Edinburgh Hotel for birthday
 

We are going to Edinburgh for my sisters 21 birthday, there are 5 women total, for 4 nights, I am trying to figure out where to stay. I am thinking if i book a hotel i need a min of 2 rooms- and as this is my last chance to relax for a while i may stay by myself, so make that 3 rooms; or an apartment. I want this to be a memorable trip, my grandmother is 80 so i want her to be comfortable and have fun. Any suggestions?

Budget? How long are you staying for?

We are staying for 4 nights. I dont really have a budget per say but i dont want to spend thousands or anything. This is one of the last trips we will take with my grandmother so i want it to be fun and comfortable. I am also going to be coming out of africa and will be going back to work after this trip so I have decided i think i will get my own room also, so that makes three rooms. I am only able to see my family every 4 months so i want to have a fun easy trip.

Look on www.laterooms.co.uk.
When you type in your requirements they will give you a big choice of apartments.

Why not try the City Apartment, Parliament Square Edinburgh right in the centre of the High Street. It is a five star establishment and can sleep up to five people. It has character and position so will suit all ages. Due to it being right on the Royal Mile it may have the occasional noise at night as it is a very popular area.

www.thecityapartment.co.uk

I got a quote for the Ardenlee apartment for 150 pounds a night, i think i may go with it as it would sleep all of us. I am also going to make reservations for dinnner at the Witchery and Dalhousie Castle, a day trip to Loch Ness and then a couple of night ghost tours. We are going to go to Rosslyn chapel on our own. Any other ideas?

When is this, dreamin ?

What are your criteria for restaurants ? The Witchery is atmospheric but a tourist trap. Dalhousie Castle is nice (I got married there !) but do you realise it's about 12 miles out of town ? How will you get there and back ? It also involves lots of stairs (not sure if you gran has any walking difficulties ?).

There is nothing to see at Loch Ness - if you want to do a day trip (joining a tour I assume ?) there are more scenic places to go.

Will you be doing lots of sightseeing in Edinburgh itself ? If so & if you want to minimise walking, the Radisson SAS is quite nice, is right on the Royal Mile & the open top bus tours go right past it.

A day trip to Loch Ness -- w/ an 80 yo (who you are concerned about keeping comfortable) no less. WHY? It is a looooong drive and there isn't much "there" once you are there. There are much better day trips out of Edinburgh w/o traipsing 1/2 the length of the country.

Actually ou tof all of us my gran is probably in the best shape, plus she lives in the mountains and is used to walking. If not the day trip to Loch ness then what else is there for a sightsee trip, we were just thinking it would be neat to see something other than the city. For food we want a variety, traditional scottish to just really good. I was thinking the Witchery because of the atmosphere, kinda fun place. I work at a remote site and get really bad food for 4 months at a time so i want to eat good, not exactly expensive nice just really good. Is it worth eating at the castle? I figure we could always take a cab? I was thinking about the hop on/off bus also. Any ideas for a day trip if not to Loch Ness?

There are soooooo many nice places that are a lot closer to Edinburgh than Loch Ness

a few:

St Andrews - take the train to Leuchars and a taxi or bus 5 miles to St andrews. Or if you have a car, drive through the Fife fishing villages and then St Andrews.

Stirling - a short train ride and the the amazing castle and a round-city sight seeing bus to teh Wallace memorial and other sites

Linlithgow - a very short train ride than the palace in a park on the shore of a small loch - good place for a picnic. Lovely church at the palace gates.

A guided tour from Edinburgh through the Trossachs and around Loch Lomond.

There are lots of others.

I agree with Janis about Loch Ness; it's a long way for not much.

You can get a tour of the central highlands- something based in Perthshire or tehreabouts, and it'll give you as good a flavour without 3 hours each way on a bus.

Restaurants- I bow to Caroline, but I'm fond of the Marque.

The Marque is very nice, not as expensive as the Witchery and easy to get to. In fact very few places are as expensive as the Witchery, although it does offer a limited choice pre-theatre menu which is quite cheap.

As far as I know (I haven't been for several years), the food at Dalhousie Castle is quite good - but with so many good places to eat in the city, it seems a bit mad to get a taxi there & back (I'd guess about £25 each way).

If you want somewhere a bit different from the city centre, what about the old docks area in Leith ? It has lots of nice restaurants & pubs. I had a great meal just 9 days ago at the Waterfront, which specialises in fish & steaks - see www.waterfrontwinebar.co.uk.

You could get a bus down & stroll around The Shore (street), alongside the Water of Leith (river), stop at a pub for a drink (I like the pub which is also called The Shore the best) then go to the Waterfront for a meal. Ask for a table in the conservatory. Or you could eat in The Shore itself if you want something a bit cheaper (the Waterfront is reasonably pricy, but still less than the Witchery), eat at The Shore itself - it has a pub side & a restaurant side. And remember everywhere is non-smoking now !

I think you still haven't said when you are coming, though, have you ? That affects what time it gets dark so whether you'll have any sdort of view.

Has anyone eaten at the Taste of Scotland show and dinner?
Dinner and a show for about $90, kinda expensive but is it worth it?

This is at Prestonfield House, isn't it ? Their regular restaurant, Rhubarb, is supposed to be good; but I don't know anyone who's been to a ToS show & dinner. I see it's £45 in sterling, which is actually *not* expensive here for a meal with 1/2 bottle of wine. Depends if you want to do a cheesey tourist thing (which I'm sure could be fun) or not.

I was just trying to decide if we should go to the Witchery or the show. I was afraid it might not be worth the price as i think the food is mass cooked.