Hi. Both of these hotels are far beyond my pocket but I am thinking of booking a hotel for the last night in Edinburgh that is in historic Old Town in Edinburgh. It's for me and my adult son so either two rooms or a family room. Any opinions/suggestions/comparisons? Really looking for an absolutely lovely historic hotel in Old Town. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16312 posts
We stayed at the Edinburgh Hotel du Vin a few years ago, and really liked it. But I like their brand in general.
I cannot compare to Virgin Hotel as I have no experience with that one. But I see on booking.com that they offer twin-bedded rooms, and it appears that Hotel du Vin does not. So that might bbe a better choice for you.
Posted by
OP
27 posts
Right now I am not worried about be type because we can work that out- Du Vin has adjoining rooms and Virgin has family rooms. More concerned about location and atmosphere.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16312 posts
OK. As I said I cannot compare the two hotels as we have only been to Hotel du Vin. I know we liked it a lot in terms of atmosphere, but I cannot recall the details as we have stayed in 2 other Hotel du Vin locations (York and Henley-on-Thames) since Edinburgh. But I do know we really liked the location—-very close to the National Museum of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh. We particularly liked the Science and Technology section of the museum. And wandering around the campus, seeing so many famous name of scientists, inventors, etc. was illuminating. We were there with my sister and her husband, and they got a kick out of the signs in The Meadows area that designated the legal areas for grilling. apparently portable BBQ’s are very popular in Edinburgh.
https://mistertollcross.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/bbq-signs-2013_mbl_s.pdf
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1013 posts
If Edinburgh gets even a hint of warmth from the sun everyone will be out in the parks such is the rarity of the occasion. People use disposable bbqs that are just charcoal in foil trays and they ruin the grass. You can only cook basic burgers and sausages on them but that’s what counts as bbq food in this country, much to the bemusement of Americans.
Looking at your hotels I would choose the Virgin. Hotel du Vin were pioneers in their day of the ‘boutique hotel’ concept but a lot of their properties are a bit tired now. The Virgin hotel looks more modern and luxurious.
Posted by
OP
27 posts
Thank you both so much. Actually virgin is substantially cheaper. Very interesting about the barbecues.