Let me start by thanking Michael Weston, Manager of the Glasgow Hilton for making this stay possible. After a regretable stay at his hotel in August 2006 for our wedding anniversary, he more than made up for any problems with his efficiency, kindness and by taking control and putting things right.

An annual trip made by my wife and I since we first met was a visit just before Christmas to Edinburgh. We try to get over during the year as well, but this was our first trip back since christmas 2005.

Having stayed before in many of the hotels Edinburgh has to offer, we have 'upgraded' each time to stay in places such as the Balmoral and the Glasshouse. But we have never stayed in the Caledonian and always wanted to give it a try.

Having been offered the chance to stay in Glasgow this year, we asked Michael Weston if he would mind booking us in to the Caledonian for three nights from 18th-21st Dec. This he did and on arrival we found that we had been upgraded (twice I think), one because we asked for a room on a high floor with a view of the castle and the other because we are Hilton card holders.

Greeting us at the entrance was Malcolm the concierge. A warmer and more genuine welcome we have never had in any hotel in any other part of the world. He escorted my wife and I to our room with our luggage and spent at least ten minutes talking with us about our plans during our stay.

In fact, all of the staff were excellent, we were treated like human beings and nothing was too much trouble. As much as we loved the likes of the Balmoral or Glasshouse, both were sooo stuffy, I felt that I always needed to be in a suit to fit in and the staff always made us feel that they were too busy or important to deal with any questions or issues.

In the Caledonian, it was like being at home.

We had one issue during our stay when we found that a spring in the bed had pierced the side of the matress. Someone being enthusiastic I can only assume! However, on mentioning this to the reception desk the morning it was noticed, on our return that afternoon, the matress had been replaced. That night we returned back to our room to find a room service waiter delivering a bottle of Champagne to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

We tend to eat out when we travel rather than use the hotel restaurants. However, we had a great lunch in Henry J Beans diner, 2 main courses and 2 drinks for £10 is fantastic, and we also ordered off the room service menu which was reasonably priced for a 5-star hotel. Breakfast was included in our room rate and it is worth having because it really set us up for the day ahead. Varied and fresh, it was great.

We stayed in the modernised section of the hotel, which is beautifully done, very much in keeping with the period of the building. The bathroom was ultra modern and the shower powerful. We had the most wonderful views of the Castle and of Princes Street. However, be aware that if you ask for views of the castle, you are also liable to end up with street noise, so don't punish the hotel by complaining if you get woken up at night. We were on the 3rd floor and louts and traffic noise did reach us, but you get used to it after the 1st night. This is the only real downside to having such a central location.

For the first time this year, I took my own car rather than hire one. I am usually quite sensitive about my car because of the chance of damage and the shortage of parking around edinburgh. I need not have worried though, the concierge ensured that my car was valet parked securely and brought back and forth as was needed during our stay.

Nothing was too much trouble and we were enjoying the stay so much we decided to extend it until Christmas Eve!

One lovely touch though happened on our final night. My wife and I had both resigned ourselves to a lazy evening watching TV after a busy week but we recieved a call from Malcolm the Concierge asking if we would like complimentary tickets to a Carol service. It was such a wonderful way to finish the trip and we really enjoyed our first visit to the Usher Hall.

On leaving it was like we were saying goodbye to friends. My wife did not know whether or not to hug Gordon the doorman or shake his hand!

The whole stay reminded us of our honeymoon in Canada as we stayed in many Hilton hotels for the 6 weeks we travelled. When you stay in a hotel, the people who work there can make your trip special or terrible. In this case they made it outstanding. We gave them respect and we got it back in equal measure.

We will be back soon, hopefully before Christmas and the only place we will be staying will be the Caledonian Hilton. Many thanks to all of them and best wishes for the New Year!