London/Edinburg where to stay in May party of 5
 

I am planning a trip to London/Scotland in later part of May for family of 5. Never been before and am apprenhensive. I have read every post and now am overwhelmed. I was thinking of 2 nights London....train to Edinburg 4 nights...train back 1 more night in London and fly home. At this point, I need lodging help. We value safety, cleanliness, private bath and convience...we will not have a car.

You might consider the Knights Residence for Edinburgh. We stayed there this past June with my parents in a two bedroom apartment. It worked out to be cheaper than staying in two hotel rooms. And it gets outsanding reviews on TripAdvisor (my review is there as well). The service was exceptional and it was nice to be able to make breakfast in the apartment. The location was also excellent.


http://www.theknightresidence.co.uk/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Scotland.html

My inlaws stayed at the Knights Residence when they visited us in Edinburgh and it was lovely - much nicer than our flat so we actually hung out there at times. It's just a couple blocks from all the buses as well so it's easy to get around. I remember we got a really good deal on it as well.

Okay, Joebear, now I see you're planning to stay in both Edinburgh and London, will not have a car, and want to do some golfing at good but lesser-known courses. How will you get to the course? What will the rest of the family want to do?

If you're going to stay in Edinburgh, and without knowing anything about your budget or family make-up/ages,let me suggest something you might not have considered: a Marriott hotel. The Dalmahoy is not your run-of-the-mill chain, it's a manor house built in the early 1700s, just on the outskirts of Edinburgh, with two great courses. They provide free shuttle from the airport.

If you want to venture out, you could stay on/near a course in the countryside for a few days, and with a family, you might want to consider renting an apartment. There are several options, including this one near St Andrews that I found with a quick search: http://www.scotland-holiday-cottage....e/eliefife.htm. But this would be tougher without a car.

Give us a little more info and maybe we can help more... we just golfed all 'round Scotland and played several wonderful courses that most Americans don't know (yet).

There are several golf courses in Edinburgh itself

Depending on your family makeup, you might want to consider a "family room" at the Edinburgh Radisson. We stayed in one of these rooms last June. It featured one king-sized bed and two standard double beds. If you've got two fairly small children that could share a double bed, it would be fine (the room was quite large--even by American standards). The only drawback would be a single bathroom. The location of the hotel, smack dab in the middle of the Royal Mile, can't be beat. And, at £140 per night, for 5 folks, would be a pretty darn good deal.

I am rethinking travel plans. Please send suggestions for a good place to spend the day and one night on the way from London to Edinburgh. I am planing to buy the BritRail Central Scotland Pass. We have four nights after leaving London.

Probably the best place to stop over between London and Edinburgh would be York. But York is not covered by your Scotland rail pass. W/ so few days in Scotland - do you think a rail pass is cost effective? Point to point tix are not very expensive and you will likely spend most time IN Edinburgh or nearby. Your son may take the train to Leuchars if he plays St Andrews. But w/ 4 days - 1 day/night used just getting up top Edinburgh, I don't think most passes would pencil out.

OH, thank you all for saving money. Where can I check on those train fares? I was looking on Britrail....got that off another thread. How long with allowing time for early arrival at station should I plan for the trip from London to Edinburgh? Never ridden a train so please advise best times to travel and any other tips.

Hi JoeBear,

If you go to http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/

you can find train tickets from London to Edinburgh. Try searching for one-way fares as well as round trip. Just doing a fake search for the beginning of May I found one-way tickets from £15 each way.

My husband and I took the train to London (we live in Edinburgh) and it was incredibly easy - much easier than flying. You end up in the city centre each way. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper it is so you could start looking now.

It's between 4 and 5 hours on the train. We're always early for everything so we tend to get to the station a half hour beforehand. By the way, there are two train stations in Edinburgh - Edinburgh Waverley is the main station on Princes Street. They do have a cart on the train where they sell snacks, drinks, etc.

Amelie, was the building work opposite the Knight's Residence not going on while you were there ? It would put me off.

Joe, in order that we can offer the best suggestions, can you tell us what is your accommodation budget, the make-up of your family (2 adults & 3 small children or what ?) and would you prefer a hotel/B&B or an apartment ?

Train fares usually go on sale 3 months beforehand so you may find the cheap fares have gone. Personally I find it cheaper, easier & more reliable to fly between Edinburgh & London. Are you flying into Heathrow ? If so, why not consider flying directly from LHR to EDI or back EDI-LHR-wherever ? If it is Heathrow, look at www.ba.com & www.flybmi.com to check the prices of flights.

Not having a car is very wise when you are visiting cities. The Marritt Dalmahoy would however be inconvenient to stay at without a car and if your primary purpose is to see Edinburgh, as it is several miles outside the city.

Kids not kids really...21, 19, and 16. Space is needed for relaxation. Fly into Heathcrow and out of EDI....so have four nights each place. I need suggestions for Edinburgh...Five is the problem. I am looking into flats possiblities. Suggestions? I have used VRBO many times so that is where I have started after checking into hotel possibilites. I can go $500 a night...prefer a bit less but comfort, space and location are important. We will not have a car.

I forgot to say since my family has never ridden on a train so I thought even though it might be longer it would be an adventure in itself. So can I wait until I get there to buy the tickets or should I go ahead now and purchase?

The longer you leave it, the more expensive it will be. A walk-on second class single from Heathrow to Edinburgh is £144.50.

caroline-
That building on the corner fell down the day before we got there (it wasn't supposed to go down that day), so then we had a view of the castle from the kitchen window!

I don't think they worked on it the rest of the time we were there. I never heard anything and I've not seen anyone mention it in reviews recently.

What's there now?

Amelie, wow, how exciting ! It's still a building site - I think it's just going to be flats.

I have fond memories of going to the Cas Rock Cafe (pub with bands) there when I first lived here & didn't know anyone.

I am still looking for 4 nights of lodging for family of five in Edinburgh. Have several emails out requesting rate information...are there any more reccomedations other than the ones already mentioned?

Have you looked at Tripadvisor ? If you are still talking about an apartments, in addition to the Knight's Residence which Amelie recommended there are 4 apartment options among Tripadvisor's top 5 'hotel' choices for Edinburgh.

Yes, I did that and just clicked off that site looking to see if I missed anything. The trouble seems to be 4 nights in a row with 5 I suppose.

What is the problem, exactly, Joe ? Are they all full now ?