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4.5
#7 of 16 hotels in Oban
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Enjoying a prime position on the seafront, the Oban Bay Hotel & Spa has great views to Mull and Kerrera. For guests looking to relax and get away from it all, the hotel now offers an outdoor hot tub, spa treatments, along with a small sauna and steam room. In addition, Oban Bay Hotel has a comfortable bar and lounge area and outdoor terrace from which you can watch the world go by.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Marina View
Languages Spoken
English, Russian, Spanish, Bulgarian and 4 more
Location
Corran Esplanade, Oban PA34 5AE Scotland
Oban Bay Hotel
466 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled by the beach with tranquil views, Oban Bay Hotel is lauded for its prime location near the town center and its charming, traditional Scottish atmosphere. While the hotel's staff is often celebrated for their professionalism and warmth, there have been occasional mentions of service inconsistencies.
The amenities, including a praised spa and pet-friendly features, enhance stays, though opinions on value are mixed, with some dissatisfaction directed at room size and pricing. Rooms are generally commended for their cleanliness and comfort, despite some noise concerns.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Relaxing
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Oban Bay Hotel is a great hotel in a fab location with great views across the bay. The staff are doing a brilliant job of making you feel welcome and relaxed, even though they're all having to wear masks all the time. The hotel is also very COVID-secure, with hand sanitiser stations everywhere and compulsory masks in corridors.
On our first night, dinner was included as part of our stay. My wife and I found the ÂŁ60 allowance plus three sides to be very generous and the meal was on the whole delicious. I'd recommend that they serve it on hot plates rather than wooden boards though as the mushrooms that came with the steak were cold. The raspberry bread and butter pudding was extremely tasty!
As I understand it, the hotel has been refurbished and you really get that as you wander about the place. There is a real Scottish vibe going that matches the view outside. One improvement that could be made would be to refurbish the lift to the same standard - it was a bit shabby, which wasn't necessarily a problem but wasn't in keeping with the high standard of the rest of the place.
Our room on the 3rd floor had a nice little view out the window across the bay, an added bonus! The bed was comfortable but the shower pressure was not powerful at all, perhaps something for management to look at (room 358). The breakfasts were delicious and again, very generous with unlimited ordering from the menu included in our stay.
On the second night, we had a drink in the hotel bar. Although it is sensible to have table-service only during COVID, it took 30 mins for us to get the attention of the very busy two members of staff who were working the bar. This wasn't their fault but a) you need drinks menus on the tables if people can't approach the bar and b) the management need to put more than 2 staff on for a busy bar on a Saturday night at 6pm!
All in all, a fantastic stay at a very cosy and welcoming hotel that is taking the current situation very seriously. The food is tasty and the deal that we had that included our meals was very generous. Thank you very much to the Oban Bay Hotel staff for working so hard!
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Date of stay: September 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 1 Oct 2020
Dear jackwc92, Thank you so much for taking the time to complete such a comprehensive review, my team really are thrilled with your super comments. Indeed we are all working hard to ensure these difficult times dont overshadow our hospitality here at Oban bay. We are all very proud of our recent refurbishment, inded our lift is due to be completed very soon too. We have amended our staffing accordingly now to ensure all guests are served promptly and efficiently, thank you again for your feedback. I do hope that you will visit us again very soon. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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We love the location, the first class view and facilities in this hotel. It was perfectly placed, with parking too, for attending a Scottish Country Dance weekend function at the nearby Corran Halls. Not surprisingly, many fellow dancers were there too. After comparing experiences many more of our friends will be joining us there next year too.
The refurbished public rooms are tastefully furnished and dressed with quality items. The bedrooms are modern, bright and very comfortable. Our lovely newly decorated room had only been released two weeks previously, with superb shower facilities. The provision of a teapot, cafetière, cups and saucers and and a tin of Tunnocks’s chocolate items was top notch and much appreciated.
Friday’s fish and chips was a delight... so local and fresh. The menu is interesting and available throughout the day. What a joy to eat either in the dining room, glorious conservatory or comfortably outdoors (weather permitting)
I must make mention of the superb breakfast buffet. I loved both the porridge and the stewed figs. The cooked menu is varied and so different from normal!! Just because we could, we tried Haricot bean cassoulet and and a venison slider with light chilli vegetables.
