Fountain Court Apts - Edinburgh
 

Has anyone stayed at Fountain Court? Price looks too good to be true. Also interested in Holyrood Aparthotel and Apex International.
Thanks,
Deb

Deborah, I hadn't heard of Fountain Court before but I've just looked at the website. Morrison Street isn't very nice - it's a busy traffic thoroughfare with some grotty shops & pubs on it (but not dangerous). On the other hand it is very central, good for buses & Haymarket train station and the flats are fairly new and look quite nice.

Holyrood would be quieter and you could get a suite with a lovely view of Arthur's Seat : it is obviously also very central & conveniently located for the Palace, the new Parliament building and Our Dynamic Earth, but not so good for buses/trains to other areas of the city & elsewhere.

The Apex International is quite stylish & you could get a (back) view of the Castle. It's on the Grassmarket which is very historic and quaint but is very popular with students & stag/hen (bachelor) parties at night; so depending on what you like you could find it a bit rowdy (but again, not dangerous). Also not quite so convenient for buses.

If you can get a very good price at Fountain Court I'd say for for it. If a quiet location is most important to you, go for Holyrood. I would have thought the Apex would be much more expensive but it would be the smartest. (It has a quite nice cocktail bar :-))

Have a think about where you'll want to visit & how much you want to use public transport.

Thank you, Caroline, for your help. Do you have any other suggestions? We were there in 2001 and found out how expensive hotels are in Edinburgh. We stayed in a 3-star to save money, but decided we would try to do better this time if we could. Clean, fairly quiet, convenient to the tourbus line would be the top three considerations.
Again, thank you - you've been enormously helpful already.

Hi Deb.

What time of year are you planning to visit ?

There's another Apex hotel in the Grassmarket - the Apex City hotel - which I think is also quite stylish but a bit cheaper than the Apex International. The Apex European isn't so nice.

Depending on the time of year, you may be able to get a reasonable price at the Point Hotel - www.point-hotel.co.uk. I see they have a rate of £40pp March-May on the website, & it's always worth phoning up to ask what they could offer. Some of our friends stayed there for our wedding & the price per night was cheaper the more nights they stayed - something like 1 night £80, 2 nights £70, 3 nights £60 (although this was 4 years ago). I've stayed there myself & would recommend it : it's extremely stylish, has a nice but quite cheap restaurant & a cool bar. It's very central - near to Lothian Road which is also a bit rowdy on weekend nights, but not near enough for it to be noisy. You can get a room with a castle view (although nothing like as good as the one on the website, which I think must have been taken from a helicopter hovering some distance above the hotel !).

I also once got quite a good deal at the Sheraton, which is also very central being actually on Lothian Road, but set back across a square so it shouldn't be noisy. We booked it through www.superbreak.com which is always worth checking for good deals. Not as exciting as the Point but the rooms (some with castle view) are OK & it has a fabulous spa.

If you decided to look for something cheaper I'd recommend the Ibis which as you may know is a French chain - I've stayed in several elsewhere & the rooms are simple but adequate & clean. It is *very* central, being right next to the Royal Mile; also next to a street which can be a bit rowdy on weekend nights (oh dear, they all are, aren't they ?), but I'm sure the glazing will keep any noise out. http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/ficheh...he_hotel.shtml

These are all very close to the hop on-hop off bus route.

Let me know if I can be of any further help.

Deb, out of idle curiosity I looked up the Point Hotel on Tripadvisor & it has got some awful reviews ! I can't understand it : I can only speak for the room I had which was large, had very cool decor & furnishings including a leather sofa, & clean. It was designed by a well known local architect & won several awards when it opened. I had no problems whatsoever. Very strange. I suppose it was a couple of years ago that I stayed there. Some people on tripadvisor this year liked it too, though.

The reason you can no longer open the windows is because shortly after my stay, some stupid person fell out of one (having been standing on a chair next to the open window).

If you're going to be in Edinburgh for a week (I don't know the length of your trip), then consider renting Peffermill House, through the McKay agency.

Gorgeous! Fortified house, 17th century. The city bus stops directly across the street and goes the the city center.

Gayle

More detail would probably be helpful! We will be in Edinburgh the week of July 11-ish to 17-ish, 2005. It's the week of the British Open.

Here's a link:

http://www.mackays-self-catering.co....s=1&id=170

Peffermill books up fast, so if you're interested (and it's available), book it soon!

Gayle

Gayle - Peffermill looks great, but it's not what we are looking for on this trip. We are trying to avoid driving ourselves in a car and so would prefer to be where we can walk or jump on a bus. Thanks for the info.
Deb

Ah, well, maybe another trip! (The city bus does stop directly across the street and gets you to City Center in less than 10 minutes, if that helps. The house looks farther away than it really is.)

Gayle