This remote hideaway is tucked in Arinagour, the only real village on the bijou island of Coll. To the east is the larger island of Mull and to the south the even smaller island of Tiree. In the north the Small Isles can be seen on a good day and those with particularly good eyesight might just be able to make out the Americas across the vastness of the Atlantic to the west.
The Coll Hotel Enjoys an Epic Location
The location is stunning on a little bluff overlooking Arinagour and is special enough to merit a visit in itself. The views from four of the six rooms gaze out across the water to the peaks of Mull and the Treshnish Islands in a hotel that may just boast the best views of any island hotel in Scotland. And there is a restaurant where local produce really means local.
The Rooms at the Coll Hotel
There are only the six rooms at the Coll Hotel, with the aforementioned four rooms offering those sweeping views. Decor is pleasantly old school without being twee. Our favourite is number two, with its great vistas and a voluminous Victorian bath complete with the old plugless system.
Local Seafood at the Coll Hotel
Bar the burger van at the pier and the island’s café there is nowhere else to eat on Coll, but that won’t trouble you as one of Scotland’s finest island restaurants is right at the hotel. Snare a window seat and watch the sun melt over the islands as you tuck into the likes of plump local king scallops, followed by Coll lobster in homemade spaghetti, washed down with some decent bottles of wine and some seriously comforting puddings. The bar is the hub of the local community and really gets going in winter when it is the cosiest place to be on the island.
Explore the Isle of Coll
What else do you need when the main attractions are lazing around savouring the views, eating fine food and quaffing drinks in their friendly bar?If you want to be more active they have a boules rink in front of the hotel and a deck area where you can brave the midges. If you really feel flash hire a helicopter and have it pick you up on the hotel’s own very helipad, which the engaging owners, Kevin and Julie Oliphant, had built so that their well-to-do friends can swoop in to visit.
There is plenty to see and do on Coll, with the highlight undoubtedly its necklace of epic white sand beaches. These are some of the finest stretches of sand you will ever come across. My favourite is Hogh Bay. Then there are two RSPB reserves, where the highlight are the corncrakes with their distinctive call. The island also boasts a couple of castles and some great walks. Our favourite was to the top of Ben Hogh, the island’s actually quite low highest point, which offers remarkable views of the Inner and Outer Hebrides on a good day.
The Coll Hotel, Arinagour, Isle of Coll, PA78 6SZ. Tel. +44 (0)1879-230334. www.collhotel.com
InsiderScotland Rating
For Families 7/10
For a Romantic Break 8/10
For Food 8/10
For Business People 5/10
InsiderScotland Rating 8/10.
