Destiny Student - Holyrood

The location worked well for us: the walk to the centre is fairly straight and not terribly long, there’s a bus stop nearby, and there are lovely cafés and reasonably priced grocery shops around. Some of those shops are fully halal. That’s one of the main reasons I’d stay again, and I wish the website would flag it. It is pricey, but during Fringe in Edinburgh it was cheaper than other places, even if it wasn’t cheap. This is student accommodation, not a hotel, so the service and amenities are different. Staff were lovely and helpful. The room was compact, particularly the bathroom, with barely enough space for a step or two. The bathroom light kept turning off while I was showering, and the hallway light took a while to come on at night. The windows barely opened, and the room got extremely hot until my friend ordered a huge fan. I liked the views from the windows, especially the one from the shared kitchen, which was very clean and quiet. There was space for suitcases under the desk and plenty of plug sockets. I was glad I’d brought travel hangers, as there weren’t any in the room. Each person got one towel in the tiny en-suite bathroom. I was glad to have brought my own, since an extra towel costs £5. Shampoo, body wash, tea, coffee and sugar were available at reception, and extra toilet paper was free if requested. I wish they’d provided soap or handwash; we ended up getting more body wash and using that. One small annoyance: I wish we’d been given two key cards.

The bed was comfortable and the room was clean. I’d read plenty of reviews before writing mine, and if I’d seen them before booking I might have stayed away, which would’ve been a mistake. I did have a couple of issues, though. The shower room extractor fan was so loud and stayed on for ages. If you wake up at night to use the loo, it can keep you awake afterwards. The room was also much too hot, which I found hard to deal with. The building may be designed for the other 11 months of the year when Scotland gets no sunshine, but I only found out fans were available as I was checking out. I’d forgotten to ask, though reception could perhaps let guests know when they check in. It’s about a 20-minute walk uphill to many Fringe venues, so expect aching legs and blisters unless you’re fit. I knew I was booking student accommodation, not a hotel. It cost less than the other options, so I could afford an extra night compared with booking a Premier Inn Hub. My room was small, but I was in Edinburgh for Fringe and didn’t plan to stay in it during the day. I do worry about students living in such a cramped space during term time. I had a good place to sleep for three nights, but wouldn’t be sure about staying longer.

The location was fantastic, and the staff were friendly and helpful. It’s a budget-friendly place, but definitely not a hotel. The rooms got extremely hot despite the comfortable weather outside, with very little air circulation. We were given a fan, which helped, but made the air feel very dry. The windows were fixed partly open, so loud seagulls on the roof kept us listening at all hours, and the room didn’t get any cooler. We also only had one towel each, with no hand towels or anything like that.

The front desk staff were really friendly and the bed was comfortable, but the room was extremely hot and there was no way to adjust the settings. I only had one pillow and didn’t think to ask whether I could get another. For the money, it felt a bit steep. If it were about 30% cheaper, I’d recommend it. Also, some dodgy wiring, but I managed not to stick my tongue on it 😜.