The west Highland hotel with ‘Scotland’s best restaurant’ and access to tranquil island | Scotsman Food and Drink

If you’re looking for a summer escape with excellent food, a trip to this west Highland hotel should be on your bucket list.

While we may still be waiting for some sunny weather, many of us will be jetting off for summer holidays. If you’re looking to stay closer to home and explore a picturesque part of Scotland, then a trip to the west Highlands is a must.

If you love fresh seafood, a beautiful waterside location and access to a remote island, then the Pierhouse Hotel in Port Appin should be on your bucket list.

The Pierhouse is a beautiful coastal hotel that is tucked away on the shores of Loch Linnhe, offering stunning views to the islands of Lismore and Mull, the mountains of Morven and the Ardnamurchan peninsula.

Last year the hotel won Scotland’s ‘Restaurant of the Year’ at the Hotels of the Year Scotland Awards 2023-24.

Now in its twentieth year, the Hotels of the Year Scotland Awards honour the outstanding success, achievement and distinction across Scotland’s hotel and hospitality industry. The awards are judged by an independent panel of travel writers, industry experts and peers.

Firm favourites on the Pierhouse menu include the freshest langoustines, mussels and lobsters harvested from Loch Linnhe and Loch Etive, as well as fine handpicked oysters from the oyster beds of Loch Creran, just 10 minutes from the hotel. If you’re travelling with a dog, they’re welcome in the bar and loch side terrace.

The restaurant has two AA rosettes and is one of only three Argyll restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2024. 

Once you’ve had your fill of seafood, guests can visit the island of Lismore, which is a short ferry ride from the hotel’s doorstep, and has a rich history from the bronze age to the picts and vikings and today’s crofts. A private tour can be booked through Explore Lismore.

The hotel also runs seasonal activities, including Forage & Feast with Lucy Cooke, who is known locally as ‘The Wild Cooke’.

Guests can enjoy a unique guided walk along the local shoreline, hedgerows and woodland for an introduction to summer and autumn foraging in Scotland. The ‘Forage & Feast’ experience aims to showcase the natural sustainable wild larder of Argyll.

Lucy Cooke runs her small foraging business on the wild Peninsula of Ardnamurchan in the Scottish Highlands and is a member of the Association of Foragers. 

Later on this year, if you’re feeling brave, you can join a Samhain wild swim with Dan the Merman. 

An overnight stay at The Pierhouse starts from £150 per room, per night (March 2024) and from £200 per room, per night (April to end of October 2024), based on two people sharing on a B&B basis. 

The Pierhouse is part of The Wee Hotel Company, which was founded by international hotelier, Gordon Campbell Gray, and includes the world-famous Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye.