Edinburgh Hotels Reviews

Which Are The Most Recommended Hotels and Apartments in Edinburgh?

You're probably looking for an Edinburgh hotel in or near the City Centre (Princes Street hotels and Royal Mile accommodation are particularly popular), hopefully cheap but good (or top luxurious accommodation) AND close to all of the major attractions of Edinburgh, particularly Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town. But few, if any, of the central hotels in Edinburgh tick all the boxes and you are likely to have to compromise on some aspect of your stay. So which hotels to choose from?

You can read some of the accommodation reviews on TripAdvisor, Booking.com or LateRooms, or some of the many travel guides ranking and recommending hotels in Edinburgh but which can you actually trust? Even if you look for hotels on your own there are hundreds of hotels and B&Bs to choose from.

For every one of the following hotels we've read all of the guest reviews posted on different hotel booking websites and created a summary of what people think of it -- the good, the bad, the special. The summary is more objective and balanced as it reflects hundreds of opinions from people who have stayed in Edinburgh.

Checklist for Choosing Hotels in Edinburgh

• The layout of the City Centre helps you decide whether to stay in a hotel right in Edinburgh City Centre or a bit further out, in other areas of the city (like New Town area, parts of Old Town area and Newington area which is littered with best value accommodation, many with parking). Edinburgh is a very compact city and if you stay fairly close to the city centre you will be within walking distance of the shops, restaurants, bars and attractions but keep in mind that it is also quite a hilly city so walking may be slightly demanding in parts.
• The location of major Edinburgh attractions. You want to stay in a hotel with easy access to the best attractions in Edinburgh. Many people choose to stay within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street and the Royal Mile. Remember that with most hotels close to the attractions, a room with a view of Edinburgh Castle or Arthur's Seat is likely to cost extra.
• The price of staying in Edinburgh hotels. You want hotel accommodation that suits your budget and provides the best value for money. Many of the city centre hotels are fairly expensive (there's an excellent choice of luxury hotels but also many excellent value-for-money hotels and serviced apartments. You will be paying for the location so if you want city centre accommodation and are on a budget then consider the cheap hotels on Princes Street. But you will get more for your money booking accommodation outside of Edinburgh City Centre (like the Newington area).
• Your reason for travelling. Most people come to Edinburgh for sightseeing in which case Old Town accommodation is best. If you are visiting Edinburgh for shopping then you may wish to stay close to the main shopping area of Princes Street (so accommodation in New Town or in the West End is very good). If you are in Edinburgh for the bars and restaurants then consider the lively areas of George Street or the Grassmarket. Many people attending events at the Edinburgh Playhouse choose a hotel within easy walking distance like the boutique Glasshouse Hotel.

Reviews of Accommodation on or near Royal Mile

Royal Mile Hotels

• Holyrood apartHotel (4-star luxury hotel apartments)
  Near Royal Mile, Palace of Holyroodhouse area
• Radisson Blu (4-star modern hotel)
  Right on the Royal Mile, ideal distance between Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street
• Fraser Suites (4-star boutique hotel)
  Just off Royal Mile, close to Edinburgh Castle, next to St Giles Cathedral
• MacDonald Holyrood (4-star contemporary hotel)
  Near Royal Mile, Scottish Parliament and Holyrood area
• Missoni (5-star designer hotel)
  George IV Bridge, very close to Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle and Grassmarket
• Witchery by the Castle (5-star boutique accommodation)
  Right on Royal Mile, extremely close to Edinburgh Castle

Grassmarket

• Apex City (4-star modern hotel)
  Grassmarket area in Old Town, near Royal Mile
• Apex International (4-star contemporary hotel with pool)
  Grassmarket area in Old Town, near Royal Mile

Reviews of Accommodation on or near Princes Street

Cheap Hotels on Princes Street

• Ramada Mount Royal (3-star budget hotel)
  Right on Princes Street, near main train station
• Royal British (3-star budget hotel)
  Right on Princes Street, near Waverley Train Station
• Old Waverley (3-star budget hotel)
  Right on Princes Street, near Waverley Rail Station

Hotels near Princes Street

• Tigerlily (4-star boutique hotel)
  George Street, near Princes Street
• Le Monde (4-star boutique hotel)
  George Street, near St Andrew's Square
• Apex Waterloo Place (4-star great value-for-money hotel)
  Waterloo Place, just off Princes Street
• Carlton (4-star contemporary hotel with pool)
  Right on North Bridge, ideally located between Royal Mile and Princes Street
• Scotsman (5-star boutique hotel)
  Right on North Bridge, very close to Princes Street and Royal Mile
• The George (4-star great value-for-money hotel)
  George Street, very close to Princes Street
• Roxburghe (4-star traditional hotel with spa)
  Charlotte Square, just off Princes Street
• The Rutland (4-star boutique hotel)
  Just off Princes Street, in the West End

