Tag Archives: Edinburgh

What to do in Edinburgh, the best Edinburgh attractions and places to stay in Edinburgh.

pointbreadstbrasserie

Review of Bread Street Brasserie Edinburgh

The Bread St Brasserie is in the Point Hotel Edinburgh, just off Lothian Road. When I was staying at the hotel in late February, there was an offer (ending 29 February 2012) where two people could have 2 course meal and either a glass of wine or a soft drink each for £20.12. As I was meeting our son Gary for dinner, we decided to try out the Bread St Brasserie. The restaurant normally offers a lunch and pre -theatre (5-7pm) set menu, priced at £9.95 for 2 courses and £12.95 for 3 courses.

Review of Bread Street Brasserie Edinburgh
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Bread Street Brasserie
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Review of Point Hotel Edinburgh

I stayed at the three star Point Hotel Edinburgh for two nights in late February 2012. I booked my stay on the Hotels.com site, after finding they offered the cheapest price at the Point Hotel Edinbugh on the Hotelscombined price comparison site. I was able to get an additional 10% off by using a Hotels.com discount voucher. Although I was staying for two nights at the Point Hotel Edinburgh, I’d made two separate one night bookings. The first night I booked a deluxe double room with castle view including breakfast for £31 and the second night (booked two days later) a standard double/twin room for £27. Fortunately, the hotel allocated me a deluxe room for both nights. As I’d booked the room for two guests but ended up staying alone, the hotel very kindly allowed me to have breakfast on both mornings.

Review of Point Hotel Edinburgh
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Entrance to Point Hotel Edinburgh

The Point Hotel is located just off Lothian Road, close to the Usher Hall and Lyceum Theatre. It takes around 20 minutes to walk from Edinburgh Waverly Rail Station. My room was on the fourth floor and I was impressed with the art on display in the corridor.

Review of Point Hotel Edinburgh
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Scottish Moutain scene in corridor at Point Hotel Edinburgh

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Best of Edinburgh Tips

Here are our best of Edinburgh tips, together with our recommendations for what to do in Edinburgh to help you plan your visit to the Scottish capital.

Walk Along Portobello Beach

On a sunny day head to the golden sands of Portobello Beach, three miles east of the city centre. It’s unlikely it’ll be warm enough to go for a swim, but you can stroll along the prom or the beach.

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Portobello Beach

Climb the Scott Monument

Built in memory of the Scottish author and poet Sir Walter Scott, the imposing 200 foot high Scott Monument can be scaled for a fee of £3. The Monument is just off Princes Street.

Best of Edinburgh Tips
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The Scott Monument, Edinburgh

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Review of Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

I stayed for one night a the Hotel Missoni Edinburgh in December 2011 on a complimentary basis.  The hotel is located just off the Royal Mile, a five minute walk from Edinburgh Castle. I was looking forward to my stay. I’d been in the hotel twice previously, once for lunch and in April 2011 the hotel hosted an Edinburgh Travel Tweetup. So had anticipated that the rooms at the Missoni would be pretty funky.

Review of Hotel Missoni Edinburgh
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Bar at Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

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Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth Offers Free Wifi in Bar Cafe

I stayed for one night at the Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth in early December 2011 on a complimentary basis. I’ve stayed at this hotel in the past and reviewed the hotel in June 2009. The Travelodge UK budget hotel chain have improved their service to guests by offering free WiFi in their Bar Cafes.  This is great news if, like me, you need to stay connected when you’re on the move.

Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth Offers Free Wifi in Bar Cafe
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The Bar Cafe at Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth

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Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden

When I was staying at the Travelodge Edinburgh West End (on a £19 a night Saver rate) in March 2011, I walked along the Water of Leith from Belford Bridge (next to the hotel) to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Belford Bridge with Travelodge Edinburgh West End on left

A few minutes later I arrived at a weir.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Weir near Dean Village on the Water of Leith

I thought it must be wonderful to live in one of the turreted flats overlooking the Water of Leith in Dean village.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Waterside flats at Dean Village

There’s a statue at St Bernard’s Well as you approach Stockbridge.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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St Bernard’s Well

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Looking back towards St Bernard’s Well (on left)

You’ll find public toilets in Stockbridge as you have to come up from the Water of Leith Walkway there. After crossing the road at the traffic lights, head right and then left immediately and the toilets are after the bus stop on your left. There’s a pizza restaurant just by the bridge where you rejoin the walkway.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Pizza restaurant on Water of Leith in Stockbridge

I was very fortunate as I arrived at the Botanic Gardens as a heavy shower started. The John Hope Gateway was ideal for shelter and there was even free wifi for me to upload some of my photos to Flickr.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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View from terrace of John Hope Gateway

The sun was soon shining for a walk around the garden. You’ve to pay to get into the some of the Glasshouses.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Rhododendrons at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Then I had a look at the two exhibitions at Inverleith House in the Garden.  One was work by the French artist Claude Cahun.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Exhibition poster using Cahun self portrait from 1927

The other exhibition featured pieces by Sue Tompkins.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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Untitled 2011, Typewritten text on newspaper, fabric

I even made it back along the Water of Leith to my hotel without any further rain, after a very enjoyable, free day out in Edinburgh.

