Name: Roineabhal Country House
Address: Roineabhal, KilchrenanTaynuiltArgyll PA35 1HD, Taynuilt, PA35 1HD, United Kingdom, Oban, Oban, Oban, PA35 1HD, United Kingdom
Rating: 9

Elevator/lift

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

Terrace

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Accessibility features

Accessibility

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Bottled water

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

French

Languages Spoken

Hiking

Picnic area

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Conference Hall

Business

Location

At the hotel

Loch Visions

Roineabhal Country House

Oban

We stayed at Roineabhal at the beginning of our first trip to Scotland. The hospitality from owners Maria and Roger was exceptional, making us feel right at home. In addition to providing a beautiful room in a stunning country house, they shared travel tips and guided us to magical spots nearby for hiking and exploring. The location of the house perched right above a creek, which was very active during our stay from all of the rain, made us feel like we were immersed in nature. 

Maria prepared the best breakfast we had during our ten-day visit to Scotland, and they aren't joking when they advertise award-winning porridge... it was the best porridge I've ever had. Evenings were spent reading and drawing by the fire with fun conversations with the hosts.  

My only disappointment was learning that the owners are retiring and will not be taking new lodgers for 2019. I only wish I had found this magical place ten years ago! Thank you for such an incredible stay and memories to last a lifetime.

I didn't want to leave!

We had long wanted to visit Roineabhal House and the cancellation of the Campbeltown to Ardrossan ferry required us to quickly re-organise our cycle touring plans. Our chance had arrived! 

Unfortunately many of the lovely things mentioned on the Roineabhal website  - the evening meal platter with home made pudding and the afternoon tea on arrival were unavailable or never offered to us. Admittedly there was home made shortbread in our room, the little plastic pots of UHT milk and only  two English Breakfast teabags somewhat spoiling the effect.Despite being mentioned many times during our visit, the log burning open fire was never lit.

The owners now live mostly elsewhere (no doubt for genuine personal reasons) and so the ‘in depth local knowledge’ was similarly unavailable. The resident hostesses (Workaway employees?) provided an adequate service, though perhaps not worth the full £120 per night. Nonetheless, we were sufficiently pleased to be out of the rain and to have a permanent base for a few days, that we booked a third night, cancelling a nights accommodation in Taynuilt. Unfortunately we booked our additional night at Roineabhal without quite appreciating all the idiosyncrasies our twin bedded room and the house in general had to ‘offer’.

We returned in the early evening on our second day, after an upsetting and tiring  visit to an elderly relative in Oban, to find the owners in residence and a loud dinner party underway. Only then did we realise how little soundproofing Roineabhal has, as the group moved between the large kitchen on one side of our room and the dining room aka ‘resident’s lounge’ on the other. Having already eaten, we had hoped to spend a relaxing evening in the lounge planning the next days’ activities.

We felt trapped, and our room gradually became very cold, to the point where one of us had to put on a hat and scarf to sit reading. Astonishingly, the senior hostess (employee) refused our request for more heating and her suggestion  that the fire would be lit once the dinner party had vacated the guest’s lounge came to nothing.

We were directed to make use of the blankets provided – despite not actually wanting to go to bed. This turned out to be a single thin crocheted cotton throw, somehow to be shared between two single beds on opposite sides of the room. As we sat in our room its idiosyncrasies became more obvious – few ‘disabled access’ rooms boast a substantial step into the, admittedly large, bathroom. The only power sockets not obscured by heavy antique furniture were at floor height, just beside the bedroom door making charging electronic equipment a risky manoeuvre . The door between bedroom and bathroom would not remain closed  and the fully tiled expanse of bathroom sucked all the heat from the bedroom.

At least Maria did speak to us briefly before returning to the kitchen to prepare dinner for her friends. Her husband didn’t introduce himself at all. Our interactions with him involved  him forcing our bicycles off the access track to the property, into a very wet verge as he drove past and ridiculing one of us for wearing a midge net as we  prepared  our bicycles for departure in the morning. On the subject of midges, the good news is that the massive midge population of Kilchrennan was largely unable to become airborne during our time there due to high winds and very heavy rain.

On the plus side, our room was clean and the breakfast perfectly nice. Our fellow guests were excellent company – for a short while at breakfast, in the excellent Robin’s Nest Tearoom in Taynuilt and later in the Kilchrennan Inn. We would have greatly enjoyed spending more time with them in the guest’s lounge at Roinebhal, had it been available or warm.
Perhaps we were just ‘the wrong sort of people’ for the owners to value our custom. Our impression was that our use of the local service bus to travel to and from Oban and our arrival by bicycle (despite their combined value being similar to a small car) just wasn’t what the owners wanted.

