Holy Island is a magical location and we had a fabulous stay there. The hosts where very helpful and welcoming and advised us on two fantastic walks.
The place was clean and functional, but I have to say you did feel you were paying for the location!
The beds were exceptionally soft to the extent you could easily fally out...and although we had been promised the two singles would be zipped together to make a king they were not. Having tried to zip them together our selves, we ended up with one of us in the crack in the middle and the other falling out the other side!
The food was average, but edible, although they did have a rather good wine list!
I had a fantastic night there, but would say this was more to do with the magic of Holy island, than the Ship Inn itself.

My wife and I decided to have a couple of nights away in December for our first wedding anniversary, and decided on a quiet relaxing break on Holy Island. And what a treat. Hats off to Andrew & Janice, their hospitality is second to none. Thoroughly enjoyed the food and real ales, and having stopped in room one (the more traditional room upstairs) we found it to be quaint, cosy, and clean (contrary to one of the previous reviews).
We were the only people staying mid-December but the warmth of the welcome and the genuine desire of the owners to ensure our stay was as memorable as we had hoped means we will be back again.

Extremely friendly service. The owners were more than hospitable, food was home cooked and fantastic. The open fire in the bar was atmospheric and relaxing, a wonderful way to spend a weekend. We were very impressed with the Ship Inn and would highly recommend a visit to this wonderful part of the North East.

Our experience of this place could not have been further from most other reviewers opinions.
When you arrive the hall way is dark and dismal and very small, up the narrow stairs to the rooms. We were in the 4 poster bedroom, what a disappointment!!! Upon entering the room smelt musty and on closer inspection it was apparent the room was in need of a thorough clean. The tops of the brass balls on the bed were covered in fluff, the pelmet across the top of the curtains had cobwebs stretched all across them, when I looked under the bed, the carpet was a different colour than the rest of the dated patterned carpet, this was due to the amount of dust and hairs that was littered on it, this was a theme that carried on throughout the room, ie, underneath the chest of drawers, bedside cabinets, and for a 2 inch wide strip around the outside of the room, Im not trying to say I moved the furniture to see this layer of dust, it was clearly visible beneath the furniture, which was all on legs. It was obvious that who ever hoovered the rooms daily, had no idea what a hoover nozzle was for. There was a wall hung LCD tv near the bathroom door, I cant tell you how thick the dust was behind this!!! The doors were panelled and these were all layered in thick dust and fluff, In my honest opinion if I had had my way I would have turned around and walked out immediately, but the friends we were visiting with seemed more than happy with the accommodation, its amazing how peoples standards vary. My Hubby was just as disappointed as me, but we chose to say nothing so as not to upset our friends, who had gone to great lengths to arrange the visit. Needles to say, we did not enjoy our stay in this dirty room and couldn’t wait to leave, I can honestly say it is the dirtiest place I have ever stayed!!!
The public areas are not much better, the toilets in the pub were awful, you could literally see the dirt and grime on all the skirting boards and dado rails, as these are supposed to be painted brown, but were actually layered in dust!!!
To be fair the host and hostess were the friendliest people you could ever meet, its just a shame their hosting skills don’t include the capabilities of keeping their Inn clean!!
When paying in excess of £100 a night, you should at least expect cleanliness.
I could go on and on about how terrible the room was, but I don’t want to make it seem like I am one of these trip advisors that nit picks about every little thing, I am not nit picking I am trying to stop some poor unsuspecting person from booking this place before being armed with a truthful review.
If all you want is a comfy bed after a long days sightseeing and walking, and your not too fussy, then this place is adequate.
If like me, you expect certain standards of cleanliness to be met, avoid this place at all costs.