On elegant George Street, the broad central spine of the New Town, it has a great position for browsing the street's high-fashion shops, sassy bars and restaurants. It's a busy but wide road within easy walking distance of the New Town's attractions and around 15 minutes to the Old Town. High-end shops including Harvey Nichols, Louis Vuitton and LK Bennett, as well as the National Gallery of Scotland and the Scott Monument are both on Princes Street.
By train: from London in 4 hours 30 mins, from Manchester in 3 hours 15 mins. Book trains to Edinburgh.
By plane: Edinburgh Airport (25-minute drive).
The Georgian façade gives no clue to the style-on-steroids interiors. A white marble and mirror-tiled lobby bar is merely the introduction to a series of swanky spaces, including a lounge of deep blue armchairs and faux greenery, a series of chain-mail draped restaurant booths, and a fuchsia pink and glitter ball-hung cocktail bar.
The ground floor segues through a series of semi-enclosed areas so you can always find a space, perhaps curling up cosily in the navy and green-coloured snug or watching the action from one of the two bars - at weekends with a DJ beneath the glitter balls. Guests have free entry to the basement nightclub, Lulu, and access to a nearby hotel's pool and gym for a £10 day pass.
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Nightclub
- Free Wi-Fi
Rooms are smart, cool and sexy, not an easy combination to pull off. Floors are honey-coloured varnished wood, walls and headboards soft grey while furniture is sleek and solid oak. The sexiness comes in the pink brocade armchairs and curtains, the funky lampshades, and the red uplighters around the windows.
Room types: Classic, Luxury, Junior Suite, Georgian Mini Suite, The Black Room, Georgian Suite
Key amenities: ensuite bathroom, GHD hairdryer and straighteners, smart TV, bluetooth speakers, free Wi-Fi
Day and evening menus offer popular dishes with an Asian twist, such as Thai green curry or tandoori seabass; they're promptly served although it's more pub-style than restaurant-level cooking. The stars of the show are the cocktails with constant action at the mirror-backed, pink-lit bar as the bartenders shake up a Porn Star Martini or Cosmopolitan.
Restaurant and cocktail bar: Open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Drinks, cocktails and food. Modern international cuisine, including tandoori baked sea bass and chargrilled Malayan Chicken. Mains from £15.95.
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