Leisure visit with wife and 12 yo daughter to Edinburgh was made very pleasant by this outstanding hotel. Situated adjacent to the Waverly train station (made for a very easy departure) the hotel has the grand appearance of its past (it was the train station). It is a Rocco Forte property and has many nice amenities. Although I was not crazy about the contemporary furnishings the room was large, quiet, and had a nice bathroom (great tub/shower with overhead shower water grate),shampoos, shower gel,etc, room The bed, pillows, and linens were very comfortable. Nice flat screen TV, wieless internet for free, room safe, A/C, and a clever system for conserving energy with room key needed to activate lights,etc. Our room was on the same floor as a suite denoted as the room where the author of Harry Potter stayed while writing. There is a plaque on the door and my daughter got a kick out of seeing the suite.

The Bell Staff was excellent. Special theanks to Brett and Frank for helping us retrieve our bags which were 8 hrs delayed "thanks"to British Airways. The front desk was well staffed and everyone seemed so polite, friendly, and helpful. The breakfast buffet(included in my room rate) was fresh, varied, and delicious. The dining area was well staffed and everyone was very courteous.

The hotel is on Princes St (shopping) and is an easy walk to the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Hollyrood Palace, National Gallery,etc.

Hotel has a really nice indoor pool, suana, steam room, workout area, and spa services. It was great to take a swim with my daughter (all kids do love pools).

Found Edinburgh to NOT be a great dining city. The Witchery by the Castle was in my opinion overrated (please see seperate review). The Dome ( a hotel and restaurant a few blocks from the Balmoral) is a beautiful building to have a drink and some apps in. Really enjoyed the atmosphere.

Took a day tour to St. Andrews and to some of the villages by the sea. Used Rabbie's Tour Service with office/ pickup on the Royal Mile (very short walk from Hotel). This tour service did an excellent job and uses small, modern, comfortable coaches (buses). They have many different tour options- very satisfied.

Overall, very positive experience at the Balmoral. If it fits your budget than you will enjoy the amenities.

BTW: This is a real review. I do not work for the hotel. I am a doctor living in southern California.

Is just fantastic!! great location, close to shops and city attracctions,we had great very clean room with view on the castle,hotel maybe is not so great but friendly and helpfull staff make our stay just better than we expected, our room was serviced with the speed of light thanks to fantastic supervisor .Number one restaurant is just number one 1st class food and staff! Is just like 5 star hotel should be!

My husband and I stayed in this hotel for a weekend. The welcome was very nice, our room was ready promptly...., and I think that is everything nice I can say about this hotel. The heat in our room was not working, I reported it at 1PM, and at 10PM it was still not fixed. We were offered a heater!! I suspect that if I was staying in a hostel I could be satisfied, but in a 5* hotel... not! The night manager said he doesn't know why the heat was not fixed, he was not made aware of the problem, and basically that the problem was not his as he only started at 8PM. I am sorry, but who takes the responsibility! He was not able to change us to another room as according to him all were booked. He also did not seem at all perturbed. On top of that there were black hair in our bathtub!!!!!! By then, I didn't bother to complain, because by the way our first complaint was handled I would not be surprised if a sponge and cleaning milk was delivered for us to clean it ourselves.

My husband and I began our trip to the UK with three nights in this landmark hotel. We don’t usually stay in large hotels, but this seemed like the right choice in Edinburgh. Our room was huge and comfortable. The staff was friendly and very helpful with everything. They quickly attended to our requests. The central location made it possible to easily walk to all of the sights. Our top floor room was very quiet. The location next to the train station made it easy for us to pick up our rental car for the driving portion of our trip.

We ate breakfast at the hotel on one morning of our stay. It was rather expensive, but very good - I’m glad we did it once. On the other mornings we went to the Pret a Manger a few blocks away. Tea and coffee making facilities were provided in our room.