Cairn Hotel Edinburgh

“Good but could be better”

Great location and facilities, single room was not spacious but enough for a three night stay, breakfast needs a lot of improvement. I went to Edinburgh in late June (which I could call summer) but it was still chilly outside (11ºC to 17ºC and very windy, which is a lot for a Brazilian like me)... more

Great location and facilities, single room was not spacious but enough for a three night stay, breakfast needs a lot of improvement. I went to Edinburgh in late June (which I could call summer) but it was still chilly outside (11ºC to 17ºC and very windy, which is a lot for a Brazilian like me). I read the hotel did not have any air-conditioning but I didn't think it would be a problem. Despite the weather outside my room got REALLY HOT. Be aware if you are going during the warmer months.

less

“Good, solid hotel with great heating!”

The hotel is very solid in typical Edinburgh style and has the most efficient heating radiators I’ve ever known. This was handy in rainy Edinburgh. The rooms are so tall that they could easily fit a mezzanine level into them to increase the available space. I personally wasn’t keen on the artif... more

The hotel is very solid in typical Edinburgh style and has the most efficient heating radiators I’ve ever known. This was handy in rainy Edinburgh. The rooms are so tall that they could easily fit a mezzanine level into them to increase the available space. I personally wasn’t keen on the artificial room deodoriser scent in the front desk area and the breakfast offerings seemed to be tailored down to a price rather than up to a quality. Having said that, the hotel was very generous over a slight room mix up, the rooms were very clean, quiet, and nicely furnished with quality fittings. It was quite central. A couple of superficial tweaks would give it an easy 5/5 rating.

less

“Beautiful room but breakfast need improvement”

We arrived almost at midnight, it was raining but we had to go back outside across the road for our room (cairn apartments - superior double room), I'm guessing that side is the fancier one. So basically the company owns 2 buildings which are not connected to each other. The room was a generous s... more

We arrived almost at midnight, it was raining but we had to go back outside across the road for our room (cairn apartments - superior double room), I'm guessing that side is the fancier one. So basically the company owns 2 buildings which are not connected to each other. The room was a generous size, beautiful with a modern design, 5 different types of lightning in the room, huge ceilings, wardrobe, desk, kettle, compliment water, cookies and chips, hair dryer and several heaters and most importantly very clean. We loved the towel warmer in the bathroom and the shower set up. There is no A/C but I doubt you would need it in Edinburgh - we just opened the window. We didn't hear any neighbors unless they were passing by our door. Instead of 1 bed, there were 2 beds together. But they were bigger than singles- so like a king size all together. The mattress and the pillows were very comfy. What I disliked - it's hard to pass through to the other side of the room, as it's extremely narrow between the bed and the tv (big suitcases would not fit there). The closest outlet to the bathroom is by the entrance door, and the hair dryer cord is too short for me to be in the bathroom and close the door. So I had to use it as is in the room and of course my husband woke up from the noise. For a breakfast we had to go outside to the other building. The seating area is limited and you may have to wait at busy times. Overall the breakfast was poor (compared to even budget hotels in London). No fresh bread, just croissants in individual wrapper (not the best quality) and sandwich bread (the type that can be on the shelves for weeks). Ham and cheese, yogurt and a few hot (more like warm) items which were not very good. Eggs, beans, and some sausages, yogurt. And they were putting 6 bananas at the time. Why not put all, so the basket look full? The buffet area is very small and the employees were standing there and watching you. Also as other reviews mentioned, they do charge for the luggage storage ($1 per bag in a separate room) which is a very strange practice, usually all hotels do it for free. The hotel is already on the pricier side, over $200 on a Wednesday in May and the price is like $300+ on the weekend. For this price I can get a room in Florida right on the beach. Just cut corners on something else, like chips in the room (nobody like vinegar flavor anyway) and make the luggage storage free. At the check out, they give us a little box with 2 macaroons inside which is very sweet of them. Overall the hotel and the employees are very pleasant, I would stay here again but perhaps had breakfast elsewhere. P.S. We almost missed a train because no Uber, Bolt or regular taxi were available at 5pm mid week!? We had to run with suitecases...about 10-15 min to the waverly train station. So plan accordingly.

less