Northern Sands Hotel

Hotels
•
Independent
9.4 (99 reviews)
Dunnet, Dunnet Head, Thurso, Scotland, KW14 8XD , Thurso , GB
+44 1847 851300

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Facilities

Meeting rooms
Arcade/game room
Free WiFi
Garden
Luggage storage
Wheelchair accessible
Picnic area
Arcade/game room
Front desk (limited hours)
Meeting rooms
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Friendly staff
Great food
Comfortable rooms
Wonderful location
Clean and modern

Categories

Cleanliness
9.19
Clean, modern, impressed with comfort and cleanliness.
Service
9.66
Staff were really nice, friendly, and helpful, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Location
9.6
Short walk to the beach and in a nice quiet location.
Room Quality
9.15
Very comfortable and spacious room.
Amenities
9.18
Fire alarm incident but overall comfortable stay, great amenities.
Value for Money
9.14
Great experience for the price, very enjoyable stay.
Food and Beverage
9.69
Amazing food, excellent breakfast, and well-coordinated service.
Overall Experience
9.56
Wonderful stay, highly recommend, exceeded expectations.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-06 05:27

Property Description

Scenic Views and Entertainment
Enjoy the garden views and take advantage of complimentary wireless internet and an arcade/game room.

Dining and Nightlife
Indulge in local cuisine at Logans Bar or unwind at one of the 3 bars/lounges for a relaxing drink.

Convenient Amenities and Comfortable Rooms
Benefit from tour assistance, a picnic area, and a banquet hall. Stay in one of the 12 guestrooms with a Select Comfort bed and Smart TV.

Take in the views from a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access and an arcade/game room. Additional features at this hotel include tour/ticket assistance, a picnic area, and a banquet hall. Satisfy your appetite with local cuisine at Logans Bar, one of the hotel's 2 restaurants. Relax with a refreshing drink at one of the 3 bars/lounges. The front desk is staffed during limited hours. Event facilities at this hotel consist of a conference center and meeting rooms. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available on request), and free self parking is available onsite. Stay in one of 12 guestrooms featuring Smart televisions. Your room comes with a Select Comfort bed. Complimentary wired and wireless internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming provides entertainment. Bathrooms feature bathtubs or showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.

Important information:

  • Cashless payment methods are available for all transactions.
  • Contactless check-out is available.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 10:00 AM
Airport code: WIC

Property Policies

  • Pets

    Pets not allowed

  • Check-in & Check-out

    Contactless check-out is available

  • General

    Cashless transactions are available

  • Guest type

    Essential workers only - NO

  • Accessibility

    No elevators

See all policies

Location

Guest Reviews

9.4
Based on 99 reviews
Cleanliness: 9.19
Service: 9.66
Location: 9.6
Room Quality: 9.15
Amenities: 9.18
Value for Money: 9.14
Food and Beverage: 9.69
Overall Experience: 9.56
D
darren • solo_traveller • gb
10
Pros:

Everything, modern, clean, great food, friendly staff

Cons:

Nothing

2026-07-25 • via Nuitee
S
Silvia • couple • it
10
2026-07-25 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • solo_traveller • gb
10
Amazing
Pros:

Great location. Comfortable and well equipped room. Lovely staff and delicious food

2026-07-24 • via Nuitee
A
Angela • extended_group • at
9
2026-07-22 • via Nuitee
R
Robert • couple • gb
10
Loved every minute of our stay , thank you to all at northern sands
Pros:

Location, just beautiful, and the hotel and staff were first class . All of the staff were so professional and friendly making Alison and myself feel at home . The food was excellent and the variety superb, with a Scottish twist as well .

Cons:

There was nothing we did not like 👍

2026-07-22 • via Nuitee
J
Julian • solo_traveller • de
9
Gemütlichkeit im Norden Schottlands
Pros:

Die Zimmer waren sehr gemütlich und jedes Zimmer hatte seinen eigenen Namen. Man konnte im Hotelrestaurant lecker essen und das Frühstück bereits am Vorabend auswählen. Die Lage ist super, auch um abends noch einmal zum Leuchtturm zu fahren. Das Personal war sehr freundlich.

Cons:

/

2026-07-21 • via Nuitee
P
Paula • couple • gb
8
2026-07-21 • via Nuitee
A
Ashworth • solo_traveller • gb
10
Pros:

Superb location and extremely comfortable

2026-07-18 • via Nuitee
S
Susan • solo_traveller • au
9
Pros:

What's not to like at Northern Sands. Food, facilities and staff are wonderful. We will be booking again

2026-07-16 • via Nuitee
F
Franck • solo_traveller • fr
8
Pros:

RAS

Cons:

RAS

2026-07-15 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • solo_traveller • au
10
Genuine, warm stay at the top of Scotland
Pros:

Comfortable, friendly staff, and beautiful location at the top of the mainland. Above everything else, it felt genuine. Food was great too!

2026-07-11 • via Nuitee
B
Babs - Colours • solo_traveller • gb
10
2026-07-09 • via Nuitee
H
Harley • solo_traveller • us
10
2026-07-08 • via Nuitee
B
Betty • solo_traveller • us
10
Pros:

Beautiful hotel, comfortable, excellent restaurant

2026-07-08 • via Nuitee
A
Arlene • couple • gb
10
10/10, an excellent gem of a hotel on the NC500
Pros:

Fantastic stay, enjoyed having such a lovely place to stay after having various stays at average accommodation up to this point of our holiday.
Everything you could want, lovely room with huge comfy bed, plenty of hot water so could indulge in having a bath on arrival.
Food in restaurant is excellent and all the staff were very friendly, helpful and great service.
Breakfast was delicious.
For us, being able to relax fully, play pool and enjoy a lovely meal and drinks, this hotel is a perfect place to stay especially for people travelling on the NC500 or before travelling by ferry to Orkney.
From start to finish, nothing has been a problem and all in all, an excellent hotel doing lots of things right.
Highly recommend ❤️

Cons:

Nothing

2026-07-06 • via Nuitee
C
Christine • couple • gb
9
I would stay again
Pros:

Breakfast tasty & very handy for Gill's Bay ferry

Cons:

I thought the mattress didn't smell very fresh although my husband couldn't smell anything

2026-07-04 • via Nuitee
S
Sheena • solo_traveller • gb
9
Pros:

The staff were lovely and very helpful. I quite liked the system of ordering breakfast the night before and there was plenty choice

Cons:

Nothing really. All pur needs were met

2026-07-03 • via Nuitee
J
Jeremy • solo_traveller • gb
6
Fabulous location and food
Pros:

The staff are great and the food delicious. I recommend eating in the restaurant. The location is easy walking distance to the beautiful Dunnet Bay.

Cons:

I wasn't planning to swing a cat in my room but if I had, there was no room to swing a cat. I had the Smith room (he must have been a wee man - I'm not small) the room was cramped and the shower cubicle was too small to turn around in.

2026-07-02 • via Nuitee
A
Alan • couple • gb
9
2026-06-30 • via Nuitee
G
Glyn • couple • gb
9
Lived up to expectations
Pros:

Fdinner, with invited guest, really good. Room was v.clean and good decor. Only issue, nowhere to sit in room apart from bed.

2026-06-30 • via Nuitee