My wife and I will be taking a trip to Scotland in April and will be staying in Edinburgh for a few days. I’d like to hear from Dopers on what you all think is the best place to stay in the city center. Some criteria:
[ul]
[li]We want to be in walking distance of the good stuff. We won’t be driving around the city and don’t want to have to take a bus downtown every day.[/li][li]We’re not interested in the cheapest place. This is a bit of a splurge. That said, anything over $400/night is probably out of reach.[/li][li]Charming and romantic is good. Soulless and corporate is not.[/li][li]We won’t be getting mani pedis or swimming laps, so spas and gyms and whatnot are not of interest.[/li][/ul]
Ok, hope that provides enough data. (Feel free to ask questions if not). I appeal to you - where is the place for us?
The Balmoral hotel is opposite the Old Waverly that Floater mentions and would be the place to stay if you want to splash out on somewhere nice - big, luxury place with a michelin-starred restaurant underneath:
Another suggestion for a good location is the Apex International on the grassmarket which basically faces the castle and is very central. Grassmarket gets quite lively at night so factor this in.
You could try Hotel Missoni, a few yards from the Royal Mile in the Old Town. It’s almost impossible to get more central if you’re visiting the Castle, High Street, St. Giles, etc.
I’ve not been there, but what I’ve heard has been very positive. It’s part of a small, upmarket chain, and the outside doesn’t look nearly as horrible as the Trip Advisor photo!
Location isn’t a major issue in Edinburgh as it’s a very compact city– most hotels are going to be walking distance of most sights.
Aside from that, what flavour of place are you looking for? Traditional, opulent, hip and trendy, large and grand (like the Balmoral) or small and boutique?
The Balmoral is the grandaddy – large, opulent, very very central.
Otherwise, you might want to check out Mr and Mrs Smith, an online resource for very hip, often boutique, hotels.
We stayed at the Apex City Hotel. It was decent enough, but a little “souless and corporate”. Sort of like a Scottish Courtyard Marriott. Good location though.
Small and boutique is more our style, and we’re not opposed to a B&B if it’s not a closet. Hip and trendy would work, too. I think the Balmoral, while amazing, is a little too opulent and huge for our tastes/means.
Thank you for the rec on Mr and Mrs Smith - I will check that out.
That’s a good location, albeit the Grassmarket can get a bit noisy late on, but if you don’t mind then that’s an excellent base. Seems decently priced too.
Looks like it’s right beside the Apex International; it has a good restaurant with great views on it’s top floor.
And if your bedroom’s to the rear, it should be fairly quiet. The open-top city tour buses stop right opposite - very easy to jump on and get a feel for the city.
I sometimes used to get my morning coffee & pastry from Blackcherry, which looks to be extremely close - very nice.
All this assuming that the location arrow’s in the right place on the map!
It is. The photo is taken a bit to the East of Apex pointing North. Anyway, I think it’s a good decision to rent a flat instead of staying at a hotel. I have done it a couple of times in London and liked it very much as you are more on your own that way.
I am feeling very good about our choice of flat, then! We won’t be there til September but I will try to make a report when we return, and link back to this thread
You’re just across the road from some decent pubs and also just up the road in Victoria Street. If you want lively (or mayhem), turn right leaving the apartment and walk along to the Cowgate, under the bridge…