No. 1 Charlotte Street

About this stay

No. 1 Charlotte Street is a 4-star hotel in Isle Of Islay, United Kingdom, rated 4.5 out of 5 across 280 guest reviews.

No. 1 Charlotte Street is a well-rated 4-star hotel in Isle Of Islay, Scotland, popular with guests who want comfort and a strong location near central Isle Of Islay.

Book No. 1 Charlotte Street through app.impt.io at the same live rate you would find anywhere else, with free cancellation on most rooms. Every completed booking funds one verified tonne of carbon removal — paid from the standard commission the hotel already covers, never added to your bill.

Where No. 1 Charlotte Street sits

Port Ellen is the ferry town on the south-east coast of Islay, and Charlotte Street runs back from the harbour — so this is a genuine walk-off-the-boat address rather than a name that flatters a location eight miles inland. The 4.5 score across 280 reviews suggests a property that has worked out the essentials of island hospitality: a bar, a lounge, free parking, free Wi-Fi, laundry service and a comfortable bed after a long day in the wind. Four stars here does not mean a spa and a concierge; it means good rooms, a proper welcome and a kitchen that understands ferries run late.

If you are arriving on the Kennacraig ferry, you dock in Port Ellen itself, which removes the usual island scramble for a taxi or a hire car on the first night. If you are coming by air, the airport is at Glenegedale, about seven miles north — a short drive, but book a taxi or a car in advance, because Islay does not have a rank full of them.

Islay: whisky, weather and birds

The island's reputation rests on three things, and the first is very good whisky. Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig sit within three miles of Port Ellen along the south coast road — a walkable pilgrimage for the ambitious, and the famous three-distillery day out for everyone else. Bowmore has its own distillery and the round church, Caol Ila looks across the Sound of Islay to Jura, Bruichladdich does its thing on the Rhinns, and Bunnahabhain sits on the north-east coast at the end of a long single-track road. Book tours well ahead in summer; the small ones fill first and the Feis Ile festival at the end of May takes over the whole island.

The second is birds. Islay is one of the most important wintering grounds in Europe for barnacle and white-fronted geese, and the RSPB reserves at Loch Gruinart, the Oa and Loch Indaal are worth bringing binoculars for. Golden eagles, choughs, corncrakes in summer and huge flocks of waders on the strands make this a serious birding destination, not a casual one. Bring waterproofs and boots — the ground is wet everywhere and the weather changes hourly.

The third is the coast itself. The walk out to the American Monument on the Oa, the long white strand at Machir Bay, the raised beach and cliffs at Kilnaughton just west of Port Ellen, and the ferry over to Jura for a day are all close by. The Oa reserve's cliffs are some of the highest sea cliffs in Scotland and the views from them, on a clear day, run out to Ireland.

Getting there

CalMac ferries from Kennacraig on the Kintyre peninsula — about two and three-quarter hours to Port Ellen, or two hours to Port Askaig at the north end of the island — are the standard route, and the drive to Kennacraig from Glasgow takes around two and a half hours. There is a plane from Glasgow to Islay's airport, which takes under an hour and is worth the cost if you only have two nights. Once on the island, a hire car is close to essential: the distances are short but the roads are single-track, buses are limited, and the best distillery and the best beach both require a drive.

Book the ferry with the car at the same time as the room in summer. This is the single most common way an Islay trip goes wrong: the boat is full, the room is free, and neither helps the other.

When to come, and how long you need

May and June are the best months — the Feis Ile festival, long light and the best of the weather, with midges making their first appearance on still evenings. Late August and September bring the goose flocks and quieter roads. October to March is storm season: ferries get cancelled, and you should build a spare day into any winter booking. Whatever the season, assume one wet day in three.

Two nights is a taste of the south coast; three lets you add Bowmore and one west coast distillery; a week is a proper island holiday and barely enough for all eight working distilleries plus the beaches and birds. Book early — Islay's bed stock is small, the same ferries carry everyone, and the good rooms at Port Ellen sell out months ahead of festival season.

Facilities

• Bars
• Bath
• Bathroom
• Beach nearby
• Carpeted
• Coffee
• Darts
• Free Wifi
• Free car parking
• Garden
• Hairdryer
• Housekeeping
• Internet access
• Laundry Service
• Lounge
• Luggage storage
• Non smoking rooms
• Parking

All 28 facilities

• Picnic area
• Sea
• Security Features
• Shower
• Smoke detector
• TV
• Toiletries
• Towels
• WC
• Wifi

Location

1 Charlotte Street Port Ellen, Isle Of Islay, United Kingdom.

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