Edinburgh Hotel Tips by JessH

Thistle (King James) Edinburgh: In the heart of the city: King James Thistle Hotel Thistle Edinburgh Review

We booked 3 double rooms in the King James Thistle (next to St. James shopping centre) in Oct. 2011 for ourselves and 2 other couples who were travelling with us. We chose this hotel because of its central location and their relative competitive pricing (a difficult-to-find combination for hotels in Edinburgh, after all!)

The hotel is nothing special to look at: a bland concrete block that was built for functionality above charm. But staff at reception were courteous, and so were staff at breakfast.
The rooms were clean and comfortable... our bed was particularly comfy! We were lucky enough to have a room facing the back of the hotel: this meant that our view what that of another building / back of the shopping mall, but this also meant far less noise from the busy Leith street below. Our friends did complain that their rooms at the front of the hotel were quite noisy, even with the windows shut... this wasn't too much of a problem in October, but I could imagine that during the Edinburgh Festival (August, annual) noise could become an issue for hotel guests.

Unique Qualities: The breakfast buffet wasn't very exciting, but at least it was quite big with many different choices... scrambled or fried eggs, plenty of different breads, cereals, yoghurts, fresh fruit, sweet pastries, baked beans, bacon, sausages and some rather sad-looking mini Haggis pieces... surely, this isn't the way to introduce tourists to the mighty Haggis, is it? :-)

We read that there is a "Scottish evening" with dinner and performances by dancers and musicians every evening in the hotel, but we didn't take part (this might be interesting for first-time visitors to Scotland who don't have a lot of time to soak-up the local culture and heritage, but we've done plenty of "soaking-up" over the past few years ;-)

An important thing to note is that the hotel doesn't have a lot of private parking, and the parking is not free: it is charged at an additional £15.00 per 24 hours at a first-come-first-serve basis, so if you are travelling to Edinburgh by car make sure to keep this in mind.

In October 2011 we paid £85.00 per room per night plus £17.00 VAT. Check-in is at 02:00pm, check-out is at midday.

Basically, at this hotel what you see is what you pay for, and what you pay for is what you get. We found it a comfortable-enough base to explore the city, basically a bed and a shower with a generous breakfast to set you up for a day of sightseeing. If you are looking for something with a bit more "flair", history or that warm fuzzy hospitable feeling, you'll need to stay elsewhere. This hotel does what it says on the label: central, affordable, etc.

Address: 107 Leith Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 3SW, United Kingdom

Comparison: about average

Directions: Right next to the St. James shopping centre, a mere 5min walk from Princess Street and the Royal Mile.

Phone: (0044-0) 845-305 8316

Price: US$120-180

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.thistle.com/en/hotels/united_kingdom/edinburgh/the_king_james

GRASSMARKET APARTMENT: Self-Catering Apartment in the Grassmarket!

This apartment was simply fabulous! Located right in the heart of the historic Grassmarket, with a million-dollar view of Edinburgh Caste (click photo to see). I found this place online and as we were visiting during peak-season (Festival season) in August, a self-catering apartment provided much better value for money than staying in a hotel.

Even though you are located right opposite the castle, the Last Drop Pub, etc. the apartment is cleverly designed with the master bedroom as the back of the building, so noise is not an issue even during the Edinburgh Fringe.

The apartment had modern furnishings, was spotlessly clean and had a well-equipped kitchen which we used quite regularly. It sleeps up to 4 persons as there is a sofa bed in the living room as well.

The only disadvantage (if you have heavy luggage or walking difficulties) is that it is on the 2nd floor of a very old building, hence: no elevator. We didn't really mind but after spending 8 hours a day walking around the city, our legs almost couldn't carry us up the two flights of stairs anymore, haha!

Unique Qualities: From the website:

> Very attractive recently refurbished apartment
> Sitting room with dining area and outstanding views of Edinburgh Castle, double sofa bed, TV with DVD player, radio/cassette/CD player
> Double bedroom (located at the quiet back of the building)
> Bathroom with shower
> Modern fitted kitchen with fridge, electric oven, gas hob, microwave, washing machine
> Towels, sheets, hair dryer, and welcome pack of tea, coffee, etc
> Wireless broadband
> Visitor information pack with maps, guides, etc
> Long term and metered parking nearby
> No smoking, please! Sorry no pets

---

The photos on the website and true & accurate... you can compare them with my photos here! We would definitely stay here again!

---

Owner: Mrs Vivienne Cameron.

Address: Grassmarket, Edinburgh, Scotland - UK

Comparison: about average

Directions: Exactly opposite the Beehive Inn and the Last Drop Pub.

Other Contact: info@grassmarketedinburgh.co.uk

Price: US$180 and up

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.grassmarketedinburgh.co.uk/