The hotel is in a very central position within the town, near the high street shops and the railway station. It’s an attractive looking old building with around 90 bedrooms and the front has an open outlook towards the loch. At the time of our stay it seemed quite busy with guests and functions suggesting it’s popular.

We visited as a group, looking for some skiing at the Nevis range and certainly got good value for money.

The room which my wife & I had was on one of the higher levels although it didn’t benefit from a view. The lift to get to the upper floors is very small and one of the slowest I have encountered on my travels. The alternative stairs lead to a bit of a maze of corridors and are not recommended when there is a bit of luggage to carry - as is often the case when skiing.

A number of rooms in the hotel have apparently been refurbished however the one which we had was not included in that category, although it was functional and clean. (The corridor had just been freshened up because we could still smell the paint so perhaps the room was next on the list). We had a triple set-up, with three single beds which was a bit unfortunate since these took up much of the space in the room (a bit like visiting a furniture store). Fortunately they were comfortable enough. The ensuite was small with a shower over the bath. Unfortunately on the 2nd night we stayed there was a lack of hot water for the shower and the room also got cool enough for me to enquire at the reception if the boiler had broken down. We were advised that it was probably just down to a lot of people having baths & showers before dinner (I’m glad to hear that old habits die hard!).

The lounge bar on the ground level was large and comfortable and the service good. On one of the nights we visited there was a small group playing traditional music. Just off the bar there was a function room hosting an event which added to the busy feel about the place.

The dining room had been nicely set up with linen tablecloths, etc and the food and service for dinner was good. The placing of the coffee-making machine next to one of the tables made conversation a bit difficult at times, reminiscent no doubt for some, of standing on the nearby railway platform as a steam train pulled away on a winter’s day! Breakfast was self service with staff bringing tea, coffee and toast and clearing the tables. Although we had to wait for supplies to arrive to replenish the hot trays this meant the food was fresh and hot so no complaints there. There was a plentiful selection of all the “Full Scottish” favourites and these were very tasty.

The leisure facilities available at a sister-hotel are far enough away to require transport to get there and we didn't make use of these as a result.

All in all the hotel was good value and hopefully on our next visit we’ll get a refurbished double room.

We didn’t get much skiing due to a lack of snow however the nearby climbing centre at Kinlochleven is worth a visit, whether to watch or participate in climbing the standard or ice walls. There is a café in a viewing area and the bar upstairs also serves nice food although from there you can’t view the activities.