We are finishing up our RS 13 day tour of Scotland. I will give a full report of the tour when we get back home in a couple of weeks. The last hotel on the tour in Edinburgh is the B+B Edinburgh. If you are taking this tour and thinking about staying extra days in Edinburgh in this hotel after the tour, don’t do it. To be fair, the bed and pillows are comfortable; the breakfast is typical full Scottish breakfast; the room was quiet and we had a view of Edinburgh Castle but what you get for a view may not be the same. The wifi works fine. That is about all I can say that’s good about this hotel. The lift is so tiny that really only one person and one piece of luggage will fit. When we opened the door to our room, the room number fell off the door. There is no ac and you can only open the windows about four inches for some air. Luckily it wasn’t hot outside so there was enough air to cool the room last night. Other tour members said they were hot last night. There is a small fan but luckily we didn’t need to use it. I am glad we weren’t staying here 2 weeks ago when it was in the mid 80’s in Edinburgh. We would have died from the heat. To flush the toilet, you have to pump the lever 3 times to get it to flush. It took us a while to figure that one out. There was no explanation or directions on flushing the toilet. Nor should we need instructions. The hot water tap for the sink is nonfunctional. You will only get the barest drizzle of water from it. And the cold water tap is not much better. Maid service made up our room this morning and took away what minuscule amount of shampoo and body wash that was left and did not leave any replacements. My husband went down to the front desk to ask for more and the girl at the reception desk asked him for our room number. When my husband told her we were in room #307, she snippily replied “There is no room 307.” He showed her our room key with the number 307. She then agreed to bring us the missing items. The coffee cups in the room were absolutely filthy and needed to be washed before we used them. We would have washed them anyway but that was just unacceptable. We were locked out of the hotel when we got back this afternoon and had to use our key to get in. We were told this would only be necessary if we returned to the hotel late at night. There was no complimentary water in the room and no tissues. No brightness control on the tv and the screen is really dark. Consider it a radio not a tv. The carpet in the room is really worn out and needs replacing. This hotel is not in a convenient location in Edinburgh and requires considerable walking to get to the main sites other than Dean Village and the Ross Fountain in Princes Gardens. There are better choices for hotels in Edinburgh other than this one. Book a hotel somewhere else in Edinburgh.
Posted by
Chicago
3125 posts
Thanks for the review. I’m looking forward to your full report as I head to Edinburgh next May. I struggled with the hotel choice. I ended up originally booking at Fraser Suites but got scared off by many recent negative reviews and moved my reservation to Market Steet Hotel. A little fancier than I need, but there was a promotion, and the price was right. It seems like the perfect location for me—near train station and both old and new towns.
My sense from reading lots of recent reviews is that the hotels in Edinburgh are struggling to find housekeeping staff. And it looks like some of the hotels are in need of updating, but probably don’t have the means to do so. It’s been a tough couple of years for hotels for sure.
I strongly suggest that anyone booking hotels anywhere to not rely solely on past recommendations, but look for very recent recommendations and reviews.
Posted by
OP
Reno, NV, USA
2547 posts
Carrie, we stayed at the Motel One Princes Steet which had spotty reviews but it was just fine and in a great location. We enjoyed our stay there. I looked at the Motel One wistfully as we walked past it as we were making our long slog back to the tour hotel.
Posted by
Twin Cities, Minnesota
1997 posts
Such a shame. On my Oct 2019 we stayed at a very nice, very fancy hotel-The Bonham. It was very upscale and we stayed there before and after the tour. We were told though it had been sold and was to be even more posh and out of Uncle Rick's price range. I sure enjoyed staying there though. Before the tour I stayed at the Premier Inn York Place and loved its location. I am rather fond of the chain and it is my 'go to' hotel when I am in a city for the first time.
Posted by
Atlanta
5192 posts
Mary, are you referring to the B + B Edinburgh at 3 Rothesay Terrace? The reason for the question is that we stayed there twice a couple of years ago and everything was fine. Even the location. We were thinking of staying there again based on our prior good experience which was nothing like yours.
Posted by
OP
Reno, NV, USA
2547 posts
TC, it is the B+B Edinburgh on Rothesay Terrace. Only one other time in my life have I complained about a hotel besides this one so this is unusual for me. Looking at the recent reviews on TripAdvisor, I am not the only person displeased with this hotel. I have stayed at two other locations in Edinburgh and have been happy with both choices.
Posted by
Atlanta
5192 posts
Mary, Thanks for the confirmation. Will consider staying elsewhere. Like you, we've only had a complaint about one hotel in well over 20 years. It was in Reims France and it had mold on the walls behind the peeling wall paper. UCK!
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
Since the room number falls off the door, your husband could’ve shown those numbers, rather than the key fob, to prove what number room had the shampoo and soap confiscated. And it sounds like that was the least of the problems you experienced!
Thanks for reporting all this, and I hope your Edinburgh extended time was great, despite the meager lodging experience.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2279 posts
You obviously have concerns, but can I add a UK perspective on this as hotel expectations may vary....
In my experience air conditioning is the exception rather than the rule in hotels in the UK, unless they are very new, modern and expensive. In hot weather hotels will offer a fan.
A small lift is common in many of the older hotels too - some may not even have a lift....
Complimentary water and tissues are often not provided in rooms. It is a bonus when they are.
The issue with limited opening of windows may reflect H&S concerns. The hotel doesn't want you falling out of a window or (if you are on a ground floor) someone gaining access through an open window.
Did you report problems with the toilet flush, drizzle of hot water, brightness control on the TV and dirty cups to reception and how was this dealt with?
Have you raised these issues with RS tours and what was their response?
Posted by
Massachusetts
315 posts
Hi, Mary. Thanks for posting this review. I just signed up for the RS Best of Scotland tour and I’ll look for another hotel for any post tour stay.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5507 posts
Coincidentally, I stayed in this exact B+B a few weeks ago for a Hen Party. I thought it was just fine and the location really worked for me.
Posted by
8 posts
Hi, I am booked for the Best of Sotland 13 Day Tour in late April. I have two more nights in Scotland after the tour ends and reluctant to continue my stay at the last hotel on the tour. For one, it seems very expensive per night. However, when I read the reviews, I decided to research other accommodations. I would love some suggestions on places to stay that are not too expensive.
Thank you!
Sue