Accommodations in Edinburgh
 

We'll be staying in Edinburgh for two nights near the end of September and are looking for accommodations in a central location. I've narrowed it down to the Thistle or Ceilidh-Donia or Hotel du Vin or 53 Frederick St. Does anyone have any experience with any of these?

Why not stay in Leith- 10 min bus ride into city centre and handy for Leith attractions including Royal Yacht Britannia?
http://www.wallacesarthousescotland.com
highly recommended!

There is more than one Thistle hotel in Edinburgh --which are you asking about?

Your list is sort of all over the place --not similar locations or types of accommodations. Locations alone (depending on which Thistle you mean) 53 Frederick St or Hotel du Vin would be best for seeing the sights.

"Why not stay in Leith"

Because it's a 15-20 minute bus ride into town, longer if you don't want to be on Princes Street.

Much better to be in the middle of the action and just walk a few hundred yards to wherever they want to be.

Yes -Hotel Du Vin

5 * service
4 * food
4 * location
3 * standard rooms due to size but 5 * quality
6 * Suites due to size and still 5 * quality

We refused a standard room, they were not busy and we haggled on the phone for 20 minutes. In the end the booking chap was sick of me, he just gave us a suite to get rid of me. Best room I have stayed in. 3 plasma screens and 2 bathrooms for £160. Try doing the same. The standard rooms were small.

Loved the place!

Thank you. Hotel du Vin is a little pricey and 53 Frederick is booked for Sept. 24-25. Any other recommendations in a good location?

This place was an adorable central b&b with nice furnishings and gourmet breakfast.
http://www.wwwonderful.net/

we loved it

If it's the Thistle on Leith St you mean, it's very central but very ugly, forming part of a brutalist concrete block also housing a shopping mall which (with the notable exception of John Lewis) is pretty downmarket. It also gets lots of coach parties (I see the coaches outside.) I usually find Thistle hotels elsewhere are fine, but I think I'd find staying there rather depressing.

I'd never heard of the Ceildidh-donia before (what a terrible name !) but checked the location and it's not central, it's about a 20-25 minute bus ride from the centre.

The Castle View Guest House always used to get lots of good reviews here but it was up for sale a year or two ago, so not sure if it changed hands and what effect this might have had. Check Tripadvisor ? The location can't really be bettered.

I've also seen rave reviews for 2 Cambridge St which is just on the edge of the centre, a couple of minutes' walk from Princes St.

For a moderately priced chain hotel just off the Royal Mile, the Ibis in Hunter Square is quite handy. A bit more upmarket and stylish are the Novotel on Lauriston Place and the Point Hotel, just on the edge of the city centre. The Apex hotels on the Grassmarket are quite decent but the Grassmarket is stag/hen party central at weekends.

Or for a posh B&B right in the New Town (if you are OK with being on a bit of a hill) - Gerald's Place gets good reviews, and Ingram's is owned by nice people I know slightly.

Thanks so much! Geralds is booked but I'm working on the others.

I am a firm fan of 10 Hill Place and have probably stayed there 5 times by now. Quiet location with its own parking, prices are fine for me- even better if you can book in advance and we were upgraded last time. Good standard furnishings and max 0f 10 minutes to the Leith End of Princes Street.
I've probably stayed in 10 different places in Edinburgh over the last 5 years but this one is now first choice.

Castle View GH is in a fantastic location but you need to be mobile - it's 40+ steps to the rooms, and that's in addition to every hill in Edinburgh having one direction: up.

Given personal experience with the former management, I'd think the new group could be a significant improvement.

If you can hack the hike, you'd be hard-pressed for a better location.

I now have a reservation at Browns B&B. Has anyone ever stayed there?

Hadn't heard of it before so looked it up. I see it is on McDonald Road which is certainly not "in the heart of Edinburgh City Centre" as they claim, but it is quite near the centre (about half a mile). It's off Leith Walk, the main route into the centre from there, which is fairly 'gritty' but perfectly safe and a very good bus route.

caroline, if you return - a question

The Browns B&B does not have any room rate listed on its web site, or not that I can see, just a form to request the information. To get the 4 stars, it must be an okay b&b, but would seeing no rates on a web site make you look elsewhere? Perhaps I am just over reacting, but I don't like not seeing a rate. Thx.

whoops .. rkovideo, this is not against you for reserving Browns!

It's just something I'm very curious about should caroline be able to come back with a reply.

23 mayfield b&b central location! Great views, amazing service, rooms and breakfast! stay here and you wont regret it! WE have stayed probably 4-5 times

I was in Edinburgh last September and it was beautiful! I stayed at The Channing. Wonderful place with wonderful service. It included breakfast, just down the block was the bus stop which was very convenent. Just about 10 min from the Royal Mile.

