AmarAgua Guest House

The host was great, and the place was nice. It's near bus routes, which made getting around easy. A little overpriced, maybe, but otherwise it was fine.

Kuon was an excellent host, friendly, helpful, informative and accommodating. The room was spacious and charming, and the place felt comfortable and elegant. It's conveniently located, about a 35-minute walk from the Royal Mile, and great value for Edinburgh.

The room didn't match what I'd expected from its description. It had a toilet outside the room for our use, but I hadn't realized there were steps to reach it, a key was needed, and two other rooms shared the hallway. I thought we'd have the whole floor to ourselves, so privacy was less than expected. This should be made clear in the description. The roller blinds also let in so much light that the room couldn't be darkened, and the bed was too small for two. The area was quiet and peaceful, with no noise from other rooms. The place was neat and clean. It's about ten minutes by bus with good connections, or a 30-40 minute walk. The fruit and muesli at breakfast were tasty, though some food came from a can. I work in customer service and have also been a trainer, so I notice these things. The host was pleasant on the surface, but the friendliness felt artificial. When we arrived, the host launched into instructions for public transport even though we said we'd already looked into it, had come by bus and had a couple of questions. “I'm getting there,” he said, and we had to hear the whole practiced speech without feeling listened to. We were on time, so we left our bags in the hall. The host said to call the door phone when we returned and he'd tell us where he'd hidden the room key. Back later, while waiting after calling, I spotted a box marked “key,” opened it and found our key inside. I don't understand why he couldn't just have told us that clearly in the morning, since it wasn't locked. I'd heard people praise breakfast, but I don't know why. Maybe we Scandinavians expect more. It was tasteless and dry. We had to choose the day before, and I ordered eggs and smoked salmon. It was cold-smoked, vacuum-packed salmon, which I can't eat while pregnant. When I told the host, he replied, “What do you want me to do?” He couldn't have known I was pregnant. I explained the difference between smoked and cold-smoked, and pointed out that the label should say cold-smoked. I asked for another portion and got one, but the exchange left me feeling awful. At places like this, hosts often ask in the morning how the night went or whether breakfast was good. That basic kindness and consideration was missing here. The warmth felt learned, not genuine. I'd also mentioned in messages that we were on our honeymoon. The host had seen and answered other things, but didn't congratulate us.

The host was friendly, thoughtful and wonderfully organized, and made our New Year stay lovely. Breakfast was tasty and made to suit us. Because of our early flight, the host served breakfast an hour early and packed food for our hiking trip in the Highland, which was so helpful. Highly recommend. Wishing the host and family all the best for 2019!