Ceol na Mara Guest House

Hosts Elly and Andy might be new and settling in to their new business but you’d never know it. They couldn’t have been more accommodating, welcoming and relaxed. Everything about my room was first class and the breakfasts were great. Especially the bacon! I enjoyed the wine, whiskey and conversation in the evenings. The location is breathtaking, isolated and yet very close town. I hope to be back one day.

Ceol na Mara is truly a wonderful place to stay, and Jane and Dave are amazing hosts: organized (as befits former primary school headmasters :-), consistent, efficient, and incredibly accommodating. They literally think of everything. I have no idea how they manage to keep everything running so smoothly. As others have mentioned, one is welcomed with tea and (delicious) pastry upon arrival, and Dave does indeed insist on carrying your luggage up the stairs to your room (and mine was weighty). They provide whisky samples in your room that change daily, and Dave provides an easy-to-read-while-driving, two-page, extremely helpful touring guide to the island, which I followed assiduously to great benefit. There are useful signs posted throughout the house that make perfectly clear how everything works (which I often found myself wondering on this trip: at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh, I literally had to call the front desk to find out how to work the hot water tap on the bath, and at the Edinburgh Airport Doubletree, I thought I was turning on the hot water in the shower when I was actually pulling the emergency cord and calling hotel security). What astounded me the most were the lengths to which Jane and Dave will go in order to make your stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. I was just now reviewing our email correspondence from the end of July, a month and a half prior to my trip, and I can't get over how unbelievably accommodating and forthcoming they were in helping me decide where to eat dinner (which you kind of have to plan that far in advance when you visit the Western Isles). They encouraged me to try the North Harbour Bistro on the adjoining Isle of Scalpay, which was only open on the evening of my arrival. As I figured (correctly, as it turned out) that I would be somewhat tired that evening, I expressed my reluctance to try to find my way back to their place on single track roads in the dark in a place completely unfamiliar to me, based on previous experience in Scotland. So they graciously offered to drive me over to Scalpay themselves (a 15-20 minute ride) beforehand, and arranged to have a local taxi pick me up afterwards. In the end, by the time I arrived, they let me know that North Harbour Bistro had called them that day to cancel my reservation due to a family emergency. In response, they had taken it upon themselves to book a backup dinner reservation for me at the Harris Hotel restaurant in nearby Tarbert-- all without my knowing about any of this, and without my having had to ask for their help. This all seemed above and beyond the call of duty, but it was most deeply appreciated. I take solace and pride in the fact that I was able to repay them in the following way: in the middle of August, I wrote to them that "For some reason, even though I only get to Scotland about every decade or so, I always manage to get sunny weather -- so here's hoping that my lucky streak holds (but I also know better than to co

We stayed 2 nights at Ceol na Mara and new owners Ellie & Andy were wonderful hosts who could not do enough to make us comfortable. Wonderful breakfasts (huge choices available!) Lovely bedroom & ensuite with very comfortable bed and glorious views over the sea loch. Would certainly return in future if in the area.

We had a wonderful experience staying here. The location is beautiful, the room we stayed in was lovely and had everything needed for a very comfortable stay. Great selection offered for breakfast with locally sourced foods. The owners are so lovely and made us feel very welcome. A big thank you to Elly and Andy for making our stay in Harris so good! Would definitely return here!

A fabulous welcome awaits you at Ceol na Mara from Elly and Andy. Lovely room, large bed and beautiful linen. Great shower and really nice to see a mini fridge in the wardrobe for fresh milk. Fabulous breakfast overlooking the Loch. A great base for visiting Harris. Would highly recommend and will return I'm sure!

Thank you Jane and Dave for a fabulous (unfortunately short) stay. Jane and Dave ‘rescued’ us when we had an unexpected extra day on the island due to our ferry being cancelled. What a place! We had a lovely welcome, with tea and cake and had an excellent room with everything that we needed. Knowing that restaurants get booked up, Dave booked us in at one of the places in Tarbert. We would love to visit again.