A hotel with heritage
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Located on the shore of sheltered Busta Voe on mainland Shetland, Busta House Hotel is an ideal base to discover Shetland. Our fantastic location, paired with the rich history and heritage of the hotel, sense of community and service of the team come together to make a stay in Busta House Hotel a memorable experience. We look forward to welcoming you.
History
Busta House Hotel has an intriguing and storied history. It is a tale of class, love, tragedy, and deceit. Find out more about Busta House’s past, the story of the Gifford family and the ill-fated Barbara Pitcairn.






Our Team
Busta House would be nothing without all of those working both front of house and behind the scenes. Find out more about the team dedicated to making your stay as enjoyable as possible.
Reviews
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An old characterful building in a gorgeous setting next to a quiet loch, I had an enjoyable overnight stay here as part of a group tour of Orkney and Shetland.... read more The young staff were all incredibly warm, friendly and helpful yet still really efficient - oh that all hotels were as well staffed as this! The public rooms in the hotel are in the style of the place as a whole, but clean and well maintained. My room (Bigga) was a quirky one - the sloping floor being its most notable feature! (I tried to put the kettle on the bedside table and it immediately slid off...!) The purposely exposed historical graffiti on the plasterwork was an interesting touch; the wallpaper was clean and looked quite new, but sadly the carpet was in quite poor condition and had also creased up in several places around the room. The bathroom was modern but tiny; the shower was ok. The bed was surprisingly comfortable given the slope! The room overlooks the kitchens so was quite noisy with the window open, and sadly you can't see any of the surrounding area. The Wifi is excellent, really fast, but I couldn't get any phone reception inside the building. The highlight of any stay here, however, is the food - both our dinner and breakfast were superb and the organisation and efficiency of the eating process, given COVID protocols, was amazing (particularly at breakfast). Both... An old characterful building in a gorgeous setting next to a quiet loch, I had an enjoyable overnight stay here as part of a group tour of Orkney and Shetland. The young staff were all incredibly warm, friendly and helpful yet still really efficient - oh that all hotels were as well staffed as this!
The public rooms in the hotel are in the style of the place as a whole, but clean and well maintained. My room (Bigga) was a quirky one - the sloping floor being its most notable feature! (I tried to put the kettle on the bedside table and it immediately slid off...!) The purposely exposed historical graffiti on the plasterwork was an interesting touch; the wallpaper was clean and looked quite new, but sadly the carpet was in quite poor condition and had also creased up in several places around the room. The bathroom was modern but tiny; the shower was ok. The bed was surprisingly comfortable given the slope! The room overlooks the kitchens so was quite noisy with the window open, and sadly you can't see any of the surrounding area.
The Wifi is excellent, really fast, but I couldn't get any phone reception inside the building.
The highlight of any stay here, however, is the food - both our dinner and breakfast were superb and the organisation and efficiency of the eating process, given COVID protocols, was amazing (particularly at breakfast). Both meals were the best I had throughout our tour! More
13th August 2021Great location. Interesting building and grounds with some great history. The hotel was just opening post lockdown but had put in place clear and thought through precautions.
Good... read more food would recommend eating here.
17th August 2020 -
3 of us stayed for 3 nights. Ate in the restaurant twice. Rooms have plenty of space and are clean. Decoration in places is a bit tired but kind of... read more adds to the charm. Food is lovely. Staff are really friendly and accommodating to every request and are happy to give recommendations on where to go and when.
Covid meant a few things were a bit different to what they would have been, but it didn't affect the enjoyment of our stay at all.
Every time we told anyone we were staying at Busta, they always told us we'd got the best hotel on the island. Have to say, I think we agree!
10th October 2020Took advantage of a great winter offer. Made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived. Staff attentive and available throughout. Excellent evening meal enhanced by time spent in the... read more atmospheric long room before and after eating. Comfortable and spacious room with incredible view across Busta Voe. Breakfast just what was needed to set up the day. Thoroughly recommend for locals or visitors from farther afield. Thank you.
30th January 2022 -
Just got home after 2 weeks at the Busta House. This was our second stay at the Busta, and we had such a wonderful time that the third is already... read more booked. The staff are super-welcoming, friendly, and *nothing* is too much trouble - they go out of their way to ensure your day from the magnificent Busta breakfast to the delicious evening meal runs perfectly. There is no greater joy than to return from a day's coastal walking to drinks and the aroma and warmth of a peat fire in the comfort of the Long Room. A further treat awaits after dining from the splendid menu (who can forget the southern-fried Stenbiter!), choosing from the enormous range of whiskies on offer. The house has a fascinating history, in a spectacular location. We can't wait to return and hope to continue for many years to come.
4th June 2022Busta House Hotel always have welcoming, polite and attentive staff. The food was great, both in quality and quantity, with the menu including a number of locally sourced products.... read more My room was very comfortable and had an en-suite bathroom.
1st April 2022 -
Very friendly welcome. Hand washing/ sanitising facilities at the door. Room was excellent although no proper chairs to sit on. Meals were excellent, as always. Pre and after meal drinks... read more in the Long room were very well organised with good social distancing - liked the individual buzzers.
21st December 2020Beautiful location; huge room with sea view; lovely old building; cheerful and highly attentive staff; fascinating wine list; hundreds of whiskies; generous portions of well-cooked food - we loved it... read more all!
28th June 2022 -
Three night stay here and couldn’t fault the staff and the welcome. The food is great and there is a great choice of whiskies. Lovely quiet room with view. It... read more is good to see how they are fighting back after Covid closure and many measures are in place.
