Stay at the Balmoral Hotel

How Good Is This Historic Luxury Hotel in Edinburgh?

Are you considering a stay at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh? You will not be alone as it is one of the best-known and most expensive hotels in the city, an iconic and luxurious hotel, right in the heart of the city centre, with an award-winning spa and leisure facilities.

The Balmoral is a truly unique, landmark hotel, almost as famous as Edinburgh itself. It houses Michelin starred restaurant Number 1, famed for its exquisite food and excellent service. But does this 5-star hotel stand out from the crowd?

I've read hundreds of reviews from guests who have stayed at the Balmoral over the years and the following is a clear and unbiased summary of what these guests really thought of their stay at this hotel.

What's special about the Balmoral Hotel?

• Very famous luxury hotel with a regal and historic atmosphere, being one of the two original Victorian railway hotels in Edinburgh, a famous landmark of the city, with a 195 feet clock-tower.
• Impeccable service with professionally trained and very helpful staff, for whom nothing is too much trouble.
• Excellent spa, voted Scotland's Top Urban Day Spa in Conde Nast Traveller's 2008 Readers' Spa Awards, as well as a 15m swimming pool, sauna, eucalyptus steam room and an exercise studio.
• Location: Excellent location at 1 Princes Street, right in the heart of Edinburgh city centre and next to Waverley train station. The Balmoral is perfectly situated for shopping, sightseeing and dining for those who want to be right in the centre of where everything is happening.

Read Balmoral Hotel reviews or check for discounted room rates.

What do guests really think?

Many reviewers thought that the Balmoral is an expensive hotel, but that you get what you pay for. Others, who had obtained discounted rates on the Internet, loved their stay but would not have paid the full price. There were a few negative or average reviews, mainly around the condition of the rooms and the views from the rooms, but these were far outweighed by the positive comments.

• Most guests described the Balmoral as the height of luxury and perfectly located in the very heart of the city. A small number, however, described it as soulless and lacking in warmth.
• The reviews of the rooms were very mixed. The 168 rooms and 20 suites are all very individual and this showed through in the reviews. Many guests loved how spacious their rooms were, while others were unpleasantly surprised at how small they were.
• Some would have preferred to have rooms facing out onto the street, whilst others found the rooms with views far too noisy. The courtyard facing rooms attracted many varied reviews, as many reviewers were extremely unhappy with the lack of view, whereas others preferred them to the street facing ones, as they were very quiet.
• Most guests loved the spa, which was described as high-quality and immaculate. It seems that there is high demand for the treatments, so it pays to book in advance.

Detailed Balmoral Review (room design and comfort, staff and level of service, food and drink, location and nice touches)

My Recommendation

After reading so many reviews, the Balmoral does seem to be true 5-star quality, especially with the extremely high level of service and leisure facilities. Due to the mixed reviews on the quality and size of the rooms and the varying comments about noise and views, I would recommend that you check carefully where your room is situated.

Location is everything and if you are looking for a traditional and historic hotel, in the absolute heart of the city centre, with excellent service and yet a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, then the Balmoral could be a good choice.

You may have to pay more in terms of room rate and extras, but most reviewers feel that it's worth paying more to be able to stay in such a luxurious and historic hotel.

Book the Balmoral Hotel or find other luxury hotel deals in Edinburgh.

Staying at the Balmoral, Edinburgh - Web links

• Great Places to Stay - Balmoral, Edinburgh - RampantScotland.com
• Balmoral Hotel - Wikipedia.org
• Hotel Balmoral, Edinburgh - Timesonline.co.uk

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Origin of 'Edinburgh'

Tourists have problems with the name of Edinburgh. There are hundreds of ways people write it and the most common writings include 'edinburg', 'edinborough', 'edimburgh', 'edinbourgh', 'ediburgh', 'edinbugh', 'edinboro', 'edingburgh', 'edinbrugh', 'edimburg', 'edinburugh', 'edingurgh', 'edinbrough', etc.

According to the Scottish Place Names dictionary, the name Edinburgh means 'Fort of the Rock Face'. The 'edin' part comes from Scottish Gaelic and means 'rock face', while 'burgh' comes from Old English meaning stronghold.

Some more obscure (and quite funny) ways of writing Edinburgh include: edinburough, edingburg, edinbourg, edinburh, edinurgh, edenburg, edinbough, edinbourough, edinbrgh, edingborough, edenburgh, edinberg, edinborgh, edinborugh, edinburge, edinburhg, edingbourgh, etc.

Edinburgh is spelt Edimburgo in Spanish and Italian and Édimbourg in French.

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