The Bonham is owned by the same people who run the Howard and the Edinburgh Residence. They have made something of a speciality of converting new town blocks into boutique hotels.

I think the Bonham was the first in the chain. When it was opened seven or eight years ago, it won a lot of awards for what the owners had done with it. The public areas and restaurants still look pretty impressive. Unfortuanately judging from the room we had, not much has been done to the upper floors since then.

The room wasn't horrible as such, it just had noticeable signs of wear and tear and gave the general feeling that you were in a hotel that had seen better days.

We were staying during the Edinburgh Festival, and the book festival in particular was only 5-10 minutes walk away in Charlotte Square Gardens, so from that point of view it was fine.

However, if I was going to Edinburgh for any other reason, I'd probably give it a miss, especially all the other options available in the price bracket.

Ever since I got back from honeymoon I have been meaning to post a review of the Bonham. I looked on this site before going and saw a few offputting negative reviews. However, having stayed there on such a special occasion I can only say that our experience was wonderful.

We stayed there for two nights, and from the moment we arrived the staff could not have been more helpful or welcoming. Our room was comfortable and spacious and all the meals were fantastic.

We ate in the restaurant on the first night and I didn't like my fish soup, it was rather gritty. However, the staff happily changed it with no fuss at all. The rest of the meal was really lovely, and the complimentary bubbly to celebrate our marriage was a nice touch.

OK, so we might have got slightly special treatment as we were on honeymoon, but I have to say the staff seemed to be equally kind and helpful to everyone.

I would definitely stay at the Bonham again, and have been recommending it to everyone I know!

I booked an after Christmas/New Year weekend break in The Bonham as a Christmas present for my partner as the rates were very reasonable. We paid £135 per night for DB&B. Overall impressions of the hotel was that it lived up to it's boutique hotel label. We were allocated a room on the 4th floor which was bright and spacious however the decor left a lot to be desired. Felt it could have been made much better with a few improvements - better lighting, warmer colours and a few more personal touches. As it was I thought the room was a bit stark and the decor an afterthought. Saying this, it was very clean and the Molton Brown toiletries were a nice touch. We dined in the restaurant both evenings and my only complaint was that the menu didn't change. The food we had was very nice and the 2 wines we had were both well selected by the hotel. The service in the hotel/restaurant was excellent and nothing was too much trouble. Before and after dining you can sit in the reception/lounge area but it's not really that inviting. Mismatched styles of furniture would be better replaced with comfortable sofas and single lounge chairs. Something we found all over the hotel (in the rooms, the restaurant and the lounge) was that the lighting was dreadful. The management should get someone in to advise on how lighting should be used in different situations. It sounds petty but if the lighting was better the feel and ambiance of the hotel would be vastly improved.

The hotel is very centrally located and only 5-10 mins away from Princes Street and lots of good bars and restaurants on George Street. There is limited parking behind the hotel (maybe about 12 spaces) but we had no trouble getting parked there.

All in all a nice hotel to spend a few nights. Perhaps eat there one night and then sample the delights of the many bars Edinburgh has to offer.

My partner and I stayed at The Bonham for the arranged Hogmanay package from Dec 29th to Jan 2nd. Apart from the obvious disapointment of the Street Party being cancelled the hotel was excellent and we still had a great time.

Travel
To transfer from Edinburgh airport to the Bonham we got the airlink bus service. This departs from stand 19 outside arrivals and the ticket is £5 each for an open return. The bonham is just a short walk from the west end stop.

Location
The Bonham is in a good location roughly 10-15 minutes from Princes Street.

Room
We stayed in room 306 which had great views accross the water to Fife. The room was spacious and comfortable and was always clean when we came back.

Food & Drink
The Restaurant itself was smart with 2 tables by the window.
The breakfasts and hogmanay brunch were good with a choice of full scottish breakfast, cereals, pastries, cheese and ham etc.
The evening meals were a nice 3 courses every night with a 6 course meal for new years eve. We really enjoyed the food and there was hardly anything we didn't like. We particularly liked the scollops, halibat, rabbit and duck dishes. The wine list was fine with usual hotel high prices.

Service
We couldn't fault the service. Check in was quick and we were given a map of the area with places of interest being circled.
Restaurant service was superb, didn't feel rushed or forgotten.

Misc.
- A nice touch was a Happy New Year message left outside our door with complimentary whiskey and baileys.
- A nice bar can be found on George Street next to the hard rock cafe, it's called the dome bar and was very nicely decorated for christmas.