Just got back from a 5 day break in Portsonachan, arrived Christmas eve. Been there several times over the last couple of years and always have a great time.
We stay in a Lochside apartment, never stayed in the hotel main building or coach house so can't comment on those.
The apartments are always clean, have everything we need and above all have stunning views of the loch. This hotel is very good value for money in a superb location. Not 5 star luxury, a bit remote and very dog friendly,so it may not be for everyone. Very pleasant and helpful staff and Daniel is a great host. It was good to meet up with other repeat guests who all seem to be of the same opinion, good value in a wonderful location.
Any problems that we have had have always been sorted straight away.
The hotel is a good base for exploring the west coast, many woodland walks are within reasonable driving distance (recommend Strone Hill and the Loch Awe Forest Drive-closed winter) Inverary and Oban are also nearby for shopping.
Don't think funny coloured water is a big deal, guests are provided with bottled water, we use the tap water as normal- still around to tell the tale!
Already planning our next visit, thanks to all.

We arrived on 24/12 for a 3 day Christmas break which was booked several weeks ago for a room with a loch view. The room was dull and drab and the quality of furniture was not in our opinion of a decent standard, the heating had not been switched on prior to our arrival.

We refused this room and were offered a self catering apartment with a loch view, the ground floor living/kitchen area was not to a standard that we were accustomed to and was a bit drab and in need of attention. The first floor bedroom area had been renovated recently and there was no separation between the bathroom and the bedroom, this may be acceptable to some guests but not something that we would have chosen. We refused this alternative accommodation and advised Daniel the manager that we were leaving.

The hotel badly needs a facelift and in our opinion does not meet the standard mentioned in the brochure. The brochure also indicates that the hotel is hidden in private woodland, however, it does not mention that it is approximately 4 miles down a rutted single track road with passing places.

We arrived at lunch time and the only staff seen were Daniel and a waitress, there was very little sign of any other guests staying in the hotel, especially when this was the Christmas weekend. We asked Daniel on several occasions if there were many guests staying in the hotel for the festive break and he was very evasive on this point

We arrived at the hotel about 1.30 pm and left for home about 2.00pm, and luckily we only had approximately a one and a half hour drive to get home.

We would not revisit this hotel or recommend it to anyone

This was our third trip to Portsonachan Hotel.
Previously we have always stayed in the loch side cottages/apartments which are very nice; but decided to try out the lodges this time and were equally as pleased.
We arrived late on the Friday evening and everything was set up wonderfully. The hot tub was already on pre heating and they had turned all lights and heating on ready for us. Daniel the manager had even phoned us to let us know that the weather near the hotel was getting bad (snow) and to be careful on the single road near the hotel which can get really icy as we discovered the next day.
With regards to some peoples comments about the water. Yes it is a bit discolored but it's something to expect really when going to remote parts of Scotland, plus we were given ample amounts of free bottled drinking water by the staff.
We found that the lodges are much larger than the cottages and include a very nice hot tub and sauna. We stayed in one of the three bedroom lodges that had two double bedrooms, a smaller room with bunk beds and a sofa bed in the lounge.
I would suggest if going in winter to park near the hotel as we struggled to get up the driveway to the lodge due to ice then couldn't get the car out the next day. Which didn't really cause us an issue as we just enjoyed the hot tub and sauna all day which included a free bottle of wine from Daniel and the team. They even gave us a lift back from the hotel to the lodge in a 4x4 (even though the lodges are about 300m away) after our evening meal as the ice was very slippy.
We had breakfast in the hotel every morning which as always was very nice with a good selection of cereals, cooked and cold options, tea, coffee etc and the staff were always attentive and helpful with regards to swapping things I.e just having a plate of bacon and eggs instead of a full breakfast.
Daniel even helped us track down a sports bar in Oban so that the guys didn't miss the football, which gave the women a good excuse to go to the seal sea life sanctuary in Oban.

THE VIEWS

The views as always are amazing and on a clear day you can see the tips of the snow covered mountains in the distance. The friends that came with us this time said it was worth the long drive just for the beautiful views and the peace.

THE STAFF

We found everyone went above and beyond especially when the other half locked us out of the lodge when we were all in the hot tub at about 9pm Sunday night. Luckily the hot tub was an amazing 40 degrees as apposed to the outside air temp being around -5, we had bathing suits on (we were told this had happened before but the people were naked) and the hotel had a spare key.
If you want to take a step back and relax then this is definitely the place to go.
I will definitely be going again next year

The fact that a large number of the guests at the hotel were regular visitors tell you all you need to know. The Manager Daniel is a very friendly and informative not to mention entertaining host and the area really speaks for itself. you just couldn't be closer to the Loch with stunning views all year round. We stayed in one of the superior hotel rooms with a loch view. We stayed for three nights in November so some inclement weather was expected and the weather conspired against us on our last night at the hotel so we stayed for Dinner and the chef prepared a meal of our choice that wasn't even on the menu for that night.
If you are familiar with the road network in scotland then finding the hotel isn't a problem but otherwise be prepared for single track roads with passing places ! a sat nav is recommended though.
The hotel was recommended to us by friends who had been earlier in the year so we knew exactly what to expect and we weren't disappointed. It really is a beautiful area even in the autumn rain.
One thing to be aware of is the fact that the water in the rooms can be discoloured (quite common in this part of scotland according to what I've read on the internet) Bottled water is freely available from the hotel so nothing to worry about but worth being aware of prior to travelling I think.
All in all a great relaxing break or a wonderful base for exploring scotland whichever takes your fancy.