The Pierhouse

Situated ‘well off the beaten track’, this former home of a piermaster is a ‘relaxed and friendly’ lochside bolt-hole, known for its seafood restaurant. Converted in 1992, the hotel is now owned by international hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray, who has given it a gentle nip and tuck. The individually styled bedrooms have either a loch- or cliff-facing view, though one guest was underwhelmed by the ‘immediate view of the car park’ from a ground-floor room. The decor is kept simple, perhaps with ‘a touch of tartan’. The super-comfortable beds are equally plain, just ‘white linen and a beige knitted throw’. In the evening, guests can enjoy a drink in the Ferry bar before tucking into dinner cooked by new chef Michael Leathley. His seafood-rich menu is based on the freshest local produce, including lobster from a Pierhouse creel, Loch Linnhe langoustine, Loch Creran oysters and West Coast scallops. Service is ‘good and helpful’. The ‘great’ breakfast is ‘efficiently served’, with a buffet as well as a cooked menu that includes scrambled eggs with Loch Fyne smoked salmon and Inverawe kippers. (Diana Goodey, M and PB)