Murray Arms Hotel and Seafood Restaurant, Orkney

The Murray Arms is a traditional stone-built inn in the heart of St Margaret's Hope, and its real draw is the kitchen. This is a seafood restaurant first and foremost, working with Orkney scallops, langoustine and locally landed fish, and on a sunny day the courtyard out front fills with people eating well in the open air. If you love good food and a proper village pub atmosphere, you'll feel at home here.

Rooms & comfort

Above the bar and restaurant there's en-suite accommodation, with a comfortable double room sleeping two. It's a classic inn arrangement, so you're staying right where the action is, with the bar and dining room just downstairs and your room a few steps away once the evening winds down.

The location

The inn sits on Back Road in St Margaret's Hope, the largest village on South Ronaldsay and one of the prettiest in Orkney, gathered around its sheltered bay. The ferry to Gills Bay on the mainland leaves from nearby, and the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers are an easy drive away.

Good to know

Expect a daily-changing specials board built around the catch, from scallops and langoustine to beer-battered fish and chips. There's a sunny outdoor courtyard with plenty of seating, parking, WiFi, a garden, and dogs are welcome, so it suits walkers and travellers passing through as much as overnight guests.

Perfect for

Food-loving couples who want to stay above one of Orkney's best seafood kitchens, in the middle of a lovely South Ronaldsay village.