Fantastic location
Edinburgh is an expensive city concerning accommodation. I booked some weeks before visiting and I searched for both B&B and hotels. We are travelling with a child and only staying for a night so a central location was of major importance so that we could make the most of our time in Edinburgh. Amongst others, Ibis hotel was suggested as a cheap hotel on LP Scotland's guide so I checked their website for rates: www.ibishotel.com. The fare for a double room with an extra bed was £115 (July 2010, accommodation only, flexible rate you may cancel without expenses) - it was a bit more expensive because we were staying Saturday night, turns out that this is one of the most expensive days of the week. I searched some other LP's suggestions as well as booking.com and I couldn't find a better quality/ location for the price. So, I booked directly at www.ibishotel.com, one must guaranty the reservation with a credit card, but they won't charge you for the room immediately as you will only pay when you arrive at the hotel (by whatever means of payment you choose).
We had already stayed in other Ibis hotels before, so we already had an idea of what would be expecting us, that's the advantage of chain hotels. Also, we had checked the city map and had an idea of its location concerning both Waverley Station and the historical centre.
However, when we arrived we were surprised! The city was so much smaller than it looked like in the map and the hotel was a mere 5minute walk from the station (and about 10minute walk from the castle, it is situated on a square by the Royal Mile). Fortunately, it was nearer than we had though as the street was up-hill and it was raining when we left our airport bus at Waverley Station!
But the location wasn't the only surprise we had that day. This Ibis hotel is more modern and nicer looking than all the others we had previously stayed on. Our room was very nice, clean and well equipped (LCD on the wall, facilities for free coffee and tea, small but functional bathroom). The extra bed was also very comfortable. The room window overlooked the nice stone roofs of the city and we were very pleased with this Ibis. It really surprised us, far more than we expected!
Breakfast wasn't included in our rate and it cost an extra £6.95/ adult and half the price for a child. We choose to have breakfast in a nearby restaurant.
Unique Quality: I'd say the greatest advantage of this hotel it's its fabulous location: near the Waverley Station, near the castle and in the Royal Mile. There are a lot of (touristy) restaurants, bars and a supermarket around, not to mention the hundreds of tourist souvenir shops, if that's what you're looking for.
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