Moderate Edinburgh guest house/small hotel
 

Am planning my first (solo) trip to Scotland for October, and am seeking feedback re potential accommodations. <BR><BR>Contenders thus far:<BR>Davenport House, Great King St. (New Town)<BR>Saxe Coburg House, Saxe Coburg Pl. (Stockbridge)<BR>Dunstane House & The Lodge(W. Coats/ Haymarket)<BR><BR>I'm also considering Ellesmere, Cluaren House, and The Townhouse Guesthouse (all in the Bruntsfield area) and Barony House (Newington), though those areas seem a bit far from things.<BR><BR>Your suggestions are also most welcome. I'd like to keep costs under 65 GPB/night, and would like a place (hopefully with a bit of charm) that I can comfortably walk to after dinner or a pub visit at night. Since I'll be on my own, I'm looking for friendly/cozy rather than romantic, with probably more than just 2 or 3 rooms. A breakfast room and/or lounge where I might meet other travellers is preferable to in-room breakfast.<BR><BR>Many thanks -- Lesli<BR><BR><BR>

Not sure of current prices, but can't beat the location. Mount Royal Hotel situated on the main street, Princes Street, is a sensational location and moderately priced and has a restaurant on the second floor overlooking the main stree, park area across the street and other areas up to Edinburgh Castle. Also, next door, is my favorite store, Jener's...it is possible Mt. Royal has a website.

Can't comment on the hotels as I usually stay with relatives or friends in Edinburgh, but I wouldn't dismiss the idea of staying in Bruntsfield or Newington. Both are well within walking distance of the town centre and are well served by local buses - in fact they're not really any further away than Haymarket.<BR><BR>They are more residential than the centre, and the areas are more of a mix of local residents and students.

A friend and I stayed in the twin room at Cluaran House last year. The room was small but quite pretty and overall it was a nice little guesthouse -- good breakfast (complete with a nice kitty wandering around), polite hosts, well-kept, etc. It's not fancy, but either is the price.<BR><BR>A friend stayed at Dunstane House a few years ago and liked it, but I don't know the details. It's not actually that much closer to things than Bruntsfield or Newington, and in less of a "neighborhoody" area, but I think it's a little fancier than the typical Bruntsfield or Newington guesthouse.<BR><BR>I don't know Saxe Coburg House, but Stockbridge is an enjoyable yuppy kind of neighborhood. If you're planning on walking to the center of town, be prepared for some hills.<BR><BR>I think any of your choices would probably work out well. I actually like staying in Bruntsfield, but I've spent lots of time in Edinburgh and like to settle into a neighborhood rather than be right in the center. It may not be as appealing, though, to the first-time visitor who's looking for something a little more exciting or picturesque.<BR> <BR>As Keith pointed out, both Newington and Bruntsfield are very well-served by buses and have a residential feel. Newington has a higher concentration of B&Bs than Brunstfield, many of which are on the main thoroughfares. From Bruntsfield, it's a nice walk across the Meadows to the University, National Museum of Scotland, etc., and a less nice walk up Lothian Road to the West End.<BR><BR>I hope this helps a little.

Some good advice on the other replies but I would opt for Gt. King Street. <BR><BR>You are in the New Town with all it's Georgian architecture - Edinburgh is a city for exploring on foot and the New Town is a great place to start. Handy for the Dean Village as well as Princes Street Gardens and the Castle. <BR><BR>Walking in Edinburgh involves hills so better to be at the top of one in the New Town rather than down in Stockbridge.

Lesli, as someone who grew up in Edinburgh and now goes back to visit, I would opt for Dunstane House. It is in a lovely location and will have a great view from the front. It's not a very long walk to Princes Street, and it's flat, but there are plenty of buses if you want. I hadn't realized that you can get to the Water of Leith from there so easily. I wouldn't consider Saxe Coburg Place. It's tucked away in a corner. Great King Street (Len,why do you think this is handy for the Dean Village?) is also not too far to walk to Princes Street, but it's steeply uphill almost all the way. Davenport House is just a B&B, and from their web site, the times they serve breakfast are very limited, whereas Dunstane House has a little bar and a restaurant.<BR>I hope you get good weather in Edinburgh. It is the most beautiful city in the world.

Thanks to all for your thoughts thus far, though I'm still struggling with decisions. At this point, I'm leaning more towards the places in W. Coats/Haymarket or Bruntsfield areas, I think.<BR><BR>In London, I like to stay in Bloomsbury, which is quieter and more neighborhood-y, yet within walking distance of the theater and Soho for nightlife. No problem to take the tube to Kensington or wherever for shopping and sightseeing during the day. I'm aiming for a similar situation in Edinburgh, so I hope I'm on the right track!

To the top for another Edinburgh traveler!

http://www.jarvis.co.uk/locations/mountroyal.html<BR><BR>I beleive that this is the address for the mount royal hotel that Karen was mentioning.<BR><BR>Hope this helps!

http://www.dunstane-hotel-edinburgh.com/inside.html<BR><BR>http://www.cluaran-house-edinburgh.co.uk/rooms.html<BR><BR>http://www.saxe-coburg-house.co.uk/<BR><BR>just in case anyone wanted to look into these ones as well!