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The Balmoral is housed in an 18th century building and located in the heart of the city. This is Edinburgh’s most celebrated luxury hotel. It is a 25-minute drive away from the Edinburgh International Airport and within a stone’s throw of landmarks, such as St Giles Cathedral, the National Library of Scotland, and the National museum. The hotel rooms and suites are spacious, with air-conditioning, in-room bars, and broadband Internet. Most rooms look over the romantic landscapes of the city’s Old Town. The in-house restaurant offers traditional Scottish meals prepared with creativity and innovation, which won its chef and staff the “Fine Dining Experience” award at the first Scottish Restaurant Awards in 2008.

The Cairn Hotel is a small non-smoking hotel situated in the theatre district of the city. The establishment is relatively cheap by local standards (£34.00 per room on the average), but offers free Internet, cable TV, and direct-dial telephone. Ironing boards, irons, and hair dryers are available on request. Hotel facilities include a garden, 24/7 reception desk, and heating. Available services are banquet and meeting facilities, fax and photocopying, shoe shine, and packed lunches. The hotel restaurant serves Continental breakfast at £6.50 per plate, and there is a lounge bar where you can try some of the famous Scottish whisky. The Edinburgh Castle is in the neighborhood, and the nearby rail station will help you reach with ease any other point of interest.

The Merith House Hotel is a Georgian terraced house located in Edinburgh’s easternmost area. It is near the Leith Links Park which has a golf course and is ideal for morning jogging. Continental breakfast is served in the dining room every morning, but other than that, the hotel does not have its own restaurant or bar. Still, there are plenty of bars in the vicinity, which serve both food and drinks. The rooms are clean and well-maintained and vary between £19.50 and £45 per person (the rate goes up in August, during the Edinburgh Festival). A regular bus line provides connection to the city’s downtown area (the picaresque trip along the winding Victorian streets lasts for about 10 minutes).

Jurys Inn Edinburgh is located on Jeffrey Street in the Old Town. The rooms are furnished with a multi-channel TV, high speed Internet, refreshments dock and a bathroom with hair-drying facilities. The Inn is wheelchair-accessible and has elevators on all floors. Its restaurant serves breakfast and dinner with a fine selection of wines every day of the week, including holidays. Hotel services include rooms and facilities for disabled persons, non-smoking rooms, express check-in and check-out, air conditioning, luggage storage, newspapers, and more. Among the many services offered are dry cleaning, laundry, a vending machine, ironing service, etc. Pets are not accepted in the premises. The hotel provides up to one baby cot per room. Many tourist attractions, such as the Edinburgh dungeons, are in close proximity.

If you are coming to Edinburgh by plane and prefer to stay in the area of the airport, you have plenty of accommodation options to choose from. The Agenda hotel is situated just 6.4 miles away from the airport, and room prices start at £84. The rooms are clean and fitted with all standard amenities. The staff is polite and helps with transportation information, Scottish customs, touring suggestions, etc. Another hotel to look at is the Ellersly House Hotel, located 8.8 miles from the airport. The prices start at £70, and the location is great (there is a bus stop nearby). Hotel facilities include a restaurant and bar, safety deposit box, facilities for disabled guests, luggage, safety deposit box, and more. Parking spaces and Internet are available. However, pets are not accepted.

Short rentals are another option for your stay in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Castle Hill Apartment, for example, is a condo with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. The apartment is situated close to Princess St. and the Edinburgh Castle. It is equipped with a dishwasher, fridge, microwave, DVD player, television, central heating, and washing machine. Towels, soap, and shampoo are provided. Internet connection is available – wireless and WiFi broadband. Pets are not accepted and smoking is not allowed. The apartment is not accessible for wheelchair users.

‘Edinburgh is what Paris ought to be’, wrote once Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, about his hometown. This may seem like a patriotic hyperbole, but the million tourists who visit the city every year seem to agree. Be it for the month-long Arts Festival, the gorgeous Georgian architecture, the merry pubs, or the towering Edinburgh Castle, but the city is at present the second most visited place on the British Isles. The annual number of guests here easily surpasses that of its settled population. The Scots are famous for their hospitality which also shows in the high quality of their hotels.