Standing at the East End of Princes Street is the imposing building known today as The Balmoral…read moreHotel. Owned by Sir Rocco Forte since 1997, the building has been completely refurbished and now enjoys a worldwide reputation as a luxury hotel. The hotel is a well-loved landmark which has graced Edinburgh's skyline since 1902 when it began its life as a grand railway hotel. Of course the building has undergone many changes since then but even to this day it still holds a certain magic that has luckily been harnessed and maintained. The famous Balmoral hotel is an iconic feature in the Edinburgh city skyline. With its impressive architecture, famous clocktower, and Scottish flag flying patriotically - it's like a siren that makes you want to see what's inside its walls.

Check in was swift and courteous. Room is amazing with a great view. The spa is nice but a loud…read moreboy was running around unattended in the locker rooms, screaming in the pool and quiet areas. Limited gym but nicely decorated.

Friendly staff, comfy beds, BEST fish and triple fried chips (even Bobby Flay only cooks his…read moretwice)! Better than Landry's across the street. US & Canadian travelers...what to expect: twin beds for double occupancy, stiffer sheets, no top sheet, soft mattress. I especially enjoyed a variety of pillows. You are open to the air while sleeping or covered by a warm stuffed duvet, there's no in-between. Room, bathroom, bedding and towels are all clean. Ultimate location in the middle of the Royal Mile. I'd recommend this place

Fantastic location, room was spacious, and the concierge was extremely helpful…read moreLoved it

This hotel is located in the Grassmarket area of Edinburg. It's just steps away from Old Town and…read morethe Royal Mile. Edinburg Castle is about a 15 minute walk. There is a restaurant in the hotel but there are a LOT of restaurants within walking distance. We had asked for a room with two beds thinking they would be single beds. (Our last experience with hotels in Europe was not a great one. We had a tiny room and a tiny bed,) When we got our room it was bigger than we expected. It had two beds-one was a king and the other a queen. What a nice surprise! There is no air conditioning in most hotels in Europe. With the windows open and a fan I was quite comfortable because the temp was around 60° the three nights we were there. The hubby who likes it much colder said it was bearable. The staff was friendly. The hotel was clean. I don't remember if breakfast is included in the price. There is a buffet breakfast or you can order off the menu. The last morning I ordered the smoked salmon, poached eggs, and sourdough toast off the hot menu. It was delicious. Had to have smoked salmon before I left Scotland...wish I would have ordered it sooner. Yummy. Would have given it 4 stars but with the lack of ac and having to climb several sets of stairs before you get to the elevator I'm giving it 3 stars. In all fairness, on occasion I did use the hotel ramp to get into or leave the hotel but that entailed walking through the rain. It did, however, lead you directly to the elevator.

This was the perfect hotel for a two night stay in Edinburgh. It's super centrally located and well…read morepriced. We were able to drop off our bags at 7 am and the room was ready by 12:30 pm. One of the major benefits for me is that they let you borrow a straightener from the front desk. My hair was so grateful!! The rooms are tiny but that's to be expected in Europe! The WiFi wasn't fantastic either but we really didn't need it much.

What a beautiful place! The drive in, the welcoming at the door the grounds, and the service were…read moreall top tier. This place was visited by Benjamin Franklin and has a tree that Jimmy Carter planted. Neat! When we sat down we were presented menus for tea selections and what came in the menu. It was so charming. It exceeded my expectations! We tried several teas. Each one has its one special taste and flavor profile. I liked the chamomile and the jasmine ones the best. The sandwiches and sweet treats were all quite good. The egg sandwich was probably my favorite of the sandwiches. The cucumber one was also very good. Some of them are a little bland. The sweet treats were all fantastic. They are rich and decadent. That was the first time I remember having clotted cream. It was good but a little different than what I thought. You will get pretty full if you eat everything. Afterwards take a nice long walk around the grounds. Go see the beautiful cows and bees. They also have a peacock that we didn't see and lots of crows There are also some fantastic views of Arthur's Seat. The concierge was informative and friendly. He gave us the backstory of the place and some recommendations. I would highly recommend this place for a proper tea.

