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Selection of Premier Inn in Central Edinburgh

My travel mate and I have decided to stay in central Edinburgh next summer (in Sat, 7/27, out Wed, 7/31), and we're OK with the (similar as of Friday night) rates at these Premier Inns:

  • City Centre York Place, 44 York Place, just west of Broughton Street. Has been recommended on this forum.
  • City Centre Royal Mile, 33 E. Market St., east of South Bridge. New, I believe.
  • City Centre Princes Street, 124 Princes St.. Farther west, toward Charlotte Street.
    And our back-up, a bit farther south and I think not quite as conveniently located:
  • Central, 82 Lauriston Place. Website says "new rooms", so I guess renovated.

The best I can tell from the Premier Inn website (not impressed by its fuzziness), all have a/c (just in case) and all have rooms with a largish bed plus a "sofa bed", which seems to have a regular bed-style mattress I could sleep on. (I didn't know during my earlier stays at the Heathrow T4 PI that I would be sharing a room and sleeping on the day bed, so I didn't ever try sitting on it.) The website is really unclear about the bed situation at York Place, but it delivers results when I ask for a twin room.

Pictures suggest that the first three hotels have tubs (travel mate prefers that), but again, the website is not always clear about which features apply to the specific hotel vs. most of the PI hotels. All those issues aside (I'll be emailing to verify)...Or not, as it turns out. The website doesn't appear to provide any way to email a specific hotel.

Is there a difference among those hotels in terms of terrain (I know the city is hilly; trying to avoid unnecessary hill-climbing), noise level, etc.? I've read (perhaps here) that Rose Street gets a lot of bar traffic, and the Princes Street location looks as if it might be problematic for that reason. Travel mate is more noise-sensitive than I am, and I'm not fond of listening to drunks at 2 AM.

Is one of those location markedly more limited in the number of mid-priced restaurants within 3 blocks or so? We have different restaurant preferences, so I'm not specifying any type of place in particular; there's safety in numbers.

Travel mate (with somewhat iffy knees) will be focusing on the historical sights and major museums in central Glasgow. I believe her interests align quite well with Rick's guide book. She will use HO/HOs and city buses when they are helpful, but I don't want to make getting around harder for her than necessary.

Thank you for your input.

Posted by
8261 posts

We stayed at the York Place Hotel. We had a twin room. It consisted of one double bed and a separate twin bed. We were on an upper floor and had a fabulous view out over the harbor.

The hotel is the last stop on the tram from the airport and a 5 minute walk from the train station. There are several restaurants and shops just a few blocks away. We used a combination of the tram and walking. The bus station is two blocks away.

Neighborhood does not have a lot of night noise, especially if a room high up and on back side where you get the great view.

Posted by
26840 posts

Thank you, Carol. That sounds like a solid option for us. I think the PIs tend to be a lot alike in their basic features, so much depends on the specific neighborhood, and your report is very encouraging.

Posted by
9462 posts

I've stayed at the Royal Mile East Market Street location (twice) and while I really liked it, you do have to take an immediate steep (but short) hill to get up to the Royal Mile level from E Market Street. I wasn't really happy I put my mother through that, so it might not be the best for your travel partner.

Premier Inn Princes Street is right on the busy main shopping street in Edinburgh but front rooms get views of the castle and the Princes Street Gardens. Rooms have good double-glazing so you won’t hear street noise but each time you step outside you’ll be on one of Edinburgh’s busiest street for pedestrians and public transport (trams, buses etc).

Lots of good shops and restaurants on Princes Street, George Street plus the side streets between the two, and Rose Street. Not the hilliest part of Edinburgh.

York Place is a good location. Also a very busy road in terms of traffic, and not absolutely in the heart of the city centre as Princes Street is, but very easy to get around from.

Premier Inn rooms are usually pretty good for sound insulation.

Posted by
11294 posts

I'm not sure which would be the best hotel, but I have one tip for your and your friend, wherever you stay: get a day pass for the buses. At least in September 2018, it was £4 (cash only on the bus, no bills, no change given). I was staying at the Travelodge on Queen Street (north side of the New Town), and the walk from there to the Royal Mile was up and down some pretty significant hills. So, I usually just took the bus; it was only a few stops, but well worth it.

Posted by
26840 posts

Thank you both. I'm going to discuss everyone's comments with my friend today and make the reservation.

Harold, I'm certain my friend will get the transit pass. I'm going to take a look at the terrain and decide, maybe on a day-by-day basis. I use my trips as a means of enforced exercise, so I don't want to make it too easy on myself. And my clothes need to still fit me at the end of the trip!

[Edit removed; comment posted in the wrong thread.]