Dalkeith Aparthotel

There was building work everywhere, which made getting around especially difficult for my visually impaired friend. We’d booked this room for him to come with me to a wedding the next day, but the many trip hazards felt like something out of an Indiana Jones temple. The room was unlocked when we arrived, stained, and had more hazards. All that for £90. I’ve stayed in better places in Blackpool for £25. Nothing said in advance that this was an unmanned hotel. I tried calling, but one number didn’t connect and nobody answered the other. I emailed ahead too and got no reply. There was no way to communicate with anyone, so you can’t refuse the room and ask for your money back.

It felt very unsafe. The room codes had apparently been changed, and we could only get into our room with the code for the neighbouring room. The contact number was switched off when we tried to call about the problem. There wasn’t even any toilet roll in our room. We arrived late and the online check-in code wouldn’t open the main door. Some random people let us in and said there was a default code for every room. The next morning there were no staff around when we had to leave for a tournament. When we came back, again there was nobody there and we couldn’t get in. Eventually we got inside after asking other guests for help. Not a smart hotel.

The staff were so friendly and helpful, and the room was amazing with a sea view. Great design, absolutely brilliant. Highly recommended.

We knew there was no parking when we booked, so that was the one drawback. The apartment itself was clean and fully equipped, and communication with the host was really good. It’s centrally located, with a good bus service into Edinburgh.