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Seaside views have an allure that is irresistible, a fact that can be easily noted at The Waterfront Restaurant in Oban, which offers some splendid picture perfect vistas of azure waters. But it's not just these picturesque scenes that draw customers to this delightful Scottish restaurant. It's the range of fresh and tasty seafood sourced locally alongside melt in the mouth Angus beef and other such magnificent options that lure people to this stylish and elegant establishment.

Amongst starters, you might choose the Isle of Mull mussels with shallot, garlic and white wine cream sauce or maybe crispy fried langoustine tails with North African spices and beetroot tzatziki. For the main course, there could be sole fillets with warm new potato salad, leek and pancetta or maybe seared scallops with olive mash, tomato and garlic butter. Finish with the orange and chocolate cheesecake or selection of Scottish cheeses and oatcakes. The chic bar below the restaurant offers delicious bites along with beers, ales and fine wines.

Oban Caledonian Hotel is one of Scotland's best-loved landmarks offering vistas over the sheltered bay, the West Coast islands and the romantic hills beyond. Some of the best views can also be enjoyed at the in-house restaurant designed along Victorian lines bedecked with chandeliers and ornate plasters.

Once  you've accepted the charm of this wonderful place, and it's not difficult to do, it's time to explore the menu, which blends in traditional Scottish cuisine with modern techniques, and a few international dishes also make pleasing appearances. The kitchen's skills are best evident in a vegetable tempura set on a crunchy mixed salad complemented with a sweet chilli dip, and grilled fillet of coley with parsley and white wine sauce. Roasted silverside of beef does the star turn and is accompanied by red wine and rosemary jus, and finally bid farewell with a chocolate pannacotta and fresh fruit compote.

Café Caledonian offers much more than just wonderful panoramas over the bay, there's a menu for all day dining and an international wine list.

Another of those delightful family-owned Scottish retreats where the family carry on much as they did before, except that the guest list seems to be a bit busier than it was before they took the plunge. Dinner consists of six courses and we are not talking delicate helpings here - this is a place for trenchermen and fortunately the surrounding area and all it has to offer tends to ensure you are equal to the task when the gong rings. There is a predictable abundance of local materials for chef Robert McPherson to draw upon, and they are treated with skill and respect. The wine list plays its part admirably and there are some wonderful choices both old and new, taking off at less than £9 for the French house wine.