Holyrood Aparthotel

The bed was easily the worst part. What was called a double was two unattached singles pushed together, and my partner and I kept sliding into the gap. I nearly fell right off. The sheets didn’t fit, leaving the mattress exposed, and it all felt old, cold and uncomfortable. The room itself was very dated, and its door wouldn’t open all the way. The shower screen was so small that water ended up everywhere. I liked the location, and they left juice, milk and a few breakfast items, though eggs would’ve been welcome. We enjoyed Edinburgh, but the hotel didn’t add to that. Check every photo before booking. We thought we’d get the nice blue room too, but no.

The room was spotless, quiet and well equipped, and the breakfast basket was a great touch. You can walk to the Royal Mile and central area in about eight minutes, with Authors Seat park around five minutes away. Great spot just outside the centre. I’d definitely stay again.

I can only speak for room 303, not the others. It was warm, with good quality sheets and towels, and had all the kit we needed: washer-dryer, microwave, dishwasher, TV, air conditioning, closet and windows. Housekeeping came when we put out the card, checked whether we needed shampoo, toilet paper or towels, vacuumed up hair and took the rubbish. The location felt safe and was very handy, close to Waverley station, Burns Monument and Holyrood Palace, with an easy walk to the Royal Mile. There wasn’t a view, though. We’re average-sized and still barely fit in the bed. Our sheets weren’t changed during the seven nights. We filled out forms at check-in and have since been getting spam calls from Polish numbers. They also put a £50 hold on our card at check-in, to be released at checkout. It was a good experience overall, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re overweight, and I wouldn’t give them my mobile number.

My first stay here in September went much better. This time the room badly needed attention: the sofa arm was broken, the bed was poor and I could nearly feel the springs through the mattress. The power kept tripping because my room and the one next door shared a circuit board, which was really frustrating and had nothing to do with anything in my room. Front desk staff weren’t friendly either. The location is the best thing about the place. They did give me a 20% refund for the problems.