Located in Kirkwall, West End Guest House is in the city centre and near the beach. Orkney Museum and Orkney Wireless Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at Scapa Distillery and Orkney Wine Company. The Pickaquoy Centre and Stromness Museum are also worth visiting. Visit our Kirkwall travel guide
14 Main Street, Kirkwall, Scotland, KW15 1BU
What's nearby
Bishop's Palace
3 min walk - 0.3 km
St. Magnus Cathedral
5 min walk - 0.5 km
Earl's Palace
6 min walk - 0.5 km
Orkney Museum
6 min walk - 0.5 km
Highland Park Distillery
2 min drive - 2.3 km
Getting around
Kirkwall (KOI)
10 min drive
Restaurants
Movement Coffee
9 min walk
Lucano
3 min walk
The Storehouse
9 min walk
The Bothy Bar
8 min walk
Archive Coffee
8 min walk
About this property
West End Guest House
Hotel in the city centre
West End Guest House provides amenities, such as a garden and a bar. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi.
Other perks at this hotel include:
Free self-parking
Luggage storage, 1 meeting room and smoke-free property
Guest reviews give good marks for the overall condition
Room features
All guestrooms at West End Guest House feature comforts such as free WiFi and free bottled water.
How much does it cost to stay at West End Guest House?
As of 14 Nov 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at West End Guest House on 1 Dec 2026 start from €68, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at West End Guest House?
Self-parking is free at this property.
What time is check-in at West End Guest House?
Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; check-in end time: 9:00 PM. Late check-in is available during limited hours.
What time is check-out at West End Guest House?
Checkout is at 10 AM.
Where is West End Guest House located?
Located in the heart of Kirkwall, this hotel is within a 5-minute walk of Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace. Orkney Museum and St. Magnus Cathedral are also within 10 minutes.
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Reviews
West End Guest House Reviews
8.6
Excellent
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.More informationOpens in a new window
A great find, within easy walking distance to the centre of Kirkwall and its shops, restaurants and pubs. Our room, number 10, was very good, just right for two of us for a two night stay. Quiet, clean, nicely decorated. Comfy bed. Very friendly owners and staff, with a bar on site too. Useful lounge with fridge, toaster and microwave, cutlery and plates. They have great plans for the hotel and we look forward to returning to see how the owners get on. We will definitely be back.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2026
Verified review
8/10 Good
Tanya
19 Mar 2018
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Amazing breakfast!
A very friendly welcome, they were happy to accommodate our very late (11.30pm) arrival after we travelled there on the ferry. The owners have recently taken it over and in the last few weeks completed an overhaul of the bar/restaurant area which looks lovely.
We didn't try the evening meals but the breakfasts were phenomenal, a proper Scottish breakfast that really sets you up for the day. Very friendly hosts helped us to work out what to do during the day and suggested good walks and so on.
The room was spotlessly clean and had everything we needed, though it was quite small and was up quite a few stairs (though we were offered help with luggage so it would only be an issue if you struggle walking up stairs).
The location was excellent, very easy to walk into town and also just a few minutes' walk from where you can catch the bus to the airport or ferry.
We had a great stay here. Located in a historic building and a stones throw from the cathedral so easy walking distance to Kirkwall attractions and easy access to roads for all parts of the island.
Very friendly welcome and a tasty breakfast each morning.
It is a historic building so stairs and corridors but clean and safe with a comfy bed, what more do you need?
We would happily go back to Orkney and hopefully when we do we will be able to book the West End Hotel for our stay.
Great location, comfortable stay. Very good breakfast. Angela was very friendly, give us good advice what to see,where to eat and where to find hidden gems. Everything was spot on. We will definitely be back there.
Lovely little hotel on a quiet street; reception was really friendly and helpful. Useful having plates and cutlery, etc. in the room for takeaways as everywhere was booked up to eat out!
Really good communication throughout booking and organising our check-in from the late ferry. Looked after our bags for us the day we checked out. Really Covid-safe way of running things too. Thank you.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Verified review
8/10 Good
Verified traveller
14 Aug 2021
Liked: Cleanliness
Enjoyed our stay. Unfortunate that restaurant closed due to Covid staffing shortage but close to local amenities.