I do wish the very friendly staff every success in running this business despite the 2020 virus restrictions.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 23 Jul 2021
Dear Hugh M, thank you for your 5-star review, My apologies for the delay in responding, I seem to somehow have missed your review. I am delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and I look forward to welcoming you back this year. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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My partner and I had an excellent stay at the Oban Bay Hotel.
On arrival, it was clear that the hotel is taking restrictions and Government guidance with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic very seriously. Staff were wearing appropriate PPE, hand sanitiser was available and there were screens at the reception desk.
The room and bathroom facilities were exceptionally clean and well presented. The decor was beautiful in the room and the bathroom was very modern. Loved the Arran soaps which were provided.
Breakfast service was quite slow, but the staff were visibly incredibly busy and the food was delicious. Staff were also lovely.
One of the downsides is the parking provisions for the hotel, however, for such an old building it can only be expected that this would be lacking.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 18 Sept 2020
Dear innerspaceboy, thank you for taking the time to post your review, its great to read that you had an excellent stay with us here on the shores of Oban Bay, Indeed our team are working hard to maintain the Government guidelines to keep us all safe. Thank you also for your super feedback about my housekeeping team, it is of course vital to ensure everything really is spotless. I am sorry that you found breakfast to be a bit on the slow side, as you know we have removed our continental buffet and all aspects of breakfast are now table service, however I am delighted that you enjoyed it. Unfortunately Oban Bay only has 2 x electric charging points and 2 x accessible parking spaces available, local free parking is available close by, I look forward to welcoming you back very soon. Kind regards Marc Gardner Genera Manager
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Hotel is clean and tidy but has 1 issue, parking. Not just parking but EV charging in particular. The hotel benefits from 2 x chargepoint Scotland chargers which is why I booked. They advertise this as one of the hotel’s facilities. But, they have no interest in keeping them free for EV drivers to use, as they have quote, “limited parking”. Well why accept the installation of the points then, no one forced you to install them.
If you advertise the fact you have a facility, benefit from people booking specifically because of it, then the least you can do is accept some responsibility in allowing its use. A modicum of interest from front of house instead of a knowing shrug and apathy would be welcome. The long and short of this is that if you drive an EV, don’t rely on this establishment making the advertised charging facility accessible for you, or even make any attempt to help when asked.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GM_Oban_Bay, Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 13 Feb 2020
Hi E2297OQjonb, Thank you for taking the time to leave your comments. I hope that you enjoyed the rest of your stay with us. Sorry to hear you had a problem when it came to our EV bays. These are very new to us so are still learning. As parking is very limited we do have an issue like many other hotels in Oban. Apologies for any inconvenience caused and I have passed on your comments to the front of house manager who will pass onto the team. Thanks again for taking the time to leave your feedback and we do hope to welcome you back to the hotel. Kind regards Jonny
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Booked lunch and overnight stay Everything was perfect. Organised lunch the seafood platter and champagne as a treat for my 91year old father since due to covid we could not celebrate his 90th birthday The seafood platter was amazing offering mussels, oysters, langustines, smoked salmon, gravlax, smoked mackerel, and Lobster. Served with bread could not fault any of it. We had a light dinner and coffees and nothing was too much trouble. Both bedrooms were, of a good standard and we both had a comfortable night followed by breakfast which we ordered scrambled egg and bacon one of the best scrambled eggs I have had in a hotel. Thank you to the management and staff for a memorable break
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 24 May 2022
Dear Jr55ht, thank you so much for posting your 5-star review last year, my apologies for the delay in responding. It’s great to read that you enjoyed your time with us here at Oban Bay in October. Indeed, our seafood platter really is very popular, as we use the freshest local ingredients, and the view over the Bay really is special. I do hope to see you again in 2022. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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This hotel is located directly overlooking the bay. It is a beautiful location which is flooded with sunlight on sunny days. The staff gave us a warm welcome on arrival and were very friendly. Our room had a partial sea view, so it was more at the rear of the hotel. This made it a bit difficult to reach with our numerous heavy suitcases as you had to walk along a couple of corridors which had two small sets of stairs before you reached the lift to take us up to our floor. The room wasn’t big but was well appointed and comfortable. Tea and coffee facilities were available and supplied with two Tunnocks tea cakes and a caramel wafer biscuit every day. The bathroom was very nice with washbasin and work surface for toiletries. The shower was large walk-in, easy to use, and reasonable temperature control. The shower contained two wall mounted soap dispensers filled with the same Arran products, but we were unsure if this was hair shampoo or not, as it wasn’t marked. The bathroom surprisingly did not come with little bottles of conditioner, shampoo or things like that which you would normally expect in a hotel portraying itself as 4 star. There was also no tissues, except for loo roll. Again, surprising. We noticed, when we were departing, that the maid’s room service box ( lying in the hotel corridor) was full of the little toiletries (except tissues) which we were not supplied with so we wondered if we didn’t get because we had booked the room through an on-line booking agency?? Breakfast time had to be pre booked the day before. They said this was so they could have the right amount of food ready for the number of people at the appointed time. We had the full Scottish breakfast on the first day ( usual eggs, bacon, black pudding, sausage,haggis, potato scone) but we both felt it had been pre cooked and left sitting under a heat lamp waiting to be served, as the food arrived at the table quickly and was becoming a little bit dry and hard. The next day we elected to avoid the full cooked breakfast and had salmon and scrambled eggs. This was better but the slices of scrambled egg was curious. The breakfast is served either in the main dining room at the rear of the hotel or, if you’re luckier, in the front porch area which overlooks the sea. Just a fantastic beautiful view! The hotel offers hot tub and spa treatments but we didn’t try this as the spa room seemed to be under maintenance. Parking is not great. Electric cars and disable badge holders get slots at the front. The rest of us get pushed away to a small car park three minutes walk away behind the cathedral in an open car park surrounded by trees . There is no security at all, but the hotel say there’re not aware of any security issues. I was happy each day to see my car was ok. We noticed that some clients were parking at the rear of the hotel but we never found a slot. However, despite the parking issue we were happy with this hotel and look forward to staying again in the future.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 20 May 2022
Dear Simon, Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a comprehensive and informative review, guest feedback really is vital for us here at Oban Bay, and I am delighted that you found Oban Bay to be very nice with a wonderful view. I am pleased that you received a warm welcome from my team. We are currently in transition and moving away from single use plastic in our bathrooms here at Oban Bay, and are providing local Highland soap products in our rooms. Thank you also for your feedback about breakfast, indeed our extensive breakfast menu is cooked to order, i will of course address your comments with Dawid and his team in the kitchen, thankyou for bringing this to my attention. I do hope soon to have an answer to our Parking dilemma, this is due to our fantastic Bay side location. more details will follow once this issue has been fully addressed. Many thanks again Simon, I do hope that you will visit us again soon. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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My husband and I spent a two night break here with dinner included. The hotel is just lovely, the staff are all so nice and very professional. The meals and the breakfasts were top class and the view from the conservatory was just so beautiful. The rooms are newly done up, with lovely touches like arran aromatic products in the bathroom, good quality bed linen and biscuits with the tea/coffee making facility. The COVID measures were good, and we felt quite safe. We were lucky to have good weather and enjoyed some long walks with our dog, who was made very welcome too. Parking is limited, but we didn’t have a problem as it wasn’t busy. We will definitely return some time and perhaps stay a bit longer next time.
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 9 Dec 2020
Dear Catherine, thank you so much for taking the time to post such a lovely review, its great to read that you enjoyed your break with us, and I will certainly pass on your super comments to the team who will be thrilled. Indeed, we are delighted with our recent refurbishment and the wee touches in the room really do make a big difference. Thank you again and I look forward to welcoming you back to Oban bay in the near future. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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We took a short break last week to Oban and stayed at the Crerar Oban Bay Hotel. We had stayed previously and enjoyed our visit so we returned. This time we were 'gob smacked' with the changes and improvements to the hotel. It seems the whole hotel has had a make-over and refurbishment. The bedrooms are stunning with retro/modern features, even Tunnocks Tea Cakes! The beds are enormous with 'sink into' mattress toppers, we called it a 'heavenly bed'.
Downstairs the public areas and restaurant have been totally upgraded. The whole hotel was found to be very safe and clean, all staff wear masks and the hotel has an award from VisitScotland for its Covid-19 cleaning standards. Sanitising stations are available throughout the hotel public areas.
We had dinner and breakfast. The food was outstanding with great presentation and tastes at dinner. We were amazed at the breakfast menu which had the usual Full Scottish Breakfast but also unusual dishes such as Smashed Advocado on toast with poached eggs, Finnan Haddie, and Eggs Benedict.
