Places to stay in Edinburgh...

[rhythmaning]

For the last two months, I have spent a couple of nights in Edinburgh each week, since I have been working with a client there. It has been very interesting: a different view of the city I lived in for fifteen years, and is still my favourite city.

I stayed in a different hotel each week, save for one week. This wasn’t a deliberate choice, though the longer it went on, the more I was likely to keep it going. I wanted to try out different bits of the city, and a couple of places I stayed in because of their locality. On the other hand, three of the hotels (including the only one I stayed in twice) were in the same street.

All the places were located and booked through LateRooms.com, though I was told by a couple of places that I’d get a discount if I booked over the phone, or that the hotelier would make more if I booked direct (one hotelier appealing to my wallet, the other to my conscience).

I found it very illuminating: it was certainly a different of seeing the city. Every place I stayed in felt different, for different reasons; I have “favourites”, though it also feels a bit more random than that.

I was on expenses; but whilst I could have had my choice of hotels – at someone else’s expense – that frankly felt wrong. So this also made me think of work expenses. My main policy for expenses is “is it reasonable?” I was keen to get good value for my client, both in hotels and travel; but I would put my comfort first.

There isn’t much that hotels have to do. You have to check in, maybe watch TV, go to bed (and hopefully sleep); get up, bathe, eat breakfast (if it’s included…) and check out. It isn’t actually too complicated.

I have known for quite a while that I don’t really go for “corporate” hotels – since I had a job that took me around the country stay. Instead, I prefer characterful places – somewhere with a bit of personality.

Here – in order (and hence the most recent places – probably the ones I have best recall about – are last) - are the places I stayed in.

• Holiday Inn Express, Leith - sorry, Edinburgh Waterfront. About as corporate as you can get, I guess, but I needed somewhere quickly for my first couple of days, and it was useful to be near my client in Leith. It was fine: it did everything it had to
  
• A Georgian Residence (11 Moray Place). The only B&B I stayed in. The main reason I chose it was to spend some time there was to experience the house: a large Georgian house over four or five floors in the New Town. It was a lovely building; the bedroom I had was huge – larger than a whole floor of my house. If anything, I felt a little lost in the space. There were two downsides, really – two reasons I chose not to go back: the water pressure in the electric shower was useless, little better than a dribble; and it really felt like I was intruding in someone else’s house. This isn’t surprising – and the people there were very friendly; it’s just that it was someone else’s house. It felt a bit like a time warp, too – decoratively, it felt like the 1980s
  
• Royal Terrace Hotel. This was great, but the room was small, and it was also the most expensive place I stayed; but I couldn’t really see what I was paying for: aside from room service – which I used once – it was a room with a bed, a TV, a shower. Just like everywhere else. Sure, it had a restaurant (which I didn’t use) and a bar (which I did); but Edinburgh isn’t short of either restaurants or bars
  
• Sandaig Guest House. I thought this place was great. Overlooking Leith Links, a short walk from where I was working. It was cosy and comfortable, had a big bath. Breakfast was great. And there was a welcoming glass of sherry for me. I’d have happily gone back – although their prices went up as the month passed, and I decided to try places a little more central
  
  

  

  
  
  
• I spent two weeks staying with a friend – this worked superbly since I wasn’t reliant on restaurants or cooked breakfasts (hard to turn down if you’ve paid for them!). I didn’t want to outstay my welcome though – albeit that I have an open invite back!
  
• Terrace Hotel. Not the Royal Terrace; the Terrace Hotel. Just along the road from the Royal Terrace Hotel, though, so they get lots of confused people. This was the only place I went back to twice. Another Georgian building, it was similarly spacious. They had got my booking wrong, so it wasn’t quite the welcome I might have expected, but it was friendly. The breakfast was great. All in all, I thought this place was a bargain
  
• Abbey Hotel. Back the other way along Royal Terrace. I am not sure what kept me coming back to Royal Terrace, although it was central enough to have lots of restaurants and bars nearby but not really too near where I used to live (which I think would have been a bit freaky). They upgraded me since they were quiet, so I had another large room. They were very friendly. I liked this place a lot, too. The only downside was that there was plumbing or heating noise in the night, which woke me up
  
• 28 York Place (they don’t appear to have their own website; I thought they did…). I am in two minds about 28 York Place. It is very central; it had the most stunning view which would take me back like a shot; but they seemed the least organised, too. The bin in my room hadn’t been emptied and so was full of someone else’s rubbish when I arrived – and they didn’t empty it the next day either. Compared to the Terrace or the Abbey, the room was small (but fine). The bath was good; there was no breakfast. But the view was superb – and I’d go back just for that…

Comments

[ron-broxted.livejournal.com]

You never put the prices on! I stayed at the University residences 2 summers ago for a weekend. Cheap!

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

That was deliberate - prices kept changing so putting downprices seemed a little pointless.

The Royal Terrace was £92/night; all the others were between £50 and £70, I think.

[andrewducker]

I hadn't realised you were up so much. If you have some spare time at some point when you're up it would be nice to grab a drink.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

Sorry - I stuck it on Facebook and Twitter, but not here! I don't anticipate spending much time in Edinburgh in the foreseeable future, but my client did say they looked forward to working with me in the future, so they might have other plans!

[nicnac.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about feeling like you're invading someone's home - it's tricky to find places that aren't corporate but also aren't uncomfortably intimate.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

It is a really funny balance - finding somewhere rhat feels like home but not too much like someone else's home!