Belgrave Arms Hotel

The breakfast is delicious with a wide variety of options, offering excellent value for money. Affordable prices make it a great choice for budget-conscious travelers.

For the money paid 5 star. If 50% more then 5 star. If over £100 in total then ok but shared bathroom. Location great. Real Scottish people and service Overall my type of hotel. For the discerning customer maybe a no. Parking good and overall clean

We arrived in Helmsdale on a Sunday afternoon in our motorhome and parked for the night at the harbour. Around 5pm we had a walk into the village for a drink. Only the Belgrave Arms was open so we pushed open the door and entered. A dozen faces, all men, sat at the bar turned to look at us and we were immediately reminded of the pub scene when the hikers turn up at a country pub in American Werewolf in London. The barman growled something along the lines of 'what the xxxx do yous want?' There was plenty of banter flying back and forth around the bar, all liberally sprinkled with F-words. Now at this point, I could see how folks of a nervous disposition could make their excuses and shuffle out and leave a 'rude barman' review on Trip Advisor. Me, I love a pub with a bit of character so fell into conversation with punters at the bar who took delight in ridiculing me for driving a motorhome. The barman, Donald, had made point of ignoring me,which I realised was a kind of test. When, after a few minutes, he eventually turned and asked what I wanted I replied that I was talking and hadn't decided yet. All the locals roared with laughter and Donald smiled, recognising a kindred spirit. Some more Campervan tourists arrived and got the full Donald treatment. One of his milder comments to a somewhat plump lady ordering Diet Coke was 'it's a bit late for that love.' They were from the South of England and luckily loved the unique Scottish humour. Donald makes Frankie Boyle look like Phil Schofield. One of the ladies said she'd laughed so much her ribs hurt and it was the best night she'd ever had in a pub. I'm sure the owners read the 'rude/insulted' reviews on here and wonder whether Donald is good for business. In our case he definitely was. We only went in for 1 drink but stayed for a few as did the other group. It's a somewhat unique sense of humour- dry, deadpan, borderline aggressive but very witty. Typically Scottish. If you're a shrinking violet or don't like being the butt of jokes give the Belgrave a miss. If you think you can handle it, sharpen your tongue, thicken your skin, buckle in and enjoy a free comedy show complete with audience participation. The Belgrave is a pub I'll always remember!