20th August 2020Spent 2 nights at the Busta House at the end of our annual trip to Shetland. Never stayed at the Busta House before but have heard many good things about... read more it. It lived up to our expectations. The staff could not have been more welcoming and there were plenty of them. The room was comfortable and spacious and we had a good nights sleep both nights. The breakfast was plentiful and tasty and the best hotel coffee we have ever had. Good selection of cereals, really enjoyed the hot smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and the bannocks were delicious. We ate in the hotel one night and enjoyed pre and post drinks in the long room. It's a fantastic room to sample some of the vast selection of whiskies and/or the local Shetland gin. Food was great and local produce where possible. Only criticism was that my glass of table wine was disappointing and didn't match the standard of everything else. A thoroughly enjoyable stay.
Have already booked again for next year!
6th September 2022 -
An old characterful building in a gorgeous setting next to a quiet loch, I had an enjoyable overnight stay here as part of a group tour of Orkney and Shetland.... read more The young staff were all incredibly warm, friendly and helpful yet still really efficient - oh that all hotels were as well staffed as this!
The public rooms in the hotel are in the style of the place as a whole, but clean and well maintained. My room (Bigga) was a quirky one - the sloping floor being its most notable feature! (I tried to put the kettle on the bedside table and it immediately slid off...!) The purposely exposed historical graffiti on the plasterwork was an interesting touch; the wallpaper was clean and looked quite new, but sadly the carpet was in quite poor condition and had also creased up in several places around the room. The bathroom was modern but tiny; the shower was ok. The bed was surprisingly comfortable given the slope! The room overlooks the kitchens so was quite noisy with the window open, and sadly you can't see any of the surrounding area.
The Wifi is excellent, really fast, but I couldn't get any phone reception inside the building.
The highlight of any stay here, however, is the food - both our dinner and breakfast were superb and the organisation and efficiency of the eating process, given COVID protocols, was amazing (particularly at breakfast). Both meals were the best I had throughout our tour!
13th August 2021A welcoming place that is full of history and character. The kind and attentive staff made it a very special experience, especially for my son who is 7 and very... read more interested in ghosts. The staff were never too busy to listen to his ideas, and he was very sad to have to leave. In fact, I wish we hadn’t, as there is so much to see and discover in Shetland. Busta House is a hotel which is genuinely friendly to families, and where children have plenty of space to explore, both inside and outside.
24th August 2021 -
Hotel is in nice quiet rural location. Room was perfect and a very good size. Long room is really good for relaxing - reading and having a drink. Staff are... read more excellent. Very welcoming and friendly. Really good meals - breakfast and dinner.
15th February 2022Not your average hotel, the Busta is one with plenty of character! Despite the age of the building it is well appointed with a long spacious lounge, well stocked bar... read more and serves first class food. We stayed as part of a walking group, so ate dinner in the library, which was a treat. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Accommodation was varied as one would expect from the age of the building, nevertheless we found our room more than adequate.
28th September 2021 -
We LOVED this property for just about everything. We had two twin beds on the top floor. The room was quiet and comfortable, with seemingly new bathroom fixtures (it... read more was an en-suite room). The service on check in and during the stay, and in the nice restaurant, was FANTASTIC. We quickly latched on to Bradley, one of the nicest and hardest working people I've seen in a long time. He was friendly, professional, helpful with suggestions on our ferry trips and walks on Shetland. The property is an historic one, so they have a rustic character and is very charming, as is the garden. Its location is fabulous for touring the whole mainland. We'll be back! From the guest log we can tell that there were a lot of satisfied customers like us.
29th September 2022Although I’ve eaten here on previous visits to Shetland this was the first time I’ve stayed here and it won’t be my last. The hotel was clean and comfortable. It... read more is rustic and traditional and although it might be considered tired by those preferring a modern hotel I loved it.
The housekeeping of the rooms was excellent but what really stood out was the standard of customer service from all the staff. Made to feel incredibly welcome with a real can do approach. The meals were first class both breakfasts (wide choice) and the extensive dinner menu.
The attention to Covid 19 safety meant our stay was worry free.
Thank you for an excellent stay
10th October 2020 -
Our choice to spend a night at the Busta House Hotel proved to be the right one - excellent. The staff welcoming and very helpful, the food delicious and... read more locally sourced, the place quirky and fun while the bedrooms very comfortable. We met other guests in the Long room after our dinner and had a very socialable evening.
Couldn't recommend Busta House Hotel more...................
12th October 2022I often have had meals at the wonderful Busta House Hotel but have never stayed overnight. Recently I decided to get away from my home for a night. It’s the... read more best decision I could have made. I had a fantastic time and feel rejuvenated. The staff are amazing, hard working and incredibly nice, enthusiastic and committed to their work. They are attentive without being intrusive. They make you feel special, relaxed and at home. I can’t recommend staying enough. I can’t wait to go back again for another stay.
22nd March 2021 -
We regularly have a weekend stay. The food is excellent with lots of choice on the menu. They cater for gluten free options too. The rooms are lovely particularly... read more the upgraded bathrooms. The management and staff are friendly, knowledgeable, efficient and attentive. We would highly recommend to anyone
5th June 2022Now this the best restaurant we have been to in a long while it’s fabulous the food is amazing and the staff where very helpful wonderful atmosphere GO…..
Extremely... read more clean and a very wide menu…
We will definatly go back…
Super location right near the sea..
1st December 2021