Sleepover: The Greenhouse, Edinburgh

This four-storey Victorian villa is in a leafy Edinburgh cul-de-sac, where one in three front doors is a guesthouse.

Where is it?

This four-storey Victorian villa is in a leafy Edinburgh cul-de-sac, where one in three front doors is a guesthouse. Bruntsfield is affluent bohemia south-west of the centre, a 20-minute walk from the castle.

What's it like?

Behind the mid-terrace normality is not the expected vegetarian radicalism of rush matting and Mexican pieces but a mini country-house hotel with nice old furniture, prints and fabrics. Doubles £55, singles £35.

What's its USP?

Recently judged Best Hotel/Guesthouse by the Vegetarian Society; essentially this means getting a sensational vegetarian breakfast. Veggie fundamentalists appeased by absence of feather pillows and woollen blankets and free-range organic stuff.

Ambience?

Remnants of old-style b&b. Guests get a laminated card of house rules, bunch of three keys and not enough towels. Something incongruous about the individual packets of cereal, sachets of milk and ketchup, marge and butter packs. Yet pretty right-on in other ways – low-energy light bulbs, part of city recycling initiative, no products tested on animals.

Service?

Friendly but eccentric, and solely by owners Hugh and Suzie. Extensive breakfast seems frantic struggle – they've introduced a shift system with times allocated to each room, but Hugh still gets attacks of Basil Fawlty. "You haven't finished your sausage!" he bellowed at me.

Rooms?

Seven in total: four en-suite, choice of family, double or single. All warm, well decorated, with remote TV, fruit, and flowers.

Food?

Only breakfast, but there are about 20 things on menu, including vegetarian haggis, homemade parsnip and parmesan sausages, scrambled tofu, olive tapenade on toast and boiled egg with soldiers.

Clientele?

They say "cool people", 95 per cent veggie, a third vegan. I say mix of healthy and intelligent-looking easyJet/Go weekenders, thin people on courses and Save-the-Whale types.

Address?

The Greenhouse, 14 Hartington Gardens, Edinburgh EH10 4LD (0131 622 7634; email: greenhouse_edin@hotmail. com; www.greenhouse-edinburgh.com).