A fine cosy historic inn in a great location. We very much enjoyed our 6 day stay and would probably go back, but it's not without problems. We loved the general ambience and the view over the Forth and the bridges. However...

Breakfast was a pretty miserable experience until the shortcomings were pointed out to the manager. The breakfast buffet table was constantly running out of such items as coffee, bread, orange juice and spoons, and at one stage the duty manager had to send out for milk at the local shop. In short they waited until something was completely exhausted until they replenished anything, leading to a lot of needless standing around waiting for the food to arrive. Add to this the noise of a vacuum cleaner in adjoining spaces of the open-plan inn, and you get the picture that this is not a good way to start the day. The Innkeeper's Lodge boast of "unlimited breakfast" seemed a little empty to me.

The restaurant food, whilst reasonably well-prepared, was also rather shoddily presented. Sadly the main entrance to the inn was often the meeting point for a gaggle of smokers (some of them staff members) meaning that guests have to run the gauntlet of cigarette smoke to get in. There was also the problem of a rather grubby shower mat, and lack of ventilation in our room which was otherwise comfortable and well-equipped.

Strangley the noise of trains clattering over the bridge, and noisy pub revellers didn't bother us. This is a busy inn, and that's part of its charm.

It must be said that the manager responded well to our complaints, though overall it seems that the inn suffers from a lack of proper supervision and support of junior staff.

Just back from a 3 night stay in mid July. Terrific location with brilliant views of the Forth and the bridges. All the staff both professional and very friendly. Great inn food with a really good selection of beers and wines. Room was spacious, spotlessly clean and reasonably well appointed. Plenty of history about this place with lots of photographs and information. Yes - you CAN hear the trains and the cars on the road outside but why chose this location if these are going to bother you?? Would I go back again - you bet I would!!!

Stayed here to go to a concert in Edinburgh. South Queensferry itself is a beautiful lttle place and would have no hesitation in recommending the town. The weather was warm (in Scotland!) and the heating in the hotel was on so windows open to get some air and there was the constant traffic and train noise throughout the night - so very little sleep. The breakfast is not worth bothering with and there is no real reception so you have to queue at the bar to book in.

We went to the Hawes Inn in March and it was great. The rooms were lovely and very traditional looking.

The pub itself was very good and had a nice atmosphere. In terms of location you cant get much better, the train station is a 5 minute walk away and there are regular, cheap trains to Edinburgh.

The views across the river are great and there are many nice walks you can go on around the area.

The only downside is you are very close to the Forth Rail Bridge and you can sometimes hear the trains going past. However we can honestly say this did not bother us at all while we were there.

Overall this B&B was great value for money and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to go to Edinburgh but not be in the centre.