This stop was the biggest disappointment of our trip to Edinburgh…read more I went with my two daughters and we were so excited to go...... until we actually got there. We arrived for our reservation, the staff pointed at a table and got us to seat ourselves, then told us which drinks were not available. With a rather limited menu, it really is hugely disappointing when two of the drinks aren't available. You pay for your drinks in advance when you book your reservation so we couldn't leave even though my daughters couldn't get the drinks they had planned on. Then they brought all three drinks to us at the same time, advised us to make them all at the same time immediately because the dry ice wouldn't last. These drinks have multiple steps to create. Spoiler alert, if you go with kids and have to help them with their drinks, your drink will be wasted like mine was. The only thing that happened with my drink was it changed a slight different colour because by the time I got to it the dry ice was gone. They really should offer parents with young children the choice of getting their drinks a few minutes later if things need to be mixed immediately and kids need help reading and following the instructions. Neither of my daughters liked the taste of their drinks (they described it as tasting like Tylenol medicine) and I would rate mine as only "okay". We sat next to a wonderful young couple from Switzerland and they were trying to watch us do our drinks since their drinks failed and did nothing. Their spoken English was perfect but they said they had problems reading some of the instructions, couldn't get help, and therefore ended up making mistakes with the order in which to mix things. The couple were so sweet about it but they were every bit as disappointed as we were and also thought the taste wasn't very good. Then near the end of the visit, we were told "we had 15 minutes left in our reservation and to please get ready to leave now" so I stood up immediately and we left my drink unfinished (which to be honest I'm not too sad about). It's a shame because the place has potential and if the waitress had even introduced herself or been friendly in anyway we would have had a much better time. It's a cute space, the concept of it is amazing, but the staff should be friendlier (she is the only person I have met in Edinburgh that hasn't been friendly). Overall an extremely disappointing experience. The only disappointment and rude/rushed service we have had in our two weeks here in Edinburgh. When they brought the shot glass drinks out in a chest full of dry ice, it looked really cool and that was the only part we enjoyed. I suggest saving your money and just buy some dry ice instead.

Wanted to love... but didn't. First, the service was extremely slow and we spent 15 minutes waiting…read morefor the only server to explain the directions to 4 other tables before coming to us saying she didn't notice us. The drinks then also got backed up because 4-5 tables were ordering at a time. We also saw many people get turned away because they didn't have a reservation, but there were several empty tables the entire time we were there. This place is definitely just full of dry ice and gimmicks that just miss the bar. For the Magic Potions Tavern, you can book a Magic Potion and Shot experience where you can choose from around 8 different "potions" (drink) options and a few shots. Then, you receive laminated potion directions and essentially mix your own drink and watch as it smokes with dry ice (which is essentially the only cool part about it.) The drinks ended up being *not great*--and super basic. The Herbology 101 was pretty much just muddled raspberries, vodka and lemon juice with bits of flower candy that tasted like chalk, and the Potion No. 9 was basically just purple sparkly gin. The shots tasted god awful. As someone who loves a gimmick, this is great for a day of Harry Potter exploration if you want something cool to post on your Instagram story. If you're looking for great drinks and service, go literally anywhere else. :/

Great big park with lots to do. There is a sand pit, spiders web, flying fox, swings and lots of…read moreother fun things for the kids to play on. There is benches and picnic tables which I think there should be more of as it's usually quite busy but there is a grassy area if you can't get a table or bench. There is toilets, a small shop to get a tea or coffee and an ice cream van nearby!

