When I initially started planning on my Edinburgh itinerary (which is part of my 2-week holiday to the UK half-way around the world), Ten Hill Place Hotel was at the top of my list of hotel accomodation in Edinburgh. I have read about the excellent reviews given to this hotel here at tripadvisor.com. However, initially I wasn't able to find a travel website that was able to quote a room at less than £100 per nite. After much searching, I finally found lastminute.com offering 2 nites room only at £98 per nite. I bought it. This was before I found an even better deal thru alpharooms.com which offered £65 per room per nite with breakfast included. Without a doubt, I grabbed alpharooms.com offer for 3 nites.

On Friday 25 Apr'08 3.30pm, I arrived at Edinburgh Waverley Station and took a taxi direct to the hotel as I had a large suitcase, a handcarry and a computer bag. It is my first trip to Edinburgh and Scotland, however I did orientate myself of the city before arriving. It was a short taxi ride to Ten Hill Place Hotel. The taxi fare was £3.50 on the meter but I gave the taxi driver £5 for the 5-min ride. We were greeted at the reception on arrival, the room check-in was very efficient and quick. My 2 seperate internet bookings were received by the hotel in order.

I was allocated an Executive Room #301 for the period 25-30 Apr'08. The room was clean, comfortable, contemporary, spacious and well-equipped. It was very nice. The room was very cosy and gave a warm feeling with earthly-tone furnishings. The room is equipped with a flat-panel LCD TV, hairdryer, ironing board with iron, tea and coffee-making facility, a lounge chair and an armchair and a safe. The hotel is not wifi, but a internet cable connection is available free for use on the desk with one's own computer notebook. The bathroom is spacious and clean. The bathroom is equipped with a huge mirror, a hot towel rail and a bath tub.

Ten Hill Place Hotel is located on a cobbled quiet side street off the main road South Bridge / Nicolson Street. This is a safe as it is part of the University area. The location was excellent as it is only a 12-min walk to the Royal Mile. There are many food outlets along the main road serving meals all day. A KFC outlet which open till late is just 30 meters from hotel, and there is a diary shop next to the KFC. The nearest large supermarket is Sainsbury's which is a 5-min bus ride to Cameron Toll Shopping Centre. http://www.camerontoll.co.uk. The Edinburgh Festival Theatre for dance, plays, dramas and musicals is a 5-min walk towards the Royal Mile from the hotel.

Buffet Breakfast (which was included in 3 of our 5 nites) was sufficient and good. Each morning, there was bacon, scambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, sausages, baked beans, haggis, cereals, bread with a toasting oven, yoghurt, fruits, cheese, cold cuts, juices, tea and coffee. The breakfast area is clean and comfortable. The breakfast waiting staff were always polite and friendly. We did not encounter large crowds at the breakfast during our stay. However, I did notice that there are quite a number of business travellers using this hotel, which is a good point to note.

Summarising the good and bad:
- GOOD
1) contemporary, comfortable, clean, well-equipped, spacious room with a firm bed;
2) spacious bathroom with hot towel rail;
3) free internet;
4) safe box in wardrobe;
5) convenient and safe location;
6) friendly hotel staff;
7) good buffet breakfast; and
8) combined air-conditioning and heater unit

- BAD
1) limited TV Channels;
2) no bedroom slippers;
3) difficulty in controlling hot water of the bath shower unit;
4) becareful of the mineral water on table, it is chargeable (I called front desk to check); and
5) they should extend the glass shower screen at the bath tub to full length in order to prevent water splashing out onto the rest of the bathroom.


In summary, this is one of the best small hotel hotels I have ever stayed. I would not hesitate to highly recommend Ten Hill Place Hotel to anyone. This hotel is suitable for all types of travellers. We did not encounter any unpleasant incidents during our stay. The housekeeping staff also did an excellent job in keeping our rooms clean and neat. We will stay at this hotel again!