You can get more ideas for free days out in Edinburgh my “Edinburgh Off the Beaten Track” article. You can see all my Water of Leith and Botanic Gardens photos on Flickr.

Find Budget Hotels for Your Stay in Edinburgh

My favourite Edinburgh budget hotel is Travelodge Edinburgh West End due to its location close to the Water of Leith, the Dean Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art and the fact that you can walk to the city centre in 15 minutes.

Walking Along Water of Leith to Edinburgh Botanic Garden
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View over Water of Leith from my room at Travelodge Edinburgh West End

If you don’t mind being further away from the city centre the Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith and Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh Waterfront are good options.

Tips for Things to Do in Edinburgh

We’ve lots of Edinburgh tips on Europe a la Carte.

Click here for the lowest prices on Edinburgh hotels

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Review of Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith

I stayed at Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith for one night on Sunday 23 January 2011 after the Edinburgh Travel Tweet Up that afternoon. I paid £19 for the night (room only) booked during the Premier Inn Christmas sale in December 2010.

Review of Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith
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Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith on the Forth Estuary

I was looking forward to staying at that Premier Inn as I really like the location down on the Forth Estuary next to Newhaven Harbour.  One big benefit of staying here is the free parking, as parking around Edinburgh city centre is expensive and it can be hard to find a space. The hotel is located around 2 miles from the city centre but there are regular buses from a stop just across from the hotel.

I was delighted with my room at it was on the first floor with an estuary view. The room was a good size with two comfy chairs and a coffee table, as well as a chair at the desk.

Review of Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith
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My room at Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith

I’d recommend the Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith if you prefer not to be in the city centre and/or are coming to Edinburgh by car. You’ll either need to book well in advance on the non refundable rate or during a promotion, if you want to get a cheap room here.  There’s a Brewers Fayre restaurant attached to the hotel, a large Asda supermarket and another couple of pubs within walking distance.  The Ocean Terminal shopping and leisure centre and the home of the Royal Yacht Britannia is around half a mile away from the hotel. You can see all my photos/videos of the Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith on Flckr.

Review of Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith
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Keep It Real Travel Reviews – No Fluff

It’s also worth checking prices for the Premier Inn Edinburgh Leith on the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

Search for the Best Deals on All Edinburgh Hotels

Click here to search for low prices on all hotels in Edinburgh on the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

Tips for Things to Do in Edinburgh

We’ve lots of Edinburgh tips on Europe a la Carte.

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Review of the Hilton Edinburgh Airport

We stayed for one night in February 2011 at the Hilton Edinburgh Airport, on a complimentary basis arranged by hotels.com from their selection of Edinburgh hotels.  As we had to be at the airport by around 5am the next morning, we were concerned if there was bad weather we wouldn’t be able to reach the airport in time, so wanted to play it safe by staying close to the terminal.

Review of the Hilton Edinburgh Airport
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Lobby of Hilton Edinburgh Airport

We were allocated a double deluxe room on the 3rd floor. The room was very spacious and decorated in muted brown/cream colours. I appreciated that the chair by the desk was padded and very comfortable. There was a good selection of tea, coffees and drinking chocolate sachets.

The Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries in the bathroom had a lovely scent. The towels were thick and fluffy. The bed was one of the best I’ve come across in a hotel. There was a padded mattress cover and I was sorry that I had to get up at 4.30 to catch a flight, as I’d have loved to have a long sleep in that bed.

Review of the Hilton Edinburgh Airport
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Deluxe double room at Hilton Edinburgh Airport

There was some exterior noise of banging doors and guests laughing loudly around 3am in the corridor. However I didn’t hear any noise from outside the building.

The negatives were a large crack in the sink and some cracks in the tiles of the bathroom floor and the fact that there’s a £15 charge for internet connection.  I think that the Hilton is charging far too much for internet connection and this should be provided free of charge to guests.

We had a takeaway breakfast consisting of fresh fruit salad (heavy on apples), a bacon roll (delicious lean bacon), croissant (very doughy), a muffin (some of the best I’ve had) and an apple. I was a bit surprised that there was no drink included, I thought there would be at  least a carton of fruit juice.

The hotel offers a free shuttle bus to and from the airport but as it’s such a short distance, we walked there.  You can park your car at the hotel at a guest rate of £6 per day.

Overall I’d recommend the Hilton Edinburgh Airport if you have an early flight departure time or a late arrival.  The deluxe rooms are very comfortable and beautifully furnished and it’s great to be so close to the airport.  The only thing that let down the room were the cracks in the bathroom sink and floor, which is a pity as everything else was of very high quality.

Review of the Hilton Edinburgh Airport
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Keep It Real Travel Review – No Fluff

Click here for the lowest prices on Edinburgh hotels