Morning Flight Hotel near the airport or in town?

I've done it both ways, but particularly when dropping off a car it worked to stay near the airport. I could drop off the car relatively late on the evening before, spend the evening re-packing my gear into airplane configuration (yes, thrilling), and have a short shuttle ride in the morning. B&Bs along the main road to/from Edinburgh mention that they're close to the AirLink bus, which passes every 10 minutes. Or the same bus takes 30 minutes to/from Waverly Bridge if you stay in the city center.

i would drop the car off in town or at the airport the day before and still spend the night in Edinburgh. There is tram or bus that will take you to city centre if you drop it at the airport. The cab in the next morning is not that pricey. And you can have one last lovely dinner in capital looking at the castle or just enjoying the food. That would be my plan.

Pam

Thank you both for your responses. We will come to a decision at some point I am sure.

I agree with Pam. We dropped our car at the airport on our return to Edinburgh and took the tram into the city. Driving/parking in the city would have been ugly. We rode the tram to our B&B which was 1/4 mile beyond the final tram stop (York Place stop) The tram tix for one way was 5.50 GBP per person, it is cheaper if you buy a return tix all in one. We were concerned with an 8 AM flight out so we took a taxi when we left, it was like a 5:30 AM pickup. B&B arranged for the taxi the night before and the price for the 30-35 minute ride was 35 GBP, gave a small tip, taxi was immediately on time. We could have taken the tram back but didnt want to walk the 1/4 mile to the tram stop tht early in the morning. So bottom line was we were deep in the city and easily tram/cabbed out on morning of our depature, I also did not want to mess with dropping the car off the morning of my flight, not a big hassle at EDI but preflight as you know can be stressful. Tram site http://edinburghtrams.com/

Jarradd- Thanks friend for your feedback! Did you stay at the B&B that you PM'd me that last night or someplace else. We would probably use the bus to the airport I think. 1/4 mile isn't too bad.. :)

islandfam, we did something very similar this past June. We spent several days in Edinburgh, rented a car and drove to the Highlands, and then spent our last day sightseeing along the way back to Edinburgh for our last night. Our hotel was right on the main road and we had rented from Waverly, so it was easy to stop and check in (about 6), then return the car (OK, this part was not so easy but not terrible) and have dinner in town, wander as much as we had energy for, and take the bus back to our hotel, which was about halfway between Waverly and the airport. Our morning flight was also at 10 the next morning, but the Airlink bus stop was close and very easy. We also left about 7, arrived at the airport by 7:30, and had plenty of time to check in and have morning coffee. You have so many more choices of places to stay in town, wonderful transportation, and easy airport access.

yes we did stay at the B&B i sent your way, but note the B&B is 1/4 mile from the last TRAM stop, not the bus stop. We didnt use the bus but everyone says the airlink bus is a simple connection. you will have to look at google earth to figure out how far you are walking to the airlink location, may be 1/2 mile or so. arriving at the B&B is an uphill walk, leaving of course will be downhill, and these are Scottish hills, pretty steep.

jarrardd - The tram would work too I suppose. Maybe even quicker. Honestly I really don't care how we get there as long as we get there by 7:30 am or so. Thank you for all your help.

I didn't thinking driving was too bad in Edinburgh, parking though..hmmm its a bit pricey depending where you plan on parking. When I went I stayed at the Norton House (Ingliston), which was literally about 5 minutes from the airport (super convenient)- also very nice place. I would probably suggest staying outside of the main part of Edinburgh just because of all the construction that goes on periodically, and God help you if there is a festival... 0_o. Getting in and out of the city can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 depending on the time/day etc. There are some nice places outside the main part an closer to the airport though... Ingliston, Gogar, Corstorphine, are very close to the airport, but also not far from town.

I wouldn't think you'd need to be at the airport three hours prior to your flight. When I was there a few weeks ago, I found the Edinburgh airport extremely well organized. Have you checked your airline's recommendation and the Edinburgh airport website to see what they recommend?

Edinburg's airport is small and very easy to navigate. Taxis from the area where most B&Bs are located will run you about 25 pounds. Depending on the number of travelers in your party, this may be more economical than the shuttle bus. Last month we stayed at the Kingsway Guest House (www.edinburgh-guesthouse.com) and really loved it. The innkeepers even packed us a to-go breakfast.
Can't offer any suggestions as far as car rental drop-offs. But I agree with others who suggested spending the night in Edinburgh. Make the most out of every single second of your trip and have a great time!

Thank you for all your post. I think we have settled with returning the car the evening before and heading into town for our last night. Thank you again for all your post and advice. It is truly appreciated.