Bute Holidays logoButeHolidays
Dining table set for breakfast in a blue bay window at The Bayview, with the Rothesay ferry crossing the bay outside
← Where to stay / The Bayview, Rothesay

Breakfast in the bay window while the ferry crosses the bay.

The Bayview sits on Rothesay's Esplanade, looking out across the bay to the Cowal hills. Inside it has been brought right up to date — deep blue walls, herringbone floors and big Victorian bay windows that frame the water — and the Wemyss Bay ferry pier is a short walk along the front, so you can arrive on foot and never need a car for the whole stay.

Check availability & prices

Opens Booking.com. We may earn a small commission — it costs you nothing extra.

Breakfast of croissants, strawberries and orange juice on a table by the sea-facing window
01

Where it is

Rothesay's Esplanade curves around the bay, and the Bayview is part of that Victorian seafront run of villas and guest houses. From the door you are a few minutes from the pier, the Winter Gardens, Rothesay Castle, the bus terminus and the town's cafés and chip shops.

For a car-free trip this is close to ideal: walk on at Wemyss Bay, walk off at Rothesay, walk to your room. Buses to Ettrick Bay, Kilchattan Bay, Mount Stuart and Port Bannatyne all leave from the pierhead.

Area
Rothesay seafront
Walk to ferry
Under 10 minutes
Views
Rothesay Bay and the Cowal hills
Type
Seafront rooms and apartments
Grey buttoned sofa against a deep blue wall with the kitchen through an open doorway
02

Inside

The sitting room keeps the original cornice and opens straight through to the kitchen, with a deep buttoned sofa and a wide blue wall that picks up the colour of the water outside. It is quiet, bright and easy to settle into after a day out on the island.

Ask for a front room if the view matters to you — the back of these seafront buildings looks inland.

Double bedroom with a grey buttoned headboard, red cushions and a teal armchair by the window
03

The rooms

Bedrooms are calm and modern: upholstered headboards, crisp white bedding, deep red cushions and plenty of hanging space. Small touches — a velvet armchair, a tall mirror, framed artwork — lift them well above the usual seafront room.

It is a good base out of season, when some of the island's rural self-catering closes and Rothesay stays open. In high summer, and on Highland Games or Bute Fest weekends, the whole island sells out — book early.

White kitchen with a view through to the blue sitting room and its sea-facing bay window
04

Kitchen and space to spread out

The kitchen is fitted for proper self-catering, and looks straight through the hallway to the bay window and the sea beyond — handy for an early breakfast before the first boat.

Storage, a full-length mirror and wardrobes in the bedrooms mean a longer stay works as well as a weekend.

Bedroom with a tall silver mirror, dark wardrobes and a wide double bed
05

What's nearby

Rothesay Castle and the famous Victorian toilets at the pier are both a stroll away. Mount Stuart is a short drive or bus ride south, the beaches of Ettrick Bay and Scalpsie face the sunset on the west coast, and the West Island Way starts at Kilchattan Bay in the south.

If you would rather be somewhere quieter, our guide to the island's areas compares Rothesay with Port Bannatyne, the south and the west-coast bays.

Compare Bute's areas →
Previous
← Where to stay
Next
Rothesay →