What an amazing dining experience! Outstanding waitstaff with impeccable service. We all ordered…read morethe 3 course dinner. I chose the Lapsang Souchang cured salmone appetizer, the cod fish entree and the cheesecake dessert. OMG doesn't even begin to describe how exquisite it all was. Falls into then"once in a lifetime" kind of dining experience. If you have an opportunity to do this, do it.

This is my favourite low budget hotel in Edinburgh. It's virtually a stones throw away from…read morePrincess St so it's great for any tourists. If you book early enough in advance you can get a room for about £40 a night. Make sure you book an en-suite, not that the communal toilets are bad but an extra fiver is worth not having to navigate the corridors for that 4am pee (you know the one!) Staff are very friendly and have great local knowledge, which means they either point you to princess street or to the castle. Decor is nothing like the picture on the website, but if you're looking for a cheap bed for the night, you won't care.

I LOVED my stay here. It was in the perfect location and such a beautiful hotel. The airport…read moreshuttle dropped us off and picked us off literally 10 feet away. I think an Uber would've dropped us off further. The hotel was less than a 5 minute walk to the Christmas market, less than a 5 minute walk to a bunch of shopping (one block over is Princes St), and 10 minutes from Calton Hill. Just for the location alone, I would stay here again in heartbeat. The service was impeccable. Everyone was so kind and helpful. I felt very well taken care of. The mini bar was free and yes they did restock all of the alcohol and non alcoholic items. My only complaint about the room is the bathroom. It was quite small and couldve been cleaner. The shower also had a half door which let out tons of water causing the bathroom floor to get soaked. Sure it looked nice, but not very functional. The room we stayed in didn't get too much sound from the street, but I do hear some chatter in the middle of the night, likely from people coming out of the dome. Since we booked using chase sapphire reserve's the edit, we got daily breakfast for 2, $100 dining credit, a welcome amenity, and early check in/late check out (we got 2pm late check out). The breakfast was fine. It included a buffet and an item off their menu (eggs Benedict, omelette, etc.). We spent the dining credit at the Le petit beef bar. The food was excellent - great steak and frites as well as croque sando with their signature sauce (herby and buttery). Highly recommend especially if it's your first time in Edinburgh and want to explore all the top spots.

Stayed for 3 nights at this hotel while we were in Edinburgh. Nestled within the historic buildings…read moreof new town on george street ( the building itself is from the early 19th century). They have done a good job of providing for all creature comforts like up to date plumbing, Electricals and Airconditioning in a building from 1815. That's amazing by itself. Service was excellent becoming of a proper 5 star hotel. Only thing that was a bit annoying was the outside noise came into the room quite a lot. Probably one of the negatives of staying in a building with an older facade.

I rarely leave reviews, but my experience at 28 York Place Hotel in Edinburgh over the holidays was…read moredeeply disappointing and deserves to be shared. Upon arrival, the water coming out of the bathtub was yellow, dirty, and visibly full of debris. It was truly alarming and unhygienic -- completely unusable. The bathtub itself was also dirty. I reached out multiple times over several days via the WhatsApp contact provided by the hotel and never received a response. Our days were packed with early morning plans, so we were often out before reception opened and couldn't speak to anyone in person. We never received any proactive communication or on-site follow-up about the issue. When I finally did receive a response -- days after checkout -- I was told the problem was due to a mains water issue and that "running the tap would have fixed it." But no one ever told us this at the time. So for our entire 3-night stay, we had no access to a functioning bath or proper way to bathe, which is simply unacceptable for a paid accommodation. What's worse is how the hotel handled the situation. They eventually offered a £50 "goodwill gesture", despite my clear request for a partial refund. When I continued trying to resolve the issue directly with them, they stalled long enough that my credit card company could no longer dispute the charge -- effectively blocking any recourse. I saved for a long time to take this trip. I never imagined I'd end up at a hotel where I couldn't even bathe properly and was ignored while trying to get help. A functioning and clean bathroom is a basic expectation, not a luxury. The response from the hotel was formulaic, dismissive, and unhelpful. Their failure to communicate in real time, take accountability, or offer a meaningful resolution reflects extremely poorly on their service standards. I cannot in good conscience recommend this hotel to anyone. I hope this review helps future travelers avoid the frustration and disappointment I experienced.

