Royal Garden Apartments New Town

The apartment was a nice, cosy place to warm up after being out in the cold, with plenty of room and amenities. It was also a good temperature. But I had a couple of problems during our one night there in February 2026. We were in a Queen Street-facing room, and the traffic was loud enough to wake us several times, especially the buses. The bed wasn't great either: the pillows were rock hard, and the mattress felt poor quality. I also found it strange there was no TV in the bedroom. It would've been nice to watch something while lying in bed.

There are videos explaining how to use the appliances, available through a QR code. One thing I'd suggest is a battery backup for the digital keys, or writing down the door codes. My phone died while I was out touring town, and I had a hard time getting back into the building. There's no one in the lobby at night to let you in. The apartments are beautiful and clean, and the price is amazing. It's a seven-minute walk to the Royal Mile. I'd definitely stay here every time I visit Edinburgh, though I'd prefer a king-size bed.

Sonder's best feature is its location, a quick walk from the train station, bars, and restaurants. We stayed for a week in a one-bedroom apartment. The room was very clean and in good condition, with none of the mold, smell, or noise problems I'd read about. I figured those complaints might be about rooms on floors one to three. Our unit was on the sixth floor. Some sixth-floor rooms don't have lift access, so we had to climb one flight of stairs. For rooms with full lift access and above street level, try to get the fourth or fifth floor. The receptionist was very nice, though the front desk is only staffed during the day. After hours, everything goes through their easy-to-use app, and an actual person replies within minutes. A great find for a room this size in this location.

The only downside was that there were no windows. Otherwise, the apartment was brand new and had everything we needed. It was a full-size, self-contained place, and we were pleasantly surprised by how spacious it was. We stayed in September. We arrived late and left early, so we didn't see any staff, but the instructions for getting in and out were fairly clear.