We were relieved to finally depart and the hour and a half spent in the drizzle on Taynuilt railway station was a better option than hanging around at Roineabhal House.

Incidentally, the accommodation we cancelled at Taynuilt in favour of an extra night at Roineabhal was an AirBnB special  - a converted bedsitter in the attic of someone’s garage. It would have been the better choice!

Idiosyncratic but not in a charming way...

We had three wonderful, quiet and relaxed days here. A beautiful place to relax, at night you can only hear the sound of the creek. Breakfast is lovingly and freshly prepared, the owners were unfortunately not there, for that Anika with another colleague from Romania. Super lovely and friendly girls who fulfill every wish. Super toilet articles and filtered water for every day.

Absolutely calm and relaxing

This is a very special B&B built by Roger and Maria in a magical setting on a burn with a garden overlooking the hills. Every detail - from the way the spoons are laid out on the table for breakfast in the morning, to the homemade shortbread biscuits waiting for you in your room - just oozes a warm welcome. The decor is warm and comfortable in front of an open fireplace, an eclectic mix of antiques and much of the artwork are creations by one of their daughters. The drive down the long winding road is totally worth it - and you'll be lucky if you manage to book one of their rooms. We stayed in the Green Room, which had a wonderful view of the garden and could listen to the rushing water in the evening. The nearby Kilchrenan Inn is a gem for dinner as well and is a nice short walk from the house. Thank you to Roger, Maria (and the two lovely ladies hosting us) for such an enjoyable stay!

Cosy and so attentive - in a wonderful setting!

The country house is located about 20-30 minutes' drive from Oban, on the edge of a small village. With its maximum of 4 rooms, it is small and comfortable. This accommodation should be booked if you want to relax and like to go hiking, for example. We can only recommend the accommodation further and consider it as a little secret tip for nature lovers.

Perfect for relaxing and hiking.

DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE IF YOU CAN FIND IT
We were greeted by two lovely girls ,who offered us tea or coffee and home made cake on the patio on arrival great, fantastic. When we booked we asked for an accessible room ,which we got on the ground floor ,but there are a few steps into the property and one from the room to the bathroom (although ramps were offered for both lots of steps if I needed 
them) I use a mobility scooter which I would say could not be used here as the room is to small ,but you could manage with a wheelchair .
These are the only negatives with this place for people with mobility issues ,having said that everything else is great.
From the decor and all the antique furniture , service is second to none ,breakfast was fantastic award winning porridge and full Scottish set us up for the day
Dog friendly unfortunately our dog is not so ,did not make friends with Doofus the house dog who is friendly.
Congratulations to Maria and Roger you have a wonderful place ,and although we didn’t meet you ,I fully understand about looking after your mum ,my wife and I recently looked after my bachelor uncle who also had memory problems and who we inherited our dog Sam from who is himself on old boy now at 91 in doggy years and thirteen in actual years.
So all I can say is have a happy retirement but find somebody as good and caring as you to take the place over so I can come back again.

Touring Scotland with wife and our dog Sam

This B&B is situated on a small road approximately five miles from an A road. It is narrow single lane with passing places. The place was easy to find during daylight but could easily miss at night. 
There are some very good things about this place as pointed out by the many of the previous reviews. Things outstanding include great breakfast, very friendly staff, exceptionally quiet location and quality fittings in the dining room.
We had a double room on the first floor which was adequate, the bed was a small double and not too comfortable but ok. The bathroom was a real let down, it was tiny and badly lit. I need to point out we were told we could use the main bathroom if required but we didn't as we prefer showers.
We paid £360 for a three-night stay which was perhaps a bit high but we knew the costs so it was ok value as we need to be near Oban. Sorry I couldn't give it a 5-star stay. It certainly doesn't deserve some of the low scores!

Country House B&B

A wonderful country house with beautiful, cozy rooms and delicious and abundant breakfasts! There are plenty of things to do and interesting places to see in the area: Maria and Roger are always available to give you tips or directions on how to make the most of your vacation!

It's perfect!

We spent two nights in this guesthouse. Maria and Roger are lovely and interesting. We loved the setting and the quiet of this isolated place. The room is very comfortable and the bathroom with its huge bathtub makes you want to spend hours with a book. Breakfast is excellent but too cozy! I don't know if animals are allowed but the house dog is really lovely.

Nice and comfortable, lovely hosts

Lovely house, quiet and bucolic garden, charming guests, tastefully furnished bedroom with an English dream-worthy bathroom with a lion's-legged tub. Breakfast was delicious but the proportions for lions were just right! a bemoal on the price of the plate that the hostess prepared for us the second evening.

Roineabhal Country House

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