A great hotel! Beautiful suite with nice views. Outstanding service from all the members of the hotel staff. Excellent location for arrival by train, and seeing the sites of both the old and new cities. Afternoon tea in the room was delicious. We even got a complimentary bottle of wine and fruit in our room.

We stayed two nights at The Balmoral during the Fringe. We drove up around noon and were given assistance by Ian, the kilted doorman, who helped us park at the entrance, took our bags and escorted us to the check-in desk. Super helpful and friendly. He told us he could answer any questions about restaurants, pubs or shopping.

We then checked in, although our room would not be ready until later, left our bags and our car and hit the town. We when got back later, we only had to ask for the key at the front desk. Our bags had been moved in to our room. We had a complimentary bottle of red wine and two fresh peaches waitng. We were on the top floor and had a view of the Firth of Forth looking North over the New Town. The room was very modern and well-appointed and the bathroom was great. Robes and slippers also supplied.

Turn-down service in the evening with two bottles of mineral water. We ate breakfast downstairs at Hadrian's. Ridiculously expensive, but we didn't care. The host actually apologized to us when we arrived because he was not at his station (even though he was approaching and made eye contact with us). The continental breakfast had a great selection of smoked fish and cheese, in addition to rolls, breads and cereals.

My wife forgot her make-up bag in the car. We described it to the conceirge, and it was brought up to our room within five minutes. They also told us they could help us book a show for the Fringe if necessary.

The night before check-out, I called and said I would need the car brought to the front at 7:20. We came down at 7:15 and it was waiting.

The staff here cannot be complimented enough. Very friendly and professional, each and every one. The room was great, and you can't beat the location. Truly an exceptional hotel!

We stayed at the Balmoral for 4 nights, starting from August 18th, 2005. I had booked a full year in advance an got an excellent rate @ 149 Pounds per night in a Deluxe room. After having read earlier comments of some reviewers who complained about a poor located room due to a low rate, I was a bit concerned to receive a noisy room adjecent to the suppliers´ entrance or something similar. Instead we got a wonderful and spacious room on the fifth floor (featuring a small turret in one corner) which was located away from the lift, so that no sound spoiled our sleep. In fact the walls and ceilings are so solid that you will never hear what your neighbour is doing (in contrast to many chain hotels which seem to specialise in paper-like walls, nowadays). Though I had not booked a room with a view ours featured the Firth of Forth to the left.

The housekeeping team kept everything spotlessly clean, added personal touches (e.g. a bookmark for the book I was reading, being left on the bedside-locker) and was totally surprised to receive a tip from me. The staff in general was friendly, very efficient and anticipated our needs at all times. This is astounding as the hotel was fully booked. The only thing that is a minus in that respect is that the housekeeping staff could not keep up with the huge amount of work caused by the numerous departures on Sunday. Our maid did everything she could to keep up with her task, clearly enough it was not her fault. I can´t for the life of me understand why hotels (this is not the first time something like that has happened to me) are unable to handle those peak days. (Ever thought about extra staff on these days? Just a thought...)

The food in Hadrian´s Brasserie was definitely outstanding, the best food I ever had in a hotel restaurant. We also tried Number One but unfortunately we were not very hungry this evening and so I cannot give a full account about the quality there. Still, the atmosphere was very refined, the staff both formal and friendly at the same time. Breakfast was excellent, as well. A wide selection of cheese, fruit, juices and cereals. Scrambled eggs were included in the Continental breakfast. Only if you wanted to have something specific from the kitchen (made to order) this came at 2,50 Pounds extra. And the best: One morning we were not very hungry and just had a cup of tea, orange juice and some toast. And we were only charged the items we actually consumed and not the full rate of 16 Pounds per person. Usually hotels do not care about how much you eat, so this was a welcome surprise.

The Spa area comes with everything I need after a hard day in a crowded town (and gosh, was Edinburgh busy at this time of the year!) and I cannot understand any complaints in aforeposted reviews. OK, here and there things are a bit older and not as modern as in other hotels but this only adds to the fantastic character of this hotel. Many hotels I have stayed at tried to combine new and old elements to the winning of neither. But here at the Balmoral the disigners have really done a great job.

As a conclusion I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough, if you are looking for a truly memorable stay in Edinburgh, go for it!

We stayed at the Balmoral for one night after a week of touring the Highlands by car. We arrived at the front of the hotel in our car around 9AM, and a doorman promptly greeted us by opening the door, a cheerful "Welcome to the Balmoral!" and escorting us to the front desk. He then gave us our claim tag, welcomed us again, and - even though he could see me reaching in my pocket for a tip - whisked away quickly and unobtrusively.

Check-in was efficient, friendly, and we were given an deluxe category room with some very cool touches. Our luggage was brought up shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, the room was on the 1st floor (i.e. one story above the street) and was thus rather noisy. We had been escorted to the room by the front desk clerk, and had initially been happy, but we changed our minds and called to request a new room on a higher floor. Within an hour, they called to inform us that a new room was clean (remember, it was still the morning and we had checked-in early), and the front desk manager came up to the room to escort us to the new room. This room had a fabulous view of the main road leading to the Royal Mile, was completely silent, and although a little smaller, was every bit as luxurious. We also had a customized welcome note, signed by the front desk manager, thanking us for staying. Again, our luggage was brought for us once we arrived in the room.

The concierge was excellent, both in his knowledge and demeanor, and - notably - wore a Clefs d'Or lapel pin. His colleagues were also very efficient and knowledgeable. I should emphasize that all the concierge staff and doormen were absolutely, definitively avoiding accepting any form of tips from us. I know enough about hotels to realize that they have been specially trained to politely, but non-verbally (i.e. pre-emptively) refuse a tip. The concierge also got us last minute prime-time reservations at one of Edinburgh's top restaurants; upon arrival, we knew that we absolutely would not have gotten a reservation without his help, it was that busy (and turnover was so delightfully relaxed).

We took high tea in the Palm Court, which was a nice setting with good sandwiches and tea. However, the service was a bit slow with just two waiters and a manager; they could have used an additional waiter.

Breakfast the next morning in Hadrian's Brasserie was excellent, with good service and a wide selection of hot and cold items. The only touch which would have been nice is an on-site chef for omelettes, etc., but those were available (at additional charge) from the kitchen.

The pool area was very clean and attractive, with a complimentary juice and coffee bar. The pool was not particularly large, but it was deep enough for low-diving and it was zero-entry. The sauna was fine, and the steam room was exceptional. I usually dislike steam rooms but this was somehow special; perhaps the combination of lighting effects and a pleasant scent in the air did the trick.

Check-out was promptly and efficiently handled. We were escorted to our car, and since there was another valet-parked car blocking our way, the doorman literally hustled to move it for us (again, avoiding any form of tip). On the dashboard he had left a box of mints and a card wishing us a safe trip and welcoming us back soon, perfectly aligned in front of the speedometer.

Overall, the Balmoral was a superb hotel worthy of its 5-star status. Unlike a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons, it was far less corporate-feeling, and it also had the cachet of being known for its name as an individual property rather than being part of a chain. Some who stay here might complain about the service being merely adequate, or the rooms simply 'okay,' but I suspect these people are seduced by the allure of chains and don't notice the many discreet touches this hotel has to offer in terms of service and facilities.