The Channing was booked, but I think I'll go with 23 Mayfield. Browns looks good but only takes cash. Hmm?

"<i>Browns looks good but only takes cash. Hmm?</i>

why the >>Hmm?<< . . . because you think that is an issue/problem or says something about the property?

Cash only is fairly common for B&Bs. Re scotlib's questions about no rates listed -- that usually bugs me too, but is also not that unusual. Some B&Bs/hotels will only give a rate when there is an inquiry. Maybe because the rates are very date sensitive or who knows??

Not trying to talk you into Browns -- but just to explain that that is just the way some B&Bs work.

Go with 23 mayfield, Im telling you you wont regret it

Just went to book 23 Mayfield and it's full. Help!

Did you try 2 Cambridge?

Thank you for the feedback, janisj.

Maybe because I tend to be a shopper and like looking by myself before deciding to purchase, to have a b&b without full information on its web site to make a decision, it means "talking to the sales assistant" before I'd be ready or want to do so.


rkovideo, I've stayed twice here: www.deneguesthouse.com .. it's not any further out of the centre than Browns. I've traveled alone and appreciated the standard single rooms I could get for under £30/night. .. hmm, online system says no rooms

I know someone who's stayed not far from there, up Dundas St going toward Princes St, www.waltonhotel.com .. I also want to try it, even though it means staying one night for the price of two at the Dene (sometimes you do just want your own bathroom).

The online system for the Walton does say no rooms, but you could try calling and see if any rooms are available not in the online system.

I've one more idea .. be right back.

I read of people using the Tourist Information offices to get bookings.

Perhaps janisj or caroline know how to directly contact the TI in Edinburgh, if they check the thread again?


http://www.visitscotland.com/guide/where-to-stay/ is VisitScotland's search page.

I left region as Scotland, put in Edinburgh as location, B&Bs for type, 24/9/11 for date, 2 nights, 1 room, 2 people (?)

clicked the more search options and found I had to enter that all again :-)

I indicated B&Bs in 3-4 star range .. 16 available in the VisitScotland system, including this one, that I think I have seen in some people's trip reports, http://www.mingalar.eu/

Worth a try?

Not sure if it is you price range but we just had a few nights in The Knight Residence, they usually want 3 nights but you can sometime get 2 nights in apartments. Great location and service the best I have had anywhere

The Knight Residence's smallest studios run easily 4 times the rates of the places rkovideo is considering. Their cheapest rooms are about £250 (and go up much higher)

Maybe try this site http://www.edinburgh.org/

The Tourist Information Centre

Oh yes, I forgot about the Walton, I have seen good reviews for there in the past and it's in a good location, just inside the northern edge of the New Town, although near the bottom of the hill so you would probably want to get buses up the hill - well, I would ! But if you get daysaver tickets which allow unlimited travel on 'normal' buses, that's not an issue - buses on that route are frequent (about every 10 mins in the daytime) and stop almost outside.

10 Hill Place as recommended by Frances is very central and you really can walk everywhere you are likely to want to go from there. Off a slightly grittier main road again but also in the main university area and quite safe. Very close to one of the main theatres and the Italian Cultural Institute so we are often round there.

scotlib, I don't think it's that surprising that Brown's don't have rates on their website but instead invite requests for a quote. Rates do vary a lot over the year - this week (at the height of the festivals) will probably be the most expensive of the year, New Year is also peak season and school holidays are no doubt more expensive than term times. Rates can also vary depending on how long you are staying too, and indeed how busy they are. It's the same with hotels at all levels, isn't it - rates vary a lot and you may be able to get a better deal than advertised by phoning up.

I'm sure 23 Mayfield is very nice but it's not in the centre, like Ceilidh-donia it's about a 20-25 minute bus ride out on the south side of the city.

Accommodation enquiries for Edinburgh are dealt with by the central Visitscotland office and the number is 0845 2255 121 (from UK) or +44 131 625 8625 (from outside UK).

I must say I'm quite surprised that so many places are already full for late September - I'm not aware of anything special on then - but these are all small B&Bs with only a couple of rooms. I suppose September is quite a popular time for older British people to take holidays, as it's after all the schools go back.

Got the Mingalar. Thank you, all!

rkovideo, that's really funny, I'm afraid I'd totally forgotten about the Mingalar - I actually know the owners slightly ! We are all Friends of Scottish Opera and we see them out and about from time to time. It's a good location, a pleasant street just on the edge of the New Town and I'm sure it will be very nice.