We spent 4 nights at Burrastow House, and stayed for dinner on three of those nights. Our 'room', the Vaila Room, was really a suite - two bedrooms and a bathroom, with lovely views from every window. For one of us it was a second visit, but it would be impossible to tire of the beauty and peace of the location. The room was extremely comfortable: it was slightly 'shabby chic' but the furnishings perfectly complimented the history and ambience of the building. Pierre, the host, was welcoming, friendly and very helpful. On our last night there, right at the end of the season, we were the only guests, but it still seemed that nothing was too much trouble for him. He made us vast quantities of utterly delicious food, which married his Belgian heritage to local Shetland produce, and we ate it with wine from the carefully selected list. In the morning we somehow found room for breakfast, which was quite simply the best we have ever had in an hotel: virtually everything was homemade, including blissfully buttery croissants; dark, rich marmelade and the delicious yeasty bread from which the toast was made. We were left wondering if he churned the butter himself. All this whilst watching a seal fishing in the sea outside the dining room window.
It would be more than possible for an owner of this small and very special hotel to ruin it by converting it to slickly-run, highly-polished anonymity. Thankfully, the current owner has, in our opinion, succeeded instead in embedding the experience of stopping here into the unique atmosphere of the islands, creating a uniquely rewarding experience.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
