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
- Mav10Aug
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 202012172017
On arrival, it looked very quirky and it was, but in the best possible sense. It was well appointed, with beautiful characterful public rooms. We had a large bedroom, with... read more two brass beds, overlooking the garden and the sea. OK, the sashes on windows didn't work, but the view made up for it. But the food and service were impeccable. The choice of local products and the quality of cooking were outstanding, even if the portions were large. Somewhere I would love to return to.
1st October 2021 - mikee394
Although 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 More
10th October 2020RosaBonheur
I 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 - John G
The Covid precautions are spot on. I had no worries about using the restaurant. Had a very good meal. The staff were excellent. They have a pager system for ordering... read more the meal and any other queries. Book early - Shetland was quiet when we were there but the hotel restaurant was busy.
10th September 2020morvenh525
Busta is in an absolutely beautiful location, only complimented by extremely efficient friendly staff who couldn’t be more helpful. The meals in the restaurant in the evening we’re delicious as... read more was breakfast. Definitely recommended…!!!
26th October 2021 - catherinesB4074ND
Spent 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 2022purplenet
Beautiful 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 - turtlede
It’s said all the time but our stay at Busta House really was a highlight of our five week vacation.
Just a wonderful mix of old world service,... read more friendly helpfulness and charming accommodation.
The meals were fairly simple but very well done and nothing we asked for seemed to be too much. Being taken through to dinner after enjoying one of their many, many scotch selections in front of the open fire make each evening feel like a special occasion. The young people working at Busta House couldn’t have been nicer.
16th December 2022hfcastell
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 2020 - IanH H
We have visited Busta House several times since we moved up to live on Shetland in 2017, and on every occasion we have been delighted with the atmosphere of the... read more place, the delicious meals and the quality of service, so our son and daughter-in-law decided to hold their wedding there.
Right from the outset we were very impressed by the professional yet friendly manner in which all the details and requirements were taken, and arrangements were made to get the ball rolling. During the months leading up to the wedding, we spoke to several people who had either held their own wedding there, or had been invited as guests, and every single person said "You`ll have nothing to worry about, everything will be perfect, they will take care of everything!"
And they were absolutely right. The friendly, efficient yet relaxed manner of service, the impressive quality of the meals, drinks and surroundings; nothing was too much trouble to the staff, right down to helping us carry luggage and wedding paraphernalia from our cars up to our rooms.
We cannot praise the whole team at Busta House highly enough. A huge `Thank You`to you all.
13th September 2022Tinkerboobear
A fabulous few days at a beautiful hotel. Fantastic food, amazing wine, gin and whisky lists and absolutely incredible staff. Nothing was too much trouble- even organising a last minute... read more taxi to Up Helly Aa.
What a great team of people - we were sad to leave and will definitely hurry back. There’s nowhere else we would rather stay in Shetland now!
1st February 2023 - Alipaulstaffs
We ate here twice during our stay on Muckle Roe after popping in for tea and coffee while waiting for our cottage, the staff are so welcoming, great service delicious... read more coffee and shortbread, the meals both nights were delicious, home made and plentiful. The long room is lovely for a pre dinner drink or coffee and the service is excellent they even recommended a place for us to visit as it was sunny when we first arrived we took the advice and had a lovely afternoon at Eshaness.
13th September 2022591ryanl
We were both impressed with the room we stayed in (Muckle Roe) and the quirkiness of it. Sadly the hotel and restaurant were much quieter than they would normally be... read more due to COVID restrictions so didn't maybe have the atmosphere it might normally have. That hasn't affected the staffs moral who were friendly, attentive and extremely helpful for the duration of our stay and are a credit to the hotel. The hotel has clearly worked very hard with regards to COVID restrictions and requirements to keep operating and that should be a comfort to anyone visiting as they couldn't do more to try and keep their guests safe. We have both been very impressed with the hotels efforts through the COVID pandemic and wish them all the best for 2021 and beyond.
Ryan and Amy. More
16th March 2021 - pottingerstef
Recently stayed here for one night with evening meal & breakfast. The staff are going above and beyond to provide an amazing level of customer service. They have... read more worked tirelessly to establish extra cleanliness protocols and sanitation stations. Extra cleaning staff going around also. The rooms are classic and quaint. You can’t get this type of experience anywhere else. The food was absolutely delicious. Well worth the money for the accommodation and the quality of the delicious food. And well done to all the staff for being so professional and treating your customers so well. We will be back.
12th October 2020Pelupi
Stayed one night as part of a tour. Service and food fantastic. Would thoroughly recommend the lamb. Historic house in scenic location. Our only small quibble was that... read more the bathroom in our room was exceptionally small. Anyone larger or with mobility issues might struggle with the gap of only 1ft between the toilet and the accessible part of the bath / shower. Bathroom was recently refitted and immaculate but just a trifle snug.
10th May 2022 - Billy M
Lazy relaxed location with lovely gardens. Beautiful building inside and out with loads of character. Warm and cosy throughout, very high quality food and service. Staff are extremely polite and... read more friendly. It really is difficult to fault the place and its clear that the current owners are really interested in it with money being spent on bedroom upgrades to decor, carpets etc. Highly recommended. Try it once. I could almost guarantee you'll want to return.
28th November 2022 - Douglas D
A large room with 4 poster bed and wood panelled walls. A nice en-suite with all amenities. Good wi-fi signal and complimentary phone calls due to poor/lack of mobile signal.
... read more /> The hotel is a maze of corridors - at first - but is so charming and tastefully decorated. All of the staff were mindful of our dietary requirements and went out of their way to ensure allergies/tolerances were addressed. The floors are mostly wooden which is what you would expect for a building dating back to the 1500s!
18th March 2022Tiderace
A very relaxing and cosy stay at Busta House at a chilly time of year. Staff were very welcoming from the start and gave us a choice of rooms on... read more arrival to our taste. Room was warm, well appointed and welcoming to arrive to. Staff were amongst the most efficient and attentive we have experienced anywhere. The building is quite historic which adds charm to a visit with interesting rooms and furnishings throughout. Food is excellent from a varied menu with a wide choice at breakfast too including locally sourced Smoked Haddock and Kippers, all delivered efficiently. Good adherence to covid guidelines at this tricky time too. Some renovations were taking place ready for the season but any fallout from this will presumably be cleared up prior to busy times ahead and it didn't impact adversely on our stay. Hotel is quiet and in a beautiful island location. We have booked for next year already. More
20th February 2022