Kids these days don't know how lucky they are. This is such a middle class playground it is…read moreunbelievable: not content with just swings, you have race car chair swings. There's a zip wire, a climbing wall, some form of big swinging disk thing and numerous other structures bringing unadulterated joy to me...and probably little kids as well. During the day this playground is absolutely rammed with screaming children as mothers discuss the latest issue of glamour or yesterday's tea party. This is the time to avoid, mainly because you'll look a bit weird swinging with a load of 5 year olds (careful those of you with innuendo based minds). In the evening though, or better in the small hours of the morning, this is a drunkard's paradise. Everything becomes so much more amazing...and more difficult. Whether it be the swings, the climbing frame or simply the spinning disk then it is a joy. Also the playground is one of the best places to meet fellow boozehounds, there's a real community of idiots there. A word of warning though, when on the swings, make sure you don't look at the hypno-disk, it will definitely make you feel queasy at the least. An amazing park with brilliant features for all kids, both little and large

very helpful receptionist,it was unfortunate the cafe didn't open until 10am however excellent well…read morestocked vending machines are available

Good facilities for the local area, featuring a pool, gym, fitness classes and indoor halls for…read morerental. They do badminton, basketball, table tennis, soft play etc. Lots on offer. It's got a municipal feel to it - don't expect spa quality or vibe. Still, it's affordable and important for the local community as there are no other facilities like this nearby unless you get into private gyms, which come with a silly price tag. There's a huge amount of parking, along with cycle storage.

I'm not sure how I feel about the Edinburgh Zoo; I don't think it's a destination spot if you're…read morevisiting for the first time. If you live locally or come to the city often, sure, make your way to the zoo eventually. They have some great events: social for new parents to meet other new parents, afternoon teas, photography workshops, and more. They are home to more than 2,500 animals including: camels, monkeys, pelicans, zebras, highland cows (...obviously), giraffes (a four back of bachelors named Arrow, Gerald, Fennessy, and Gilbert), a red panda, tigers, meerkats, a bear, a very large penguin pool with LOTS of gentoo, king, and rockhopper penguins (you can watch them live on the zoo's website!), flamingos (their oldest one was born in 1961!), and more. Unfortunately, you won't see all of them when you visit: I would say about 30% of them weren't there (for various reasons: rehoming, new structures being built, vet visits, it was the wrong time of day, etc.) when I came. There is, however - and this won't make sense unless you've seen it - an unexpectedly LARGE dinosaur presence here. IYKYK. Thankful for the conservation work they do here and in the protection of endangered species around the world, but I'm not sure this is a spot I need to have repeat visit at.

This is one of my favorite zoos. Was disappointed on how they have let it decline since our last…read morevisit Oct of 2023. The landscaping used to be perfect but now there are lots of weeds. Staff is always friendly here. Animals here are always great. Wish it was easier to find a drink here while walking around. Hoping they find a way to fix this zoo back up I miss the old zoo.

I did my research before joining a gym in Edinburgh, and I think that this is definitely a…read morefive-star gym that beats out the rest on quality and price. It is not just the new, fantastically-built university gym for Edinburgh University, but it is also a community gym that welcomes members of the public to join as well, for just slightly higher rates. I like that this gym has variety and great quality. The main cardio room has great machines with touch-screen TVs that are easy to navigate and the best and most current gym technology. Behind this room is a weight room that can be very busy with lots of testosterone monopolizing the weights, but at lunchtimes it is much less busy and intimidating. In the back, with stunning views of Arthur's Seat, is my favorite gym room with great elliptical trainers along the walls and many large individual mats on the floor for using weights, medicine balls, exercise balls, etc. It is much more calm than the other rooms. I also love the classes. So far, I have been to two spinning classes, two Zumba classes, and a circuits class. They have all been great with really nice and helpful instructors. You book all of the classes online from seven days before the classes, but can also sometimes show up and see if there is extra space to join in. Spinning definitely fills up quickly, but it's worth it! This is a fantastic place and has a great vibe about it. With your membership, you also have access to the pool that's in another building. Thus far, I have been more than happy with all of the many other offerings in the main building!

great gym, just the hours, the open hours should always be the same 6am or earlier. Many if not…read moremajority of gym goers are early birds, but have to wait till 9am, on sat and sunday. Notice there's a queue every weekend. All gyms , rcp included, open real early 7 days a week as they know this, dont be lazy and open earlier!