Luxury Hotels on Princes Street

• The Balmoral (5-star luxury hotel)
  Right on Princes Street, famous historic hotel
• The Caledonian Hilton (5-star luxury hotel)
  Right on Princes Street, famous historic hotel

Reviews of Hotels in West End/New Town

• Edinburgh Residence (5-star boutique townhouse hotel)
  Dean Village, West End, slightly out of the City Centre
• The Howard (5-star boutique hotel)
  New Town, north of City Centre
• Number 10 (5-star boutique hotel)
  New Town, near Stockbridge, north of City Centre
• The Bonham (4-star boutique hotel)
  West End, New Town, close to Haymarket
• Channings (4-star boutique hotel)
  Stockbridge, north of Edinburgh City Centre
• Sheraton (5-star spa hotel)
  Festival Square, close to City Centre

Reviews of Hotels outside Edinburgh City Centre

• Glasshouse (5-star boutique hotel)
  Leith Walk, near Playhouse Theatre
• Ten Hill Place (3-star green hotel)
  Near Edinburgh University and Festival Theatre
• Best Western Bruntsfield (4-star quiet hotel)
  Near Morningside, outside Edinburgh City Centre
• Salisbury (4-star good value hotel)
  Southside/Newington, south of Edinburgh City Centre
• Malmaison (4-star boutique hotel)
  Leith, on the waterfront, close to Royal Yacht Britannia
• Prestonfield House (5-star boutique hotel)
  Outside Edinburgh City Centre

Reviews of Hotels Near Edinburgh

• Dalhousie Castle (4-star castle hotel)
  Bonnyrigg, near Edinburgh
• Dalmahoy Mariott Hotel (4-star spa hotel)
  Kirknewton, outside Edinburgh, close to airport

Airport Hotels

• Quality Airport Hotel (3-star budget hotel)
  Close to Edinburgh Airport
• Hilton Edinburgh Airport (4-star hotel)
  Close to Edinburgh Airport
• Norton House Spa and House Hotel (4-star spa hotel)
  Ingliston, near Edinburgh Airport

Reviews of Serviced Apartments in Edinburgh

• Alba Executive (5-star serviced apartments)
  Grange area, outside Edinburgh City Centre
• Atholl Brae Royal Mile (4-star serviced apartment)
  Right on the Royal Mile, Old Town
• Chester Residence (5-star serviced apartment)
  New Town, Haymarket area
• Fountain Court EQ2 (4-star serviced apartment)
  Near Financial district
• Knight Residence (5-star serviced apartments)
  Near Grassmarket and financial district
• Princes Street Suites (4-star serviced apartments)
  Waterloo Place, just off Princes Street
• Royal Mile Residence (5-star serviced apartments)
  Right on the Royal Mile, Old Town
• St Giles Apartments (4-star serviced apartments)
  On Royal Mile and around the Old Town

Edinburgh has a variety of hotels ranging from quite cheap to very expensive, luxury hotels. In general, if you research properly you should find a hotel that suits your budget and requirements, although prices do rise steeply at certain times of the year such as at New Year and during the Edinburgh Festival in August when you should consider yourself lucky to find a room at all.

The first thing you must do before setting out in search of accommodation in Edinburgh is to accept that you will have to compromise on location, price or facilities if you want a really cheap hotel deal that still gives you good value for money. Some points about accommodation in Edinburgh:

• Many of the hotels right in the centre of the city have limited or no parking and it can work out expensive to park your car.
• You are also less likely to find leisure facilities in the city centre although there are some 4 and 5 star hotels with swimming pool and spa.
• Many of the hotels in the City Centre are converted Georgian and Victorian townhouse hotels in listed buildings and some do not have lifts. Due to the layout of these old buildings, some of the room sizes in the older converted buildings are less than generous.
• Lastly, some hotel rooms in the city centre can be quite noisy at night, especially hotels that are in the most popular areas for nightlife.

If you are willing to walk 20-30 minutes or catch one of the frequent local buses into the centre, you are more likely to find a hotel which offers more spacious rooms, better facilities and far better value for money.

When you are working out how much a hotel costs per night, don't forget to take optional extras into account such as parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast.

»Back to Places to Stay in Edinburgh or Hotels in Edinburgh City Centre