The service we received from the staff was friendly, prompt and attentive. We even met the Hotel Manager Marc Gardner serving breakfast to the guests. He told us that the hotel had just been assessed by the AA earlier that week and achieved a Four Star rating and a Red Rosette for their food - we were not surprised.
We enjoyed our stay and will return, soon.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Bedrooms overlooking the Bay, the views and sunset are to die for.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 27 Sept 2020
Dear EcosseVisitor, Wow, Thank you so much for such a super review, I am delighted that you enjoyed all of our changes here at Oban bay, indeed we are very proud of our recent refurbishment and the feedback really has been great. Its also great to read that you felt very safe in these very different times that we all live in. Guest confidence is paramount for us at Oban Bay and we are working hard to ensure all guests feel at ease during their stay. Thank you also for your lovely comments about our food, Dawid my head chef and the team will be really thrilled. Indeed we are very proud of our recent accolades and plan to continue to maintain & improve our offering at Oban Bay. I do hope that you will visit us again very soon. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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I first stayed at this hotel in June 2021 to conduct an audit for my company (I am a tour operator) and it's not often I can walk into a hotel and not fault a thing. Marc the General Manager runs an excellent hotel, the service is excellent and the quality of the food is excellent.
The hotel was refurbished in 2020 and the guest rooms offer contemporary decor with a hint of retro in terms of the radio and telephone.
I've stayed here three times since in 2021. My second visit in September shows you what a good hotel this is when the F&B staff remember you from your last visit. To me, that is the sign of a good hotel.
My company put one of our high end escorted tours into this hotel in October 2021, which was a major test for us as company, as it was the first time we've used Oban Bay for a tour (Crerar Hotels are known to us as we use their hotel on Mull), so the pressure was on for both ourselves and also Marc and his team. This tour marked a broadening of product reach into a new market and the enthusiasm with with Marc and his team worked with us to ensure everything ran perfectly was a very welcome change from many of the hotels we deal with. We have received nothing but 5* reviews and positive feedback from our clients.
This is not a cheap hotel by any means, but the positive working relationship we have generated with this hotel has led us to place more tours for 2022/2023.
My latest visit is now (November 2021) three weeks after our tour to do some planning, I'm here for two nights and just cannot fault it. One of my favourite things about this hotel are the beds, they are SO comfortable and ensure a good nights sleep.
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Date of stay: November 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 21 May 2022
Dear TMl Travel , Thank you for taking the time to post your review, I am delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and look forward to welcoming you back to Oban Bay in 2022 Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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Prime position overlooking Oban Bay. Public room and bar have seating facing the sea, ideal for a quiet drink or coffee. Restaurant faces the back. A few rooms have sea facing windows, but many rooms in the extension have no sea views, and have tiny windows making the room quite claustrophobic. Parking for 4 cars only, but limited free parking available behind the cathedral.
Rooms are nice and modern, although bathroom cramped. Good free wifi throughout hotel.
Breakfast is great, big choice of starter and hot food, made to order only as the country is still under partial Covid lockdown. You even get to have fresh oysters (two per person) as part of the breakfast! And lobster with your Eggs Benedict if you wish!
Very friendly staff thrown in. Would recommend.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â You'll have to pay substantially more for sea view rooms
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marc Gardner, General Manager at Oban Bay Hotel
Responded 2 Aug 2020
Dear Mabok O, Thank you for your 4 star review, its great to read that you enjoyed your stay with us and many thanks for the recommendation. Indeed our hotel has some fantastic bedrooms with views over the Bay, along with our four junior suites they are the perfect pace to watch the day go by with all the comming and going of boats. Thank you also fo ryoru feedback about breakfast, our buffet has been replaced with full table service and many local delecaces available such as Oysters and lobster for breakfast. you must try our fench toast with maplke syrup & ice cream, a real winner. Many thanks again for your feedback and I look forward to welcoming you back to Oban Bay in teh near future. Kind regards Marc Gardner General Manager
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Edinburgh, United Kingdom18 contributions34 helpful votes
When we stated in July 2021 the place was crawling with dogs - they don’t limit the numbers. Dogs are allowed in the sun room and bar where you can also eat. Very off putting.
There are more places to choose from in the Oban area.
PRICE RANGE
â‚ą11,591 - â‚ą16,126 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
oban bay hotel and spa, oban bay hotel oban
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandArgyll and ButeOban
NUMBER OF ROOMS
74
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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