In the article “Spectacular Scotland (June ’19, pg. 6), the author referred to the St. Ola Hotel in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, and wrote, “I would not recommend this hotel,” but I would have to strongly disagree. I would recommend this hotel, which was in a great location and had a great staff.
My wife and I stayed in the St. Ola Hotel for three nights (Sunday-Tuesday), Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2018. Our room — on the second floor, toward the front of the building — was more than adequate, and we heard no noisy music, something the author mentioned hearing from her room on a Saturday night. Noisy music could be heard in some of the hallways, but that was it.
There was a very active bar on the first floor where music was loud, but we heard nothing of it in our room.
I don’t remember the rate we paid.*
There was a coffee shop nearby that offered a great, inexpensive breakfast. My favorite was the sausage-and-egg breakfast sandwich. A man ran the front of the shop and his wife ran the kitchen. We were the only tourists there; the rest of the diners were locals.
(To get to the coffee shop, exit the hotel and turn right, then right again at the corner. Follow the road around a short distance, sort of behind the hotel. The shop is on the right.)
Orkney was part of a 6-week driving trip of Ireland, Scotland, England and Iceland that I planned and booked.
RONALD REED
Melbourne, FL
*In mid-July 2019, the St. Ola Hotel’s website (www.stolahotel.co.uk) showed room rates ranging from £45-£65 (near $56-$80), standard single, to £60-£100, superior double.