Great links course. The 1st hole in particular is a wee beauty. Almost drivable but well protected…read morewith loads of bunkers. A placement shot off the tee is best but even then, it's a tricky shot to get into the landing zone. Another of east Lothian's great courses.

This place is not just for members. Anyone can come to the clubhouse anytime of day and you'll be…read moreglad you did. It's a fantastic modern clubhouse with one if the best views of The Forth you'll ever see. It's ver welcoming, not stuffy or intimidating at all. Perfect for Sunday lunch. The menu has a range of the usual things and is really good quality. I can recommend the chilli nachos and steak pie - sensational! Get yourself a table by the big French door windows and enjoy the view as well as the golfers playing the 1st!

This is ESCAPETHEROOMers first stop in Edinburgh, Scotland! Edinburgh is such a beautiful and…read moremysterious looking city that everywhere I walked, I felt like I was part of the Harry Potter movie set. Because we had a full day of escape rooms, we didn't have much time to explore Edinburgh. But we will definitely be back to check out its history. Escape Edinburgh currently have 3 different locations. The location that we are visiting today - Morrison Street is their newest and we loved where it was situated. This location is in the basement of the "Noughts & Coffees" cafe store and you can find many types of board games there to play for an unlimited time for just £3.50 per person. It's a great place to be after an escape game to chat with friends, get a cup of coffee and play more games! When we went down the stairs to enter Escape Edinburgh's lobby area, there wasn't much space or decor there except for two benches to sit and wait. After being debriefed by our friendly game master, we quickly entered their newest room - "Sub Zero". The storyline was that we needed to destroy the evidence left on a missing submarine and escape before it's too late! As we entered the room, the decor immediately transported us into a submarine embarking on an underwater experience. However, we did mention later to the game master that one of the clues were rather hard to see and we wasted a good amount of time on that even though we knew what we're supposed to do. The puzzle designs and props that were used correlated with the storyline the entire time except for one particular puzzle that had some very confusing wordings on the clue. Overall, we enjoyed the latter part of the game a lot more as the puzzles were more creative and unique. With two people, we escaped with some time to spare. In addition, we also had the privilege to take a sneak peek inside the two other rooms that they currently offer: "221B Baker Street" and "The Magic Emporium". If you only have time for one game there, we suggest that you try "The Magic Emporium" room. The set design was quite intriguing as it looked like you've been transported to Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. We hope that we have a chance to return one day and escape with Escape Edinburgh again! *For more info, check out my Yelp profile.

I highly recommend Escape Edinburgh!!…read more We visited the New Town location and did The Experiment with a group of 6 people. We were mostly beginners with some experienced players. I've done 20+ escape rooms and this was one of the best!! The room was well-designed, the puzzles were clever without being frustrating, and the storyline and decorations were interesting. The attendant was friendly and welcoming. The attendant told us this was one of the harder rooms. It was a complicated room with lots of parts to keep track of, but not necessarily difficult. I might avoid the Experiment room if you are a group of beginners and aren't too familiar with escape rooms. Pros: Great puzzles, challenging, well-paced, friendly staff, good location, student discount!!! Total was £72 for 6 people. Cons: 6-person limit, but that seems to be the standard in Edinburgh, and it would have been crowded with 7+ people. I can't wait to visit again and try another room!

Factory Gyms have an excellent deal on at the moment- 12 months membership at £20 squid a month…read more But how are they so cheap you're wondering? Because they don't have a pool. Or a sauna. But they have pretty much everything else and it's all of top-level quality (I've seen the gym for myself). If you're into cardio and weights then this is the place for you. The location is really handy too- right in the city centre next to the back entrance to Waverly Station (Calton Road). If you fancy a wee looky before commiting to a contract, they staff will happily show you their facilities.

Don't know where the first guy got his info from but he's way off the mark. I run a Maximum krav…read moremaga scotland class there and the place is brand new and spotless. All the trainers are top class and really friendly. Cheers Rab http://www.combatscotland.co.uk