Great location for where we needed to be. Pleasant stay. Rooms comfortable. Cooked breakfast lovely. Would stay again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Verified review
10/10 Excellent
Marie
23 Jul 2021
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Bit tired and dated
Very tired shower room, the sink was actually located in the bedroom. The actual shower was very good just very cramped.
We never found sign saying there was reduced services due to staff shortages but the staff were more than happy to provide us with clean towels. All other items you could pick up from reception.
Breakfast was really good and served by the only member of staff I saw, a very friendly, bubbly and efficient waitress. An asset to any business.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Verified review
6/10 Okay
Alexandria
9 Jul 2021
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Orkney stay
Staff very good,Waitress in breakfast room was very attentive,
The hotel is certainly needing a make over,could not get window open for fresh air.
Was central for us to explore Orkney.
Enjoyed seeing the island.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021
Verified review
10/10 Excellent
Verified traveller
5 Jun 2021
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We were greeted by Angela, who was an excellent hostess. She provided us with all the necessary and helpful information about our stay in the Orkneys. Excellent service! The hotel is well situated and the car park was very convenient. The room was a bit dated, but very clean and a great value. The breakfast was outstanding and we would highly recommend this hotel to anybody staying in Kirkwall. Looking forward to go back!
The staff are very friendly and helpful. We struggled to find the parking (which was around the back of the hotel) but they came out on the street to guide us in. Check in was straight forward and we had good instructions (Covid) on what is required to keep safe. The rooms were clean and spacious. Once an old polio hospital, the hallways were twisty had lots of turns and added character to the property. The breakfast room was modern and spacious and the food was excellent and catered for a vegertarian very well. Again the staff were friendly and chatty and made you feel welcome. Would stay again, lovely people, lovely place, highly recommend.
The meals are excellent and very friendly staff. I had the best gin and tonic ever in their bar - Orkney Rhubarb Old Tom
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2020
Verified review
4/10 Poor
Verified traveller
3 Mar 2020
Disliked: Staff & service
No flexibility on dates despite cancelled ferries
Not a good experience sadly, never stayed here. The hotel were unwilling to change my booking date despite ferries being cancelled due to bad weather, other hotels in Kirkwall have been much more flexible in my experience.
Blamed hotels.com, pocketed my cash despite me asking for a date change.
Buyer beware.
The hotel was clean and service was excellent. I only ate breakfast there but is was very good.
However the single room I had as a solo traveller wasn't so great. The single bed was comfortable enough, but sleeping tended to be disturbed by noise such as snoring, phone conversations and drawers and doors opening and closing from neighbouring rooms. The walls seemed quite thin.
The room itself was the smallest I've ever stayed in, with no chair. Consequently there was nowhere to sit except on the bed, or put clothes for the next day or incidental items on except on the floor alongside my suitcase which was already there since there was nowhere else to put that either. The wardrobe contained four coathangers (it was too small to accommodate more than that), one of which was occupied by the hotel-supplied bathrobe. So I had to resort to hanging clothes on the door edges themselves, or putting them on the floor too.
Stepping over everything was made slightly more hazardous by the fact that the floor sloped. This took a bit of getting used to, but eventually I did.
The hotel wifi disappeared the second day I was there and was out until the day before I left. Unfortunately mobile reception (on Three at least) was almost non-existent so this created some problems until the hotel staff kindly gave me the password for a private network they had.
All in all not the most comfortable stay I've ever experienced. Possibly the double rooms are better......?
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2019
Verified review
10/10 Excellent
Verified traveller
17 Oct 2019
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Traditional Hotel
Property was well kept and warm The staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfast was excellent. Hotel in a quiet part of town about 10 mins walk to centre. Room a little dated. What you would call traditional rather then modern.
Nice older property with easy walking access to Kirkwall attractions. Great food and bar on site with a parking lot. Lots of stairs and kind of a maze getting to our room. No elevator and thus may not appropriate for those who are walking impaired.