Achilty Guest House, Contin, IV14 9EG

Attractive guest house with 13 en-suite letting bedrooms and excellent service areas plus spacious owners accommodation in the village on Contin.

• Prominent and well-presented guest house, set within a semi-rural location within the Scottish Highlands in the charming village of Contin.

• Situated on the Inverness to Ullapool road (A836) taking advantage of the Western Isles Ferry traffic and tourists visiting the North West Highlands.

• Excellent trading accounts demonstrating a good level of profitability providing a home and lifestyle proposition with business expansion potential.

• Strong seasonal operation with year-round potential offering 13 good quality en-suite letting bedrooms.

• Spacious owners' accommodation plus good service areas and ample grounds.

DESCRIPTION

Achilty Guest House is a traditional lifestyle business in a charming setting. Previously operating as a hotel, it originally was a Drovers' Inn dating as far back as the 1700s. The guest house is an impressive building with a commanding roadside presence in the Highland village of Contin, set amidst beautiful Ross-shire countryside. The historic origins of the guest house are reflected in both the character of the property and the warm welcome extended to its wide range of customers. The business trades on a bed and breakfast basis but does have a commercial kitchen and therefore the scope to offer evening meals and a lunchtime fare (cafe / restaurant) should new owners have a penchant for food production. The 13 well-equipped letting bedrooms are mainly of good proportions, are comfortable and all benefit from en-suite facilities. Accommodation is set to the ground and first floor. The property is very spacious and benefits from a conservatory dining room, breakfasting room and residents lounge which are all well-presented. The service areas include a commercial kitchen and a breakfast preparation room. There are separate, ground floor WC's.

The private owner's accommodation includes a spacious lounge and sun room, double bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Achilty Guest House is situated on a c1-acre roadside site amidst the village of Contin.

BUSINESS OPERATION

The business is currently operated on a seasonal basis with the bulk of the trade being undertaken in the April - October period. Demand for accommodation in the high-season is strong resulting in high levels of occupancy. The business trades 13 en-suite letting bedrooms with trade being generated through the utilisation of portal websites. Trading on a serviced accommodation and bed and breakfast basis only, this easy-to-operate business is situated in a beautiful area being popular with the many tourists who visit the North and West Coast of Scotland.

The business trades to a strong level but new owners could drive trade further as the vendor trades with a fairly relaxed manner. New owners who wished to provide evening meals could easily increase profitability to beyond the current levels.

LOCATION

The guest house is located on the outskirts of the village of Contin, which has a shop, a petrol station and a church and is approximately eight miles from the market town of Dingwall which offers a selection of shops including a 24-hour supermarket, petrol stations, post office, public houses, hotels, restaurants, leisure centre and local schools. There is easy access onto the main trunk road to Inverness City Centre (approximately 18 miles away) which offers a more comprehensive range of amenities. Bus and train services run both to Dingwall and Inverness. Contin has to offer fantastic attractions for nature lovers, with Rogie falls, Ben Wyvis and Achilty Forest being close by.

Achilty Guest House is in an ideal central location for touring and exploring the Scottish Highlands with excellent access to the beautiful West Coast and Plockton, Inverewe, Ullapool and Gairloch. The Victorian spa village of Strathpeffer, complete with 18-hole golf course, is only 3 miles away. The picturesque village of Contin makes a popular tourist destination today with an abundance of walks and cycle tracks. Fishing, golf and winter field sports are amongst other pursuits attracting guests to this welcoming guest house. There is salmon fishing available at nearby rivers Conon and Blackwater and trout fishing available on a number of lochs. Tourists travel to appreciate the spectacular Highland scenery whilst ornithologists and naturalists find a host of bird and wildlife for their enjoyment. Contin makes a good base for touring, whether guests seek a whisky trail, Scottish Castles or a visit to mystic Loch Ness, all make for an exciting day out within comfortable reach.

REASON FOR SALE

The present owner purchased the guest house in 2015 and has made a number of improvements to the property during his ownership. The business presently trades on a year-round basis and there is significant opportunity to drive trade to new levels and encourage business for which the property has adequate capacity. The guest house has been brought prematurely to the market due to a new career opportunity overseas.

THE PROPERTY

Dating from the early 1700's, the guest house is of traditional construction and stands in its own generous grounds amidst the village of Contin. Roofing is largely pitched under slate with a small area of flat roofing. The subjects are semi-detached. Accommodation is arranged over three floors.

PUBLIC AREAS

The main guest house entry has two panelled glazed outer doors which open immediately into the welcoming and well-decorated reception hallway set to soft furnishings. The corridor to the right in turn offers access to all public areas including the most comfortable guest lounge with its wood-burning stove and exposed stone fireplace. The lounge is set to soft furnishings and has a laminate floor which follows into the dining room and sunroom. This spacious dining room (breakfast room) is set to 4 tables of 4 (16 covers) and benefits from splendid lighting, and attractive decoration. The room has a large servery table and could easily be utilised for evening meals etc in conjunction with the sun room. Double glass panelled doors open from the breakfast room into the smart sun lounge which is set to 7 tables of 2 (14 covers); this is a very popular room with guests. There are ladies, gents and disabled washrooms off the reception hallway.

LETTING BEDROOMS

The guest house has 13 letting bedrooms, all benefit from en-suite facilities. Bedrooms are most comfortable, attractively furnished and are well-equipped with televisions and hospitality trays. The ground floor rooms are accessible without entering the main building and offer ease of access for less able customers.

The letting rooms are configured as follows:

Ground Floor

Room 1 - Family (double and single) with en-suite shower room

Room 2 - Double with en-suite shower room

Room 3 - Twin with en-suite shower room

Room 4 - Double (zip + link) disabled room with en-suite walk-in shower

First Floor

Room 5 - Double with en-suite bathroom with shower over

Room 5A - Single room with en-suite bathroom (no shower)

Room 6 - Triple (zip + link) with en-suite shower room

Room 7 - Double with en-suite shower room

Room 8 - Double with en-suite shower room

Room 9 - Triple with en-suite bathroom

Room 10 - Double with en-suite shower room

Second Floor

Room 11 - Double with en-suite shower room

Room 12 - Double with en-suite shower room

OWNERS ACCOMMODATION

A beneficial feature of the business is the owner's accommodation, set on the first floor, with its private entrance. This incorporates an attractive, spacious lounge with wood-burning stove and sun room. In addition, there is a large shower-room and a double bedroom. There is a large kitchen with wall and floor mounted units plus a compact utility space. The laundry is set within the owners living space. The accommodation is situated conveniently near to the guest house's reception area.

SERVICE AREAS

The guest house has a good-sized, well equipped commercial kitchen with a wide range of stainless-steel work surfaces etc. and wash up area. This modern facility has excellent extraction and modern flooring. There is a large versatile utility room off the breakfast room. A good-sized administrative office sits conveniently off the main reception hallway. There is a laundry room within the owner's accommodation and linen store in the main hotel.

GROUNDS

The business is well-sign posted from the main road. The guest house stands in private grounds with parking on tarmac for some 20 cars. A detached double garage sits to the rear of the property. There is a decking area for guests to view the beautiful scenery, looking down to the river.

SERVICES

The property benefits from mains electricity and water. There is a propane gas fired central heating system. The subjects have private drainage. The property is mainly double glazed. The business is Wi-Fi enabled. The business is fully compliant with extant fire regulations.