I had no idea of the existence of The Vu, until I was invited to a friend's wedding here. I got a…read morereal shock when I arrived at the venue, as it was absolutely not what I expected. You actually feel like you could be up north somewhere, out in the country, as opposed to half an hour from Edinburgh. The Vu's main purpose is as a bar, restaurant and wedding venue, plus an events space for other functions. My friend's wedding ceremony was held in the Water Lily section of the venue, which is basically a small indoor space for the wedding vows, with a really striking location, jutting out over Ballencrieff Reservoir, on the waterfront. As a place for a wedding ceremony, I thought the views over the water, and the light and beams of sunshine spilling through the tall windows, made it particularly beautiful. The decor is classic, elegant, and mainly white, as weddings usually are, with a touch of purple, which comes through in the lighting scheme too. The Oasis Suite, where the reception was held, is a nice size, being not too overbearingly huge. The meal was really tasty, and there was a good bit of dance space for some ceilidh moves, and the band that played afterwards. This was truly a lovely, contemporary and intimate place to celebrate my friend's wedding.

I got married here just under two years ago, this was the second place I looked up online and fell…read morein love with it. The place is stunning, different and you can do everything in the one place out the way from roads, traffic and buildings. The food here is great and for the wedding meal you get great portions, the wedding packages are great too. Whatever your budget I'm sure you could find a package to suit you as I'm sure they do a Monday wedding for something ridiculous like £1000. This may have changed, just check. I have given it 3 stars for all the reasons above but I could not give it 5 stars as they ruined some of my wedding. They forgot a lot of stuff I asked for, forgot to put out things I had bought for the day for decoration and some of which had a special meaning. They broke my cake initials and the cake stand wasn't put up so my cake was flat and the tiers sat directly on one another. To be honest I have an arm length of issues from my special day which some what ruined it after the occasion as on the day I focused on my wedding day and didn't let it bother me. I complained but got nowhere, I got told they would have a meeting to cover my issues and get back to me but heard nothing at all. I asked for it to be escalated to the manager and owner a couple of times but again did not hear back. I have had a couple of friends who got married here after I recommended the venue to them, this was before my wedding date. They had a few issues too which I hoped the Vu had sorted out by the time their wedding happened. I told them what happened to me so that it wouldn't happen to them but seems some things still went wrong :(. It is a lovely venue and I'm sure a lot of weddings go well and they do their job but they didn't for me and I wouldn't recommend them because of this. For a business that conducts around 2 weddings a day every day they need to learn a lot about the most special day in someone's life. I hope this helps you decide of it's the place for you or even stop any of the issues I had happen to you on your day.

As part of a Facebook competition, I won a night here courtesy of Best Western and Queensferry…read morehotels (lucky me, eh?) Keavil House Hotel is just outside Dunfermline in a pretty village called Crossford; the hotel itself is set very far back from the road meaning that the surroundings to the hotel are very quiet and tranquil, perfect for a night of relaxation! Our prize included a night in a superior double room, a 3 course meal and full breakfast the following morning (as well as full use of the leisure facilities - I wish I had tried these but I was too comfy in the bed to get up for an early morning swim!). The room was excellent - modern furnishings, clean, spacious and we even had a little patio to ourselves. The room also had blackout curtains, which was a nice touch as it meant I slept for ages without the sunlight waking me up as it normally does at home! Our meal in the evening was first class also. I started with Thai fishcakes with salad and sweet chilli sauce, then opted for supreme of chicken with prawns, samphire, sage and onion puree and fondant potatoes and a mint chocolate chip cheesecake to finish. Kris chose haggis balls coated and fried in oatmeal with a whisky and mustard sauce before having roast lamb and finishing with a strawberry sundae. Everything was delicious and totally perfect! The breakfast as well was delicious, with a full range of hot foods and a full continental breakfast range also. Overall, we fully enjoyed our stay and felt so relaxed afterwards.All the staff we encountered were friendly and would have bent over backwards to help anyone. I will definitely visit again, and would highly recommend the Keavil House Hotel for a relaxing break away!

Absolutely horrible experience at this property. The staff and management were sarcastic, rude and…read morecompletely disrespectful at every level. Avoid.

