I and my partner stayed at the Caledonian Hilton for Christmas. We absolutely loved the experience. The hotel's location is fantastic - just at the beginning of Princess street (even though, one may find more centrally located hotels on the Royal Mile). But this hotel's location offered peace and relaxation and some fantastic views over the Castle. We stayed at the Deluxe Plus room; and even though the views were fantastic, the hotel's photos made it seem that the room was a bit bigger (not that it is too small). The bathroom is well equipped and is pretty big. The service was fantastic and staff did everything to ensure that we had a good time. Our breakfast was included in the rate and we absolutely loved the restaurant where the breakfast was served as well as the fresh tasty choice of foods offered. The building itself is grand and beautiful. I think that if anyone wants to really and truly experience the fantastic city of Edinburgh, one should stay at the Caledonian Hilton (even though it is pricey).

We decided to spend Hogmanay in Edinburgh in 2005 and moved to the Caledonian Hilton from the Sheraton Grand and Spa on the 1st January. We stayed until the 3rd. In comparison to the Sheraton, the Hilton hotel is far more modern. We were on the first floor and the colours were a wonderful baby blue. The room was very stylish, decorated to a high standard in muted browns and cream. The bathroom was small, but clean and in a modern design too.
We ate both nights at the restaurant (as we were too lazy to go out). The food was excellent and the set menu good value (3 courses for under £20). Although our waitress on both nights was exceedingly rude, she was still professional (strange contrast, I know), and we tried not to let her sour face spoil our evening.
The only complaint I would have other than the waitress service was the health club. The standard fell far below par. The club did not have top-range equipment, the sauna was tiny and the pool was inundated with small children.
However, location-wise it was perfect and as we only paid £104 per night (B&B directly via the hotel), it is hard to find many faults with the Caledonian Hilton.
On the last day we decided to visit the Glasshouse and were blown away. What a beautiful hotel! If you want modern, uber-stylish and something a little exquisite, I would definitely recommend the Glasshouse first. The only downside is that there is no Spa at the Glasshouse. (On a side note - if you want a great Spa, you cannot beat the Sheraton Grand and Spa. Though you might have to pay £20 for use if you stay in a standard room).

I was a wedding guest who stayed at the Hotel for 2 nights and our stay was nothing short of perfect. It's one of the best weddings I have ever attended. Every member of staff we encountered was friendly and professional and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. We chose a deluxe room which has recently been refurbished and although it was beautiful it was slightly out of keeping with the traditional character of the Hotel. It's well worth splashing out for a meal in the fine dining Pompadour Restaurant especially if you can get a table overlooking Edinburgh Castle - the views are breathtaking. Would definitely revisit if back in Edinburgh.

My wife and I stayed at the Caledonian for 3 nights from the 16th - 19th December 2005. We found the hotel's location to be excellent as it was 10 mins walk from the Castle and less than 10 mins walk from the Theatre and the Cinema. The hotel was also opposite Princes Street (The main shopping street in Edinburgh). The staff were nothing less than charming during our whole stay, and everyone we dealt with was very helpful. We stayed in a deluxe room at the back of the hotel and the view was quite poor, but the room itself was very well funished and clean. The front of the hotel faces the Castle and has very good views (however, the cemetary where Burke & Hare did their grave robbing is also opposite - so watch out!). We had room service during our stay, and were on a bed and breakfast rate, and we found the food to be excellent. We have stayed at many 5 star hotels in the UK & US and felt that the Caledonian was at least on a par if not better than many of those hotels.