Ardview Inn, Port Ellenback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The only true pub in the town, the only true pub on the southern half of the island, in fact...we stayed in the cottage immediately next door and quickly discovered the reason that the all the rooms in the cottage were upstairs was that the pub cellar appears to occupy most of the ground floor under the cottage as opposed to being within the pub footprint itself.
We didn't meet many people during our week long stay who expressed a positive view on the pub. It is quite picturesque to look at from the outside, but has permanently barred and shuttered windows and is therefore quite dark and cramped inside - I have seen descriptions elsewhere of it having the feeling of being inside a ship, which does seem about right.
The local clientele did have a habit of making you feel a little uncomfortable without being actually bothersome, but the upside was that it is an outlet for the local Islay brewery - although our first visit on a very busy Saturday night produced two pints of vinegar, which were vastly improved upon when we we visited again at a much quieter time a couple of days later, so the benefit of the doubt goes with them on that one - and a quite breathtaking array of Islay malts behind the bar - I tried to count them up a couple of times and lost count at well over a hundred and twenty. Some exceedingly rare - and therefore very expensive - bottlings were available and it was a real job to know what to choose.
All in all, a mixed bag of experiences, but as the choice of pubs/hotels is extremely limited in this part of the island, it is somewhere I will return to on our next pilgrimage to the Isle of Malts.
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great pub, great host ,great bum... mind you i was drunk... so could have imagined the whole experience. But I have no imagination so it's probably true.
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The landlord is the most ignorant man I have met. He does not allow you to dance in his pub.
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always a pleasure to get a drink in the ardview ,we have had some wkd days and nights there and the locals are pure brill ,great pint .
anonymous - 27 Oct 2005 21:31 |
nice pleasant atmosphere wonderful hospitality great welcolme and fantastic staff
anonymous - 5 Nov 2004 16:20 |
Great little pub, pleasant bar staff. guaranteed good night!
anon - 5 Nov 2004 16:19 |
i would say that this pub is the most popular in Port Ellen, a common attraction for most of the younger drinkers. small but cozy and very friendly, with a juke box containing all types of music for all , it is the best place to be!
anonamous - 25 Jan 2004 16:03 |
Great little "time warp" pub with that authentic 50's decor! Jokes aside, great selection of draughts and bottled drinks - and a cracking malt whisky selection. Landlord will tailor the music selection to the customer mix (we had stuff ranging from The Doors to The Clash to Stiltskin)...
John - 26 Sep 2003 00:14 |
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