This Portsonachan Hotel review is based on my stay in 2022 and gives an honest look at what the experience was really like at Loch Awe. This isn’t a hit piece, just an honest account of what I experienced so other travelers know what they’re walking into. In this Portsonachan Hotel review I’ll cover the rooms, food, location and what you can realistically expect when you arrive.
Room Comfort
One thing that stood out during this Portsonachan Hotel review was how different the three types of accommodation were. There are three very different types of accommodation at Portsonachan, and your experience will depend massively on which one you end up in.
The wooden cabins were the standout option during my stay. These are self‑catering, family‑sized units with two or more bedrooms, a living room, a proper kitchen, a bathroom, and in many cases a hot tub. They’re modern, comfortable, and easily the part of the site that’s had the most recent attention. If every part of the hotel matched the standard of the cabins, this place would be in a completely different league.
The lochside apartments sit somewhere in the middle. They’re also self‑catering, with a kitchen and lounge downstairs and a bedroom upstairs. The big selling point is the terrace that looks straight out onto Loch Awe. Waking up to that view is something special. The apartments are a bit older than the cabins, but still a solid option if you want space and a quieter stay away from the main building.
The hotel rooms are where things fall down. These are your standard double, single, or twin rooms inside the main building, and they were noticeably dated during my stay. Basic amenities felt tired, and the rooms just didn’t match the standard set by the cabins or the apartments. Even small improvements would have made a big difference to comfort.
Cleanliness and Maintenance
Maintenance was the biggest issue during my stay, and it wasn’t just one or two things. The whole place felt tired in a way that goes beyond “rustic charm”. This wasn’t the cute Scottish hideaway vibe. It was dated, worn, and in places just neglected.
There were little problems everywhere you looked. Peeling wallpaper in spots. Loose fittings in the rooms. One room had a toilet roll holder hanging off the wall. Another had a broken desk. One had a curtain pole that looked like it had survived a bar fight. Nothing catastrophic, but enough small issues stacked together that you could tell they’d been like that for a while.
It felt like the sort of stuff cleaners wipe around and don’t report, or the sort of things management don’t bother fixing until they physically fall off. Individually, these things are minor. Collectively, they make the place feel unloved and in need of proper investment.
The location is stunning and the cabins show what the hotel could be, but the main building really needs a full refresh to bring it up to the standard the setting deserves.
Staff and Service
The staff were genuinely lovely during my stay. Any time I asked for something, they were attentive and happy to help. You could tell everyone was mucking in and doing a bit of everything, and a few of them were clearly still finding their feet, but the effort was there. They were stretched thin, like a lot of places in Scotland at the time, but as a team they were friendly, welcoming, and doing their best to keep things running smoothly.
Food and Breakfast
The food during my stay was alright, but nothing that stuck in the memory. Dinner service was actually the better part of it. Each night there were two main dishes to choose from plus a vegan option, and the meals were decent enough. The only downside was the lack of an a la carte menu. What you saw was what you got, so if none of the options suited you, that was that.
Breakfast was where things fell short for me. It was a continental setup, which is fine in theory, but not what you expect when you’re staying somewhere this remote. If you were in the main hotel, breakfast was served in the restaurant. If you were in the lochside apartments or the wooden cabins, it arrived in a basket in the morning. It was basically cereal, toast, porridge, and a bit of fruit. It filled a gap, but that’s about it.
The real disappointment was the complete lack of a cooked breakfast. No Scottish fry up, no English fry up, nothing hot at all. When you’re in the Highlands, especially somewhere as isolated as this, a proper cooked breakfast feels like part of the experience. Not having one took the shine off the mornings for me.
Location
The setting around Loch Awe is stunning, no doubt about that, but you need to know what you’re getting into. This place is remote. And I don’t mean “a bit out of the way”. I mean properly out in the sticks.
There is nothing around the hotel. No shops. No cafés. No little village you can wander into. If you’re imagining a scenic Scottish retreat where you can stroll out for a coffee or nip to a local pub, this isn’t that. Once you’re there, you’re there.
Public transport is basically a non‑starter. The nearest train station is Dalmally, and even that isn’t exactly close. You’re not walking it, put it that way. If you don’t have a car, you’re relying on taxis or lifts, and they’re not exactly plentiful in this part of Argyll.
On foot, your options are limited to walking along the lochside in one direction or the other. It’s peaceful and pretty, but it’s not a place with a long list of things to do unless you’re happy just wandering and taking in the scenery.
Now, if you do have a car, the location becomes a lot more practical. It works well as a base for exploring wider Argyll or as a stopover on a longer Scottish road trip. You can reach places like Oban, Inveraray, and the surrounding lochs without too much hassle. But without wheels, you’re going to struggle.
Water Quality
This is something travellers should know about, but it needs explaining properly. During my stay, the tap water wasn’t suitable for drinking. It came out a dark brown colour, which looks alarming if you’re not used to rural Scottish water systems. This wasn’t a case of chemical contamination or anything dangerous. It’s simply how the water is collected from the surrounding land, and when conditions change, the sediment levels can spike.
The hotel provided bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth, which was appreciated. It’s just worth knowing in advance so you’re not surprised when you turn the tap on.
Final Thoughts on this Portsonachan Hotel review
This review reflects my stay in 2022, so things may well have changed since then. I always tell people to check recent reviews before booking anywhere, and that applies here too. What I can say is that the location is absolutely incredible and the cabins show exactly what the place is capable of when it’s done right. But during my visit, there were several areas that clearly needed attention. With the right investment and a bit of care, Portsonachan could be something special. At the time I stayed, it just wasn’t quite there.
My Rating:
Links:
Portsonachan Hotel Website
Wild About Argyll – Things to do at Loch Awe
If you’re touring Scotland, you might also like my guide to Inverness
