The Balmoral is a 5 star hotel, with all the amenities that go along with it. Lovely products in the bath, fresh fruit and bottled water in the room, etc.
I did think that it was starting to show a bit of wear--there were some deep scratches in the furniture and on the bathroom mirror, a light fixture/art installation in Hadrian's restaurant that was broken, etc. These things will happen over the course of time, but the things that could be fixed easily, should be.
There was quite a colony of black mold growing near the taps in the tub. When informed, housekeeping sorted it out, but it shouldn't have reached that point to begin with.
The staff was extremely courteous and made a point of greeting us by name.
The food in Hadrian's Brasserie was very good at lunch and dinner. The breakfast buffet was average. Service in the hotel was friendly but slow.
The location is wonderful--right next to Waverley Station and on Princes Street. We stayed on the 6th (top) floor, and there was a lot of street noise, but it was a weekend night.
Overall, this was a beautiful hotel, but I don't think it is as nice as the Caledonian used to be before Hilton let it go to seed. In spite of being in a lovely building, and the staff being exceptionally friendly, it seemed rather formulaic to me. I liked the hotel, but wouldn't be in a panic to stay there again.

The Balmoral was absolutely exceptional!
We were in Edinburgh for 2 weeks and switched over to The Balmoral after spending our first 2 days at the Hilton Caledonian. What a difference! The hotel has a very elegant and historic exterior yet a very modern interior.

The service was wonderful: the staff escorted us to our room upon arrival and was fantastic throughout our stay. They left complimentary fresh fruit, distilled and sparkling water in the room every day and really responded to any special request efficiently, with a genuine smile. I really can't say enough of the staff - thank you, thank you, thank you.

The pool and spa were beautiful and refreshing and the gym was perfect for a European hotel. The restaurants were excellent too. (try the scallops at Hadrian's or extremely fine dining at Number One.)

And of course, the location is brilliant. Right on Princes Street, near modern shopping, yet around the corner from the Royal Mile, the old town and the Castle.

Overall, I highly recommend The Balmoral.

Stayed with my family earlier this month. The stay was excellent. Edinburgh clearly is a beatiful city with a number of tourist attractions,many free.We couldnt fault the staff at the hotel they where all excellent but of particular note were the consierge,the cheese waiter in the Number one restaurant and the door staff.

From the moment we pulled up in our car the luggage was taken care off and the car taken away to be parked (at a price of £25 per day). We were treated like 5 star guests.

The rooms were a slight disappointment our bathroom needed updating and clearly it is difficult to arrange all the modern facilities that one requires in an old hotel.The pool was good,warm and clean with a range of floats available for our children.

We ate in both resturants. Hadrians was good but i found the menu slightly limited.The number one was truly excellent and the staff were all exceptional.

Breakfast wasnt included and seemed a little expensive.

We have just returned from a family vacation, and had the good fortune of spending two nights at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.
From the moment we arrived, we felt a warm and welcoming feeling from the hotel and it's staff.
We were greeted at the front door by a doorman clad in traditional Scottish dress, kilt and all, who really looked the part as well, complete with full beard and heavy accent. He was very friendly and efficient, joking with our 9 year old son, tagging our luggage and seeing us to the check in.
At the check in we were greeted by very friendly staff, who apologized that our room wasn't quite ready and escorted us into the lounge next door for free cocktails while we waited. It was only 5 minutes before they returned to say once we were finished our drinks, our room was ready.
We had reserved a Deluxe category and were given room 360 which was a HUGE room, with bay windows overlooking Princess Street. It was VERY nice, with every modern convenience, HD Plasma T.V., Large Marble Bathroom, with heated towel racks, etc. It even had a huge walk-in "luggage room".
The decor was modern, with comforting earth colours, brown, grey, beige.
I can see how some may not like the choice of decorating, but we found it very comfortable and soothing.
We did not have a view of the Castle, or old town, but our view was just fine. There are nice looking older buildings along Princess street, and we enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle. Our son enjoyed watching the Double Decker busses go past. Princess is a busy street but the sound proofing was very good, we never heard any noise in the room at all.
The 5 star kids program was great. When we checked in, on our sons bed we found a child sized robe and slippers, and toiletries such as bubble bath for kids.
At evening turndown he found a very nice Teddy Bear on his bed, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies with a banana smoothie.
We found the hotel staff to be very friendly and attentive. At one point I called the front desk simply to inquire if the hotel had an ice machine. (I did not ask for any) I was told sorry no, but if I ever needed ice I could just call and it would be brought up.
3 minutes later, we had a knock at the door and received a bucket of ice, three bottles of water and glasses.
We found the hotel to be in an ideal location as well. Within easy walking distance of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and lots of shopping, dining, pubs, etc. off of Princess Street.
The Balmoral is quite large and historic, but the property is very well kept. The rooms are modern, and the hallways and public areas are beautifully restored.
The hotel even has an indoor pool and fitness centre, with a separate elevator that opens directly into it, allowing guests to wear their robes and slippers down from their room.
Water temperature is kept warm, and the pool area is very comfortable. They also have a sauna, steam room, complimentary water, and juice by the pool.
Our breakfast was included in our room rate, and we found it to be very good.
It was a full Scottish breakfast buffet, and hot dishes such as omelettes, pancakes, etc. could be ordered from the kitchen.
It was expensive however, if we did have to pay, we may have gone somewhere else. This would not have been a problem as there are lots of food choices all around the hotel.
All in all we had a very good experience at the Balmoral and would recommend the hotel to anyone.
We look forward to returning.