communal kitchen, which was very well stocked with utensils. There were two fridges and a freezer, so there was always space for our food. For cooking, there's an electric hob, microwave, air fryer and mini oven. It's a nice way to meet other guests and have a friendly chat. Tesco and Lidl are only five minutes away on foot, and the town takes ten minutes. The port is handy too. Lorraine and her husband (sorry, I've forgotten his name!) were very welcoming. If you have a problem, they're quick and happy to sort it out. I'd gladly stay again.

We were really pleased with the place. It’s cosy, the beds are very comfortable, and the showers get properly hot. The kitchen is especially well set up, with big and small fridges, labelled containers for groceries, microwaves, slow cookers, an air fryer and toasters. There’s no oven. There was a pram there too, I’m guessing guests can use it. The fenced grassy yard is visible from the dining area, and there’s a large car park with good security. Tesco is only about a five minute walk away, and its TV dinners were the best I’ve tasted. They even had a shower mat to stop things getting slippery. We were very happy with our accommodation.

The room and bathroom were spacious and nice, and the location was convenient for the city centre. Breakfast was good too, and the young woman serving was kind and fun to talk with. One morning she brought us homemade shortbread from her aunt, and her daughter is adorable. The owner, though, seemed bothered whenever we asked for anything. We’d booked a double through AAA travel, which had chosen this place because it was the only one they were affiliated with that wasn’t an expensive hotel. The front door wasn’t clearly marked, and after arriving early we wandered around and inside for quite a while before anyone appeared. Then the owner insisted we’d booked a twin, and it took several uncomfortable minutes before she agreed to give us the room we’d reserved. She kept saying she’d have to move other guests and they wouldn’t be happy. For breakfast, we were handed one selection form on the first day to cover the whole stay. Other B&Bs we’d used gave us a sheet each evening for the next morning. We weren’t told about the different system, so trying to let her know our choices after a day touring was uncomfortable. The phone number didn’t work, so at 9:30 pm I knocked at the door marked private until she came down. She said we couldn’t change our choice, but after more awkward discussion agreed to add the porridge we wanted the next morning. There was no sitting room to relax in, unlike most B&Bs. We’ve crossed this place off our list for future stays.

We never saw the owner during our two nights there. Our tour guide checked us into the rooms, and checking out was odd too, we were told to leave the key in the room door. Breakfast was okay, though we had to fill in a form to choose items from the hot breakfast. I wouldn’t stay there again if I’m in Kirkwall.