Does anyone have recommendations for a place in Fort William that is convenient for car-less early 70s travellers in August? Rick's book only mentions one place for sleeping (which is booked); he doesn't seem to recommend staying in Fort William as there are more charming towns. But since we won't have a car, we must do what works well with public transportation!
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
8319 posts
You may want to do a search of the forum for ideas. But, I know this post of mine has a few ideas/comments for Fort William
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/scenic-train-travel-14818df3-7d8a-4485-8d80-8fe8107c77fd
Posted by
Lake District, England
11788 posts
Alexandra Hotel- see the Strathmore Hotels website.
It couldn't really be more convenient for buses and trains.
Posted by
Freedonia
18998 posts
Premier Inn...five minute walk to the bus/train stations.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1687 posts
The Premier Inn is a short walk from the railway station. I know Premier Inns get a lot of good feedback on this site, and I use them myself. But I find it hard to highly recommend this particular one. I’ve stayed several times out of necessity to break a very long drive home to Skye. The rooms are standard Premier Inn rooms, although they do have a few of their premium rooms, with faster WiFi, shower rather than bath, espresso machine and mini fridge. But the breakfast is the worst I’ve experienced in Premier Inns. They are woefully understaffed, quality is terrible and frankly I usually go next door to McDonalds.
You might do well to check isn31c’s recommendation which is also slightly closer to the station.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
1164 posts
we loved the Myrtlebank in May of 2022. It's an 18 min walk from the train station.
Posted by
Freedonia
18998 posts
The Brewers Fayre restaurant at the Premier Inn has closed.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1687 posts
Frank. Yes the Brewers Fayre is no more but the same premises are now used by Premier Inn to serve their breakfast. Which is every bit as bad if not worse than before. There is a sign on the door saying ‘premier inn customers only’.
Ultimately they want to demolish the existing restaurant and build more bedrooms and a breakfast room. I believe they are awaiting planning permission from the Highland Council.
Posted by
OP
London, UK
38 posts
Thank you everyone for the good feedback about hotels, and also for the related thread focused on train travel.
There seems to be agreement about the Alexandra Hotel. A location close to the train is helpful since we'll be hauling our bags around. Now I need to phone them to see if they can match booking.com.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
33 posts
Hello Karen,
My partner and I stayed south of Fort William at a wonderful Croft on the water called the Highland Croft Bed and Breakfast (Onich Scotland). We were there in October. We took the bus there and then took the bus to Fort William to explore. The breakfasts were excellent and the location of the Croft is definitely superior to what we saw in Fort William. They have a wee farm and some lovely animals. Mairie and Gary were terrific hosts.
You can walk the beach and do hiking from their home.
We walked down the road to a hotel at night to enjoy some delicious food too.
Best,
Jaz
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
8319 posts
Karen, not sure if you've booked, yet, but I was just looking at the Garrison Hotel. It's about a half mile from the train station but on the "main drag". I'll likely have to use a cab with my mother, but the hotel looks quite nice at a reasonable price. FYI, the recent reviews seems to be heavily influenced by some construction that will be done soon.
People definitely have a dislike for the Fort William PI. For me, traveling with my 89 old mother, I'd prefer to not lock into a nonrefundable rate. PI annoys me that there is such a huge difference between the flexible and nonrefundable so I looked for other options. I wish I could find a good alternative for PI in Edinburgh.
Strathmore Hotels look nice but they are fully booked for my Fort William and Oban dates.