It’s always more of a pleasure going out for an evening’s entertainment when you know it’s just a stroll from hotel to theatre. Better still, you’re within easy walking distance of some of the city’s best restaurants—in fact can sleep above one with a Michelin star in luxuriously glamorous hide-away rooms. Not only are these choices in ideal positions for city-centre shopping and sight-seeing, they’re all close to Calton Hill with its monuments, arts centre, great restaurant and 360-degree views. Or head down to Leith for two more Michelin-starred restaurants, passing several strong new-comers on the way.
Here are grand hotels: one with an appropriately theatrical Gothic entrance opening to a hotel that’s a statement in glass; another, one of Edinburgh’s oldest hotels, as classy as they come. For something more intimate there are quieter propositions, including two stylishly sophisticated guest houses, guaranteed to surprise and delight. These are the best hotels near Edinburgh Playhouse.
Don’t let the high-Gothic entrance fool you, The Glasshouse features lots of groovy furnishings (including a snug/bar complete with fire bowl), a fab rooftop garden, retro-styled bedrooms overlooking the city or garden and a restaurant that only opens when it feels like it. Not exactly made of glass but there’s lots of it about: sweeping windows, semi-glass staircase, and glass baubles, vases and objets dotted around. Décor is a bit 1970s with plenty of orange, tan and cherry-reds, pendant lampshades, boxy leather sofas and wood veneer furniture. It’s a little off-piste – but in a good way.
From
£
131
per night
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Goldilocks could not help but approve of such carefully appointed bedrooms, where everything is just right. There are deeply comfortable king-sized beds with Egyptian cotton bedlinen, iPod docking stations, cable television, home-baked goods, Green & Black’s chocolate and Nespresso coffee machines. The Garden Room is a particularly charming, with a sunroom leading on to the pretty walled garden. What’s more, with only four rooms for guests, staying here feels very spoiling.
From
£
169
per night
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The four bedrooms above this Michelin-starred restaurant are no afterthought; there is a confident hand at work in rooms that are as striking as the food, displaying a sometimes surprising but always sensual contemporary/baroque style and unexpectedly leafy views. Big, plump and swanky, without a frill or flounce in sight, these are proper bedrooms with grown-up colours of cappuccino, bitter chocolate and sage green with flashes of silver to up the glam. Soft carpets, deep sofas, huge beds and white shutters keep things light and relaxed while walls of mirrors, funky floor lights and glass screens add fun.
From
£
175
per night
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There’s nothing stuffy about Edinburgh’s oldest hotel; it does classy/contemporary on a grand scale throughout. With a hip(ish) coffee shop, bar and brasserie-style restaurant and impressively up-to-date bedrooms and suites, most of what might have been lost in old-fashioned character is gained in style. The look is softly tailored boutique in Farrow & Ball-esque shades of oak, smoke, moss and mist with smart leather accents. The quality and attention to detail is notable, with graceful references to the literary history of the building. Happily not everything has been modernised: there’s still a kilted concierge and the floors still creak endearingly here and there.
From
£
161
per night
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Time to re-adjust your thinking about guesthouses – this class act gives many boutique hotels a run for their money in both the style and comfort stakes. Tall windows, a luxurious but uncluttered style and skilled use of colour makes for serenely calming bedrooms, and there is real confidence in the design of the ethereal blue-grey sitting/dining room, lifted by the colourful jolt of an emerald green sofa and armchairs. With a great location on the edge of city centre and a breakfast as delicious as the decor, this is as sophisticated as B&B gets.
From
£
95
per night
Combining function with fun, the designers at this Edinburgh New Town hotel swallowed a Scottish dictionary and came up with sharp, modern vibe that feels bright and fresh. Colours are brash, with tartan carpets and Scottish themed wallpapers — imagine Brigadoon re-designed by Roy Lichtenstein. The 103 themed rooms (stag, thistle, Scottish banknote or highland cow) are colourful and clean, with double, twin and family versions available. The star rooms are on the top floor, with generous balconies giving terrific views over the city. Book early and grab a castle-view one for the Festival or New Year fireworks.
From
£
77
per night
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With only a number on the door to guide you, arriving at this pretty Georgian house is like staying in an incredibly thoughtful friend’s home. It’s a great way to get a feel for what it is like to live in the city, and hard to believe such tranquility is possible so close to busy Broughton Street with its cafés, restaurants and shops. The three comfortable bedrooms are all on the garden level at the back of the house, and have been decorated in a cosy, classic style, with pretty antiques, that is entirely in keeping with the age and style of the building.
From
£
90
per night
Formerly the Black Watch Regimental club — the cracked encaustic tiles are said to have been caused by beer barrels being rolled into the front door — No. 11 is now a quiet 10-bedroom hotel with an ambitious brasserie-style restaurant and attractive bedrooms. It’s boutique rather than bumptious, with a decor that tends toward charcoal, pale grey and light silver, with dark reproduction furniture, a bit of muted tartan tweed here and there and the occasional feature wall – perhaps best described as dialled-down contemporary.
From
£
76
per night
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