Northern Sands Hotel

3.0 star property

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Photo gallery for Northern Sands Hotel

Beach nearby
Hypo-allergenic bedding, Select Comfort beds, desk, blackout drapes
Meeting facility
Interior detail
Front of property

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Business services
  • Bar
  • Housekeeping
The current price is $202
$168 nightly
$202 total
Total with taxes and fees
Jun 8 - Jun 9

Explore the area

View in a map
Dunnet, Dunnet Head, Thurso, Scotland, KW14 8XD
  • Place, Dunnet Bay Distillery
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Dunnet Bay Beach
    ‪16 min walk‬
  • Place, Dunnet Head Lighthouse
    ‪12 min drive‬
  • Airport, Wick (WIC)
    ‪41 min drive‬

Room options

Single Room, 1 Twin Bed

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
(6 reviews)
  • 54 sq ft
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed
  • Free WiFi

Deluxe Triple Room, Garden View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)
  • Garden view
  • 75 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 2 Twin Beds and 1 Twin Sofa Bed OR 1 King Bed and 1 Twin Sofa Bed
  • Free WiFi

Classic Double or Twin Room

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(7 reviews)
  • 54 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds OR 1 King Bed
  • Free WiFi

Classic Double Room, 1 King Bed

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(7 reviews)
  • 54 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed
  • Free WiFi

Deluxe Double or Twin Room, 1 Bedroom

9.8 out of 10
Exceptional
(6 reviews)
  • Hill view
  • 75 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds OR 1 King Bed
  • Free WiFi

Premier Double Room, 1 King Bed, Sea View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)
  • Sea view
  • 75 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed
  • Free WiFi

Similar properties

About the neighborhood

Thurso

Located in Thurso, Northern Sands Hotel is a 1-minute drive from Dunnet Bay Beach and 7 minutes from Mary-Ann's Cottage. .This beach hotel is 4.7 mi (7.5 km) from Dunnet Head Lighthouse and 5.3 mi (8.5 km) from Castle of Mey.

What's nearby

  • Dunnet Bay Distillery - 1 min walk - 0.1 miles
  • Dunnet Bay Beach - 16 min walk - 0.9 miles
  • Mary-Ann's Cottage - 10 min drive - 5.2 miles
  • Dunnet Head Lighthouse - 12 min drive - 5.6 miles
  • Castle of Mey - 15 min drive - 6.9 miles

Getting around

  • Thurso Station - 15 min drive
  • Wick (WIC) - 29 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Northern Sands - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Logan’s Bar - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪The Grain Store Restaurant - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪The Reel - ‬10 min drive

About this property

Northern Sands Hotel

Northern Sands Hotel offers 12 accommodations with coffee/tea makers and hair dryers. Beds feature Select Comfort mattresses. Smart televisions come with satellite channels. Bathrooms include bathtubs or showers and complimentary toiletries.

This Thurso hotel provides complimentary wired and wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones; free local calls are provided (restrictions may apply). Additionally, rooms include irons/ironing boards and blackout drapes/curtains. Housekeeping is offered daily and hypo-allergenic bedding can be requested.

Stay in one of 12 guestrooms featuring Smart televisions. Your room comes with a Select Comfort bed. Complimentary wired and wireless internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming provides entertainment. Bathrooms feature bathtubs or showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.
Take in the views from a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access and an arcade/game room. Additional features at this hotel include tour/ticket assistance, a picnic area, and a banquet hall.
Satisfy your appetite with local cuisine at Logans Bar, one of the hotel's 2 restaurants. Need to unwind? Take a break with a tasty beverage at one of the 3 bars/lounges.
The front desk is staffed during limited hours. Event facilities at this hotel consist of a conference center and meeting rooms. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available on request), and free self parking is available onsite.
Logans Bar - This bar specializes in local cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Pentland Lounge - Onsite restaurant. Open daily.
The Links - Onsite restaurant. Open daily.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi and wired internet
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge) from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM on request
  • Free extended parking on site

Food and drink

  • 2 restaurants
  • 3 bars/lounges

Restaurants on site

  • Logans Bar
  • Pentland Lounge
  • The Links

Things to do

  • Arcade/game room

Family friendly

  • Arcade/game room

Conveniences

  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Business services

  • Conference center
  • Meeting rooms

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • Picnic area

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Bathroom emergency pull cord
  • Grab bar near toilet
  • No elevator

More

  • 1 building
  • 1 floor
  • Banquet hall
  • Smoking not allowed

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Blackout drapes
  • Hypo-allergenic bedding
  • Select Comfort mattress

Bathroom

  • Bathtub or shower
  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • Smart TV with digital channels

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Electric kettle

More

  • Desk
  • Free local calls
  • Heating
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Phone

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The front desk is open daily from 6:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Guests will receive an email within 72 hours before arrival with check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: GBP 70 per vehicle (one-way)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

We should mention

This property does not have elevators

National rating

This establishment has received its official star rating from VisitScotland, the National Tourist Board for Scotland.

Property is also known as

Northern Sands Hotel
Northern Sands Hotel Thurso
Northern Sands Thurso
Northern Sands
Northern Sands Hotel Hotel
Northern Sands Hotel Thurso
Northern Sands Hotel Hotel Thurso

Northern Sands Hotel Reviews

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 173 out of 228 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 47 out of 228 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 228 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 228 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 228 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

9.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

Verified

10/10 Excellent

Juergen

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice room and friendly welcome
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

MARY

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great stay and wonderful service
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

fiona

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place. Comfortable and lovely food and staff. Thanks
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Megan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Enjoyed our stay, very comfortable and staff were wonderful.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Colin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great service, friendly staff, nice food and great location for NC500 and beach access etc.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified

8/10 Good

Tracey and Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overnight stop that fitted our needs to be near ferries Welcoming staff, well presented accommodation, reasonably priced A good find for us which we will probably use again in the future
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025
Verified

8/10 Good

Susan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Really nice stay

We had a really nice stay in this hotel. The staff were fantastic and the restaurant food and breakfast was very good. We highly recommend this hotel for your stay.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Louise

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely staff, amazing gluten-free menu, right next to the Distillery!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Genevieve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean, modern, amazing food, great staff.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Lynne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely hotel within minutes to the gorgeous beach! Loved our stay here…food was excellent as were the staff. Would highly recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A lovely hotel, staff were very friendly. I would definitely stay again.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

martin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Wonderful Location

Fantastic overnight stay, evening meal and breakfast excellent, staff friendly and very efficient. Wonderful location, would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Super nice staff, clean comfortable rooms, good quality bed, well situated in an incredible part of the country.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Rebecca

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel in a good location for the beach. Had a single room which was plenty big enough with a nice shower room. Dinner and breakfast were very good. Would stay again.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified

8/10 Good

Ian

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Directly on NC500, friendly staff, excellent breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

wee

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Outstanding amazing rooms brilliant food and great customer service
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is on the NC500 drive and close (5 min walk) to an idyllic cove
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Pete

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very clean, helpful staff,lovely food would highly recommend anyone to stay here.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

luc

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful place and great local fresh food
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Sue

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great Location, Clean,Freindly staff Ann was fantastic an asset to the hotel Would stay again
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great staff!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely hotel, clean room, good food, great!
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really enjoyed our stay, it was short but sweet. Very comfortable and spacious room, loved the touch of naming rooms after clans
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Craig

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
A massive thankyou for the care and attention to detail from the staff. I arrived late and even though the kitchen closed at 8pm the chef remained to freshly prepare my evening meal. Delicious inc breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026
Verified

8/10 Good

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
1 night stay, very comfortable friendly staff and good food
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023