by Linda Macdonald, The Telegraph, December 16, 2019
Luxurious suites, intimate dining, opulent décor and historic surroundings – reasons for visiting this beautiful and fascinating city with a loved one are endless. While its history is enough to draw you from your slumber in the long mornings, there is a sexy, cosmopolitan side to the city too. Afternoons and evenings can be spent tucking into Michelin-starred meals, exploring the vibrant and varied nightlife, shopping à deux, or taking in the strong contemporary arts scene. Or, if you just want a snow-drift-deep bed, room service and a good view – perhaps a spa treatment and a decadent meal before you roll back up to bed – there are some wonderfully romantic hotels dotted around. Here's our pick of the most romantic hotels in Edinburgh.
Prestonfield House
8Telegraph expert rating
Although a quiet, country-house setting, this Baroque/Georgian mansion is shamelessly seductive. With swags and columns, brocades and velvets, rich colours and intimate corners, it is wildly opulent. Drama, theatre, romance and passion hang heavily in the air. Rooms are irrepressibly romantic in a husky-throated boudoir sort of way. Dark and richly coloured with lashings of velvet and silk, antiques mix with hi-tech playthings while surfaces are scattered with flowers, fruit and candles.
From £200per night
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• An insider guide to Edinburgh
The Witchery by the Castle
9Telegraph expert rating
If Pugin designed gothic revival love nests they would look like this: an outrageous riposte to modern minimalism. A restaurant with rooms, so no residents' lounge or bar-these suites are intimate, secret dens of high-flown delight. The nine suites are an antique dealer’s dream: the rooms set-dressed with fascinatingly eclectic clutter; all jewel-coloured velvets, silks and brocades, carved wood, gilding and candle-light – think decadent ecclesiastical.
From £350per night
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• The best boutique hotels in Edinburgh
21212
9Telegraph expert rating
The four bedrooms above this Michelin-starred restaurant are no afterthought; there is a confident hand at work in rooms that are as striking as the food, displaying a sometimes surprising but always sensual contemporary/Baroque style and unexpectedly leafy views. A low-key location for a high-octane operation. Chef Paul Kitching is a maverick; think silky pink trout served with artichokes, pasta, almonds, chickpeas, kidney beans, oriental mushrooms, warm coleslaw and feta cheese.
From £95per night
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• The best restaurants in Edinburgh
Tigerlily
8Telegraph expert rating
This is not for the faint-hearted: Tigerlily is all about cocktails and shoes and shopping and partying. It’s fun, buzzing and endlessly entertaining. All 33 rooms have king-sized beds, big armchairs or sofas and creamy rugs on stripped wood floors. There are plenty of fun offers, like cocktail classes or a makeover and photo shoot that will keep you and your loved one entertained for hours. There's room service, of course, and breakfast in bed comes at no extra charge.
From £100per night
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Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh-The Caledonian
9Telegraph expert rating
In a premier position dominating the west end of Princes Street, this imposing and historic building is great for shoppers and sightseers alike. Enjoy grand views of the castle, great food and a hint of old-fashioned glamour alongside lavish afternoon teas, first-class connectivity, a fitness centre (with swimming pool and Guerlain spa offering thoroughly spoiling massage, facial and beauty treatments) and impeccably refurbished rooms. Splash out on a Castle View room for a heart-swelling view of the city.
From £134per night
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• The best hotels in Edinburgh
The Glasshouse
8Telegraph expert rating
Not exactly made of glass but there’s lots of it about: sweeping windows, semi-glass staircase, and glass baubles, vases and objets dotted around. Rooms are big and airy with show-stopping floor-to-ceiling windows, terraces, and a sleekly minimalist, retro style with polished wood floors, sharp-edged furnishings, pendant lamps and lots of mustards and browns. The real glory of this hotel is the roof garden – a full two acres of trees, shrubs and real grass. You can (with luck) soak up the sun in a deckchair, have a picnic tea or sip a cocktail in a quiet corner.
From £92per night
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The Balmoral
9Telegraph expert rating
Dominating the city centre, this six-storey neo-Renaissance building, with its massive clock tower, has been a landmark for more than a century. Original features include ornate plasterwork in the reception, an elegant well staircase and the dome-ceilinged Palm Court tearoom and bar in the centre of the hotel. There are 188 rooms of which 20 are suites. The most expensive rooms overlook Princes Street, the Castle and Arthur’s Seat. Michelin-starred Number One always delights with great Scottish ingredients (whisky smoked salmon, Inverurie hogget), in an intimate setting.
From £144per night
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• The best hotels in Edinburgh city centre
The Edinburgh Grand
8Telegraph expert rating
Behind a severely classical exterior there’s an American Art Deco lobby that’s far more Fifth Avenue than Firth of Forth, with mahogany carved Corinthian columns, marble fireplaces and a rotunda-topped circular stairwell just begging for Instagram attention. The Register Club is styled for exclusivity (there’s a dress code, so leave your athleisure-wear in your suitcase) and a traditional club feel: plenty of leather, parquet floors and panelling, all in shades of St Tropez tan. Themed cocktails are sophisticated and so is the food. Plump for the Penthouse for a fully furnished outside terrace and wraparound views.
From £119per night
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This article was written by Linda Macdonald from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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