My wife and I spent 2 nights at the Ardvasar Hotel so we could visit Dunvegan castle and the Isle of Skye. The meals were quite good, the rooms were OK but are being completely remodelled. We had the opportunity to view the decorating schemes and see one of the rooms partially complete. The rooms will be delightful when renovations are done. The staff were all friendly and attentive to our needs. The one-lane roads are a bit tough to drive on, but that adds to the ambience.

On arrival at the hotel we were warmly welcomed by Richard the owner and shown to our room.

The views across to the Knoydart mountains and Mallaig were fantastic and we never drew the curtains at all whilst we were there. It was fascinating to watch Herron's stalking in the nearby salt marsh pools and one day we had a good view of a farmer stoicly trying to round up his small herd of mischevous & very lively highland cattle.

The bed room was large by normal standards and was well appointed and clean. The bedding was very clean and had that crisp feeling to it that typifies fresh bedding.

Richard is obviously keeping the accomodation in good condition and the upstairs landing and some of the bedrooms had very recently been redecorated and recarpeted in a very tasteful manner.

The restraunt was homely and the food was fantastic although I did think Richard had pitched the prices of the starters and the sweets a little on the high side. There was a good selection of wines starting at £12.50 or so a bottle & the bar had some very robust local ales.

Breakfasts were pleasant and there was a good selection of fruit drinks, cold food and hot food including the "Scottish Breakfast" which was too large for me to attempt.

The nearby area was a mix of fields, forrest and moorland and has a lot of potential for long walks or just ambling around this very quiet location.

Close by there is a village shop, a pottery, the Mallaig Ferry & a little dock and the Clan McDonald Centre. This centre is well worth a visit and it's new museum in good as are the wonderful castle gardens where there are many strange plants for visitors to view and enjoy.

The only negative about the hotel was that there was some noise transmission from the bar at night with the muffled bass sounds being a bit of a nuisance until the bar closed at midnight and on the Saturday night we were there some of the customers continued a somewhat loud conversation outside of the hotel until 12.45 which tended to indicate that the new double glazing was not soundproofing the rooms too well.

Would I go again - too true I would - this was a lovely little hotel with excellent food, a friendly owner ,lovely surroundings, views second to none and lots of potential for a nice relaxing break away from the normal hustle and bustle of life.