We booked a 2 night stay at Prestonfield in January as a getaway weekend. The hotel and grounds were lovely. The staff were very attentive and not obtrusive at all. We loved it so much we spent all our time there and only popped into Edinburgh for a few hours (we have done the tourist Edinburgh thing previously). If you want a romantic luxury weekend away with your partner then this place is perfect. If you're on business, plan on doing a lot of touristy things in Edinburgh or you want a big bland hotel you might be better off staying in town. We will most definitely return to Prestonfield.

This is a wonderous hotel!... a complete antidote to business focused, impersonal, minimalist experiences. This place is opulent, rich, sumptuous... if you want to escape from the hum-drum and kick start your relationship again, this will do the trick! I did feel a touch like an extra from Moulin Rouge as I entered the hotel but quickly acclimatised. Some people may say it's too over-the-top, too fanciful, but if you wanted clean lines and magnolia painted walls you'd just stay at home, wouldn't you?

The positives -
The bedrooms are very sexy; deep velvet throws, chaise longues at the end of the beds, fur pillows, thick bathrobes, gold curtains (with thoughtful blackout blinds), low light lamps, and mattresses so deep you'll have the best night's sleep you can remember.

The restaurant, 'Rhubarb' is wonderful; great quality ingredients treated in the right way - you can actually taste them and you don't leave feeling hungry! Everyone makes the effort to dress up a bit but not so that we felt intimidated or uncomfortable. Breakfast is also served in Rhubarb, everything that you would want is there, great selection of fruit, pastries, freshly squeezed juices, cheese, cold meats and a fabulous selection of hot food - the eggs benedict is particularly nice.

The staff - the men all wander round the hotel in black kilts and black shirts with big smiles on their faces. They were so helpful - being more than happy to recommend where they and their families eat out in Edinburgh, rather than push the hotel's restaurant option on to us. Very well informed, friendly and professional.

The detail - they have tried, and succeeded in being thoughtful and anticipating what their guests wants. The list is too long to mention everything, however, some highlights are: maps showing three levels of scenic jogging routes for guests with towels, water and apples ready for when you've finished, a vast collection of DVDs for guests to use in their rooms (played on their enormous plasma screens), Bose radios in the bedrooms, herbal rich toiletries, selection of board games and books to flick through in the bars, daily information sheets outlining the local weather forecast, fresh milk in the mini-bar to make actually drinkable tea!

The negatives - I struggle with this and I really am nit-picking in order to provide a balanced review.

The peacocks - if you are on the ground floor and are a light sleeper then the peacocks may wake you up in the morning. It's quite a nice noise, but you may find it annoying if you're in a bad mood.

Location - it is a bit further out of the centre of Edinburgh than we expected - it's a cab ride away, taking about 10 minutes or so.

That's it, just try something different and escape for a few days.

Our guests and ourselves enjoyed the most wonderful day at our wedding this June in Prestonfield. Everything about Prestonfield exudes elegance, quality and style, and we had the joy to experience their truly exceptional planning and management of an event in the Stables, and also the pleasure of enjoying the luxury of staying in the hotel itself.

This is an exceptional place and we cannot praise it highly enough. The attention to detail is magnificent, the quality throughout second to none.

Every single member of staff we encountered (from the moment we booked nearly 2 years ago to the time we were taken to the airport for our honeymoon) has been superb, delivering the highest standards imaginable, and a credit to the hotel.

In the hotel itself, the rooms and suites are divine; the champagne and chocolates in the room very enjoyable (!); the breakfast exquisite; and the staff professional, friendly and helpful.

The Stables is a perfect venue for an event and again, the quality of food, the level of service, the decor etc totally fabulous.

Prestonfield's grounds are lovely, and its location gives you the opportunity to feel like you are in the middle of the countryside while being only 5 minutes from city centre Edinburgh.

Both ourselves and our 130 guests were overwhelmed by the Prestonfield experience. It is so much more than just a 5 star hotel, and we look forward to returning very soon.

PS A big thank you to Gavin, Grant, Enda and all the team

Just had the most wonderful time at a wonderful hotel that thought couldnt live up to the hype.And what was also pleasing the staff seemed to enjoy working there also giving us a guided tour of the various rooms and a bit of local knowledge before showing us to our room which was grand plush airy and yes very posh well it is 5 star after all, And at this point i must say the beds were the comfiest ever. I have a passion for seafood and wasnt let down with the hand dived scallops cooked to perfection. All in all this is somewhere to relax unwind and enjoy and if you can extend your excertions to some putting and croquet then all the better.