"This classic Edinburgh railway hotel has been resurrected by Rocco Forte with lush rooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant."
In the world of luxury hotels, Edinburgh boasts at least two distinctions - it is the last bastion of the great Victorian railway hotels and second, the smartest hotels here dispense with the word hotel altogether. The city sits astride the railway line and the Balmoral has been housing whatever guests the train brings in for over 100 years. As befits a railway hotel in this northernmost Imperial city it was for most of its life known as the North British - and the bar still echoes this history.
The facilities
The Balmoral luxury hotel was built in the age of flock wallpaper, thick swirly carpets, and overheated and garishly gilded ballrooms. Edinburgh, like other leading cities, is awash with foreign-staffed coffee shops and boutique hotels. The grand old railway hotels have had to adjust. Gone - except in isolated pockets - is the flock wallpaper and friends - in has come leather headboards, taupe and off white walls, eclectic bits of furniture and a judicial scattering of worthy Scottish literature. The comfort has certainly been cranked up a few notches. The spa and pool are welcoming, the Michelin-starred restaurant is exceptional, and the service runs pretty flawlessly at this luxury hotel. The Balmoral provides the top choice in this city for those who seek comfort and sophistication in a five star setting.
Address: 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH2 2EQ
Booking info
Departure: Tue 9 Sep 2008
No. adults: 2
Check Availability
Come for
- Grand Victorian building
- High levels of Rocco Forte comfort
- Location right on Princes Street
Not suitable for
- Cosy intimacy
Awards
"Scotland's Leading Hotel", World Travel Awards 07, 06 and 05; "Top 25 British Hotels", Conde Nast Traveller 06 and 05; "Reader's Choice Awards", Conde Nast Traveller 06; "Top 10 Business Hotels", Conde Nast Traveller 05; Michelin Star
Children
The luxury hotel is very family-friendly, offering a 5 Star Babies, Kids and Teens Program. Children get their own check-in cards, VIP amenities and Teddy turndown service with a complimentary teddy bear to take home. There is a special kids menu for room service, and a customized quiz that encourages children to explore the luxury hotel.
Eating in
Michelin-starred dining at Number One Restaurant, which puts a keen focus on Scottish cuisine. More informal surroundings can be found in Hadrian's, the hotel's brasserie that retains the nationalistic flavour, but with a lighter, contemporary twist.