Every little girl (and some little boys) hope for a fairytale wedding. At Dundas Castle in 2008 I…read moregot just that! The wedding of my dreams. Of course the best bit about your wedding is saying your vows to your beloved, and having everyone you love in one room at the same time... But the venue certainly helped! We had our ceremony in the 15th century building, "The Auld Keep", the oldest part of the castle. The ceremony room is a high-ceilinged stone room decorated with ancient looking tapestries. It is up two sets of narrow spiral stone stairways - not the best if you want to have elderly/infirm/disabled guests at the ceremony, or if you have a particularly enormous dress! The room seats about 90, but if you want more guests there is a second room where the ceremony can be watched by video link. We went up to the roof of the Keep for photos following the ceremony, which had amazing views over the River Forth to Fife, with the road and rail bridges visible from that height. After that we greeted our guests by entering the main part of the castle via a huge sweeping staircase, following a piper all the way. The meal was served in a large marquee on the grounds with lovely views across the gardens. It was served by the staff from Prestige catering company - The food was absolutely delicious, and served brilliantly by the glove wearing silver service waiters - it was almost scary how they silently appeared and placed food in front of every person on the table at once. The marquee was an ample size for a ceilidh that night, and again delicious food was served for the evening guests. And we got to choose the lighting scheme for the marquee to make it look unique to us! That was a brief summary of our specific wedding day, but there are loads of options for couples depending on where they want the ceremony to be held, number of guests for the ceremony and dinner, location of the dinner, and all importantly in Scotland- options for both outdoor and indoor activities should the weather be a bit rubbish! The castle is situated on acres of land, so it seems like you are miles from anywhere. I believe there is a golf course on the land, for those that fancy a quick round of golf before the ceremony. Quite randomly, there are Llamas living on the grounds of the castle! Something for the children/big children to get excited about. Before the wedding day, there is a dedicated team of wedding coordinators who help to plan every detail with you. During the wedding day, they can sometimes be seen discreetly running around with earpieces in, secretly communicating with one another to make sure things go smoothly. I would definitely recommend Dundas Castle for a wedding. I loved that once hired, it is "exclusively yours", the public can't walk in an have a look around whilst you're busy getting married! I can't speak for the current prices, but four years ago whilst expensive, it was very competitive with other Scottish wedding venues. If you are prepared to spend the money, you will be guaranteed a 5* service and an unforgettable wedding day.

As theatre halls go this one is quite small but that adds to the charm. They show films as well as…read moreputting on productions, concerts, pantomines. Car park next door and restaurant/cafe in premises

I like the Carnegie Hall; it's location and it's size, but I feel it should be more popular than it…read moreis. It seems to rely on a diet of 60s reunion shows, pantomimes and tribute acts. It has hosted some gems but I only recall one instance of it being full. The marketing could be better.

**March 2024: Weekday Morning Visit**…read more A couple of things to note -No reservations -Hours: Tues-Fri: 10am-4:30pm; Mon: Closed; Sat/Sun: 9:30am-4:30pm I saw this tearoom featured on a youtubers channel and thought it would be a great breakfast option as Clarinda's is known for their scones and baked goods. I came pretty close to the opening and was able to select my choice for seats. I picked a table near the window for natural lighting. They have a table of a lot of tasty treats and while I didn't get a chance to try them all, I can attest to the scone being very tasty! I ordered the Cream Tea (I think I ordered the Lemon and Elderflower) which comes with a freshly baked homemade scone (I chose a fruit one), and a cup of tea €6.80. I decided to upgrade to a pot of tea (€7.75) and added a bowl of porridge (€5.50) with jam as I usually prefer savory breakfasts. This was more than enough to eat for one, but I just enjoy trying different items - does anyone else have this problem? lol I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here as the ambiance, food and tea were homey and intimate. This would be such a fun place to converse with girlfriends for tea time!

If you make it down to the bottom of Royal Mile you MUST stop at Clarinda's Tea Room, a small…read morehole-in-the-wall place with so much personality. We had breakfast here on our first day in Edinburgh. It's cozy and the walls are covered with paintings, antique cups, and plates. To be honest the walls are quite chaotic but that's where the personality comes in. We ordered the eggs with toast and the full Scottish breakfast. Food was great, coffee hit the spot, and service was excellent. Even with the chaos they keep the place clean. Also, BEWARE they do not have hot sauce here LOL. I asked the server and she said "No, but it was worth a try to ask" Respect lol. We sat by the window and people watched and awed at the beautiful architecture of Edinburgh. It's a chill spot to rest and refuel. Would love to come back for their afternoon tea!