Fantastic location for the tram and in walking distance to Royal Mile and Princess Street. The…read morebathtub was a little too high for anyone with mobility issues. It is higher than a regular bathtub. No lift too. Beautiful staircase and mansion though. Please include breakfast for over L200 too.

23 Mayfield is a little hard to find. The GPS kept telling us we had arrived when it was actually 1…read moreblock down. Something to keep in mind in case your GPS had a mind of it's own as well. Once found , we were very pleased to see parking - rare in Edinburgh. The rooms were well appointed , a little small, and at first extremely noisy. We were on the first floor and could hear the clomping of guests on the exposed wood stairs. The breakfast room was also very near our door and I was thinking there was to be no sleeping - but I was wrong. Somehow , magically , the noise didn't wake us - I am a very light sleeper too. Whatever the sound dynamic was in the place - I slept very comfortably and quietly. If we were going to be spending time in our rooms , I would have found the space restrictive but for a good nights rest , it was great. The only other thing I felt was a head scratcher was the bathroom mirror. Very space age, 3-D type design that completely did not go with the decor. The breakfast room was lovely and the food was very good. The hosts are happy to accommodate your every need. They had umbrellas for the rain and a very nifty call button that summoned a cab in under 10 minutes ! It's location is walkable to some things but since you could have your car on property , it's easy to drive anywhere you want to go within a few minutes. Come and stay and enjoy this cozy gem in the midst of busting Edinburgh.

I would give a six-star rating if it were possible. The house is in beautiful luxurious…read moreold-Scotland condition. The drawing room has Classic movies running on the TV with classic tunes played in the background. The dining room is elegant as are the place settings at every table; complete with lit candle. Breakfast is large gourmet and cooked to order including eggs poached, grilled, or scrambled, black pudding, haggis, sausage, potato scone, bacon, beans, ham and far more options. Specials are prepared on the weekends. This meal is so hardy you won't need lunch. Bedrooms are comfortable, clean, and beautifully appointed. The beds are as comfortable as any top tier hotel. The rooms can be blacked out for a very quiet deep long sleep. I slept better here then I have in months anywhere else. Good free high speed internet that is fast enough to stream video. Ross and Kathleen have created a charming experience that we will return to with every visit to Edinburgh.

This was such a cute little hotel. The dining room was cozy and intimate. All the food was…read moredelicious. The service was impeccable. The flavors of the soup we're very delicate. The main courses were comfort foods. The presentation of all of the plates was beautiful.

This place is a hidden gem. Easily the best meal we've had so far on a UK tour. The menu is small…read morebut executed to perfection. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of food. Wine list is also reasonable with a few Champagne bottles under 50 pounds. The dining room is soothing, a welcome change from some of the places on this trip which can't seem to know if they're a restaurant or a disco. You can have a conversation without a constant techno beat drowning you out.

Really nice view and nice house white wine! We got 3 courses (from a la cart menu, not preset). The…read moreservice is wonderful. They are so nice and attentive. The duck salad appetizer is fantastic. I love everything in this dish (sliced duck, purple veggies, dressing). Peterhead hake fish is delicious and perfectly cooked. The desserts are pretty and tasty. The drink is well designed.

Gorgeous setting for the festive afternoon tea. The savory selection was great and they catered for…read moredietary restrictions. Out of the desserts the snowball was the best and the carrot cake the weakest. We had some nice champagne and cocktails too. Worth the trip to Leith!