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The Caledonian, Edinburgh

The Caledonian (or Caledonian Hilton as it's now officially named) is the Sean Connery of the Edinburgh hotel scene – a beloved national icon but one that, these days, has been sidelined by younger, more glamorous models.

It began life as the Princes Street Station hotel; the station closed in 1965, allowing the hotel to expand across what had previously been the platforms. The Caledonian now stands as a lavish full-stop to Princes Street, the capital's main commercial thoroughfare. Today, the renovations carried out by the Hilton company and its predecessors have made it one of Edinburgh's most comfortable hotels but also, sadly, a more ordinary one.

There may be three restaurants (one, Chisholm's, incorporates the original red-stone entrance to the station platforms) and a comprehensive health club, but this is resolutely corporate territory; once inside, it's almost indistinguishable from any other luxury chain hotel.

Almost, but not quite. Touches of the kind of grandeur that once attracted such hallowed guests as Laurel and Hardy, Elizabeth Taylor and Bing Crosby are still there in the sweeping staircases, wood-panelling, weighty chandeliers and baby grand – as well as the hotel's best feature, its panoramic views across to Edinburgh Castle.

And, on 21 December 2003, the hotel reaches its centenary. To celebrate, there will be a countdown of events from next month, starting with a birthday-cake design competition, ending with a charity ball, and, in the middle, reconstituting its 1903 menu for guests with an appetite for history.

Location, location, location

On the corner of Lothian Road and Princes Street, in Edinburgh's West End, the Caledonian is handily close to the city's main shops, bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres – as well as what's left of the historic Old Town since the recent fire (happily, quite a lot). Caledonian Hilton, Princes Street, Edinburgh (0131 222 8888; www.hilton.co.uk/caledonian).

Transport: on foot is definitely the easiest way to go in this part of town. For getting further afield, there are several bus stops outside the hotel and a taxi rank across the street.

Time to international airport: about 35 minutes by bus (£3 single, £5 return) or 20 minutes by taxi (around £16), traffic permitting.

Are you lying comfortably?

The 249 rooms are about as traditional as you can get while providing all the necessary modern amenities of a luxury hotel. Most have very high ceilings and picture windows (many with views over to Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street) but also surprisingly fierce central-heating systems, enormous beds, power showers and minibars that are disguised behind opulent wooden screens.

The fancy curtains, ornate wallpaper, garish carpets and decorative wooden furniture (including some strange, organically shaped chandeliers that look as if they have been plucked from the set of the latest Lord of the Rings saga) may not be to everyone's taste, but all the rooms are designed with comfort in mind, and they definitely suit the general tone of the building.

Freebies: mini Molton Brown toiletries in the bathrooms, shortbread to go with tea or coffee, and seasonal chocolates on the pillow (no Bendicks' mints here – it's Santas at the moment).

Keeping in touch: rooms have phones, TVs, PlayStations and modem points.

The bottom line

Double rooms currently start at £140, including breakfast.

I'm not paying that: dorm beds at St Christopher's Hostel, right next to Princes Street station's modern-day alternative, Waverley, cost from £12 per night (9-13 Market Street, Edinburgh, 0131-226 1446; www.st-christophers.co.uk).