British Travel Journal | Autumn 2019

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Y O U M I G H T A L S O E N J O Y
NIRA CALEDONIA
Edinburgh has a number of charming boutique hotels created out of
the terraces of its eighteenth-century new town on the north side of
the city. Nira Caledonia has just 28 rooms, many of them large and
gracious but with dark modern furniture and extra-large TV screens.
Staying here opens up a whole new perspective on Edinburgh’s
beautiful, rational new city that later inspired so much
American town planning. (6-10 Gloucester Place)
niracaledonia.com
THE GLASSHOUSE
This very modern glass and steel hotel is built behind the facade of
Lady Glenorchy’s Church, which was demolished in 2000 but still
provides a portal into reception. Most of the rooms and suites look
out on to a rooftop garden that has picturesque views of Calton Hill,
and which is very is popular in the summer for picnics. Edinburgh
Playhouse is next door and there are a lot of lively dining options
nearby. (2 Greenside Place)
theglasshousehotel.co.uk
THE BALMORAL
Built in 1902 as the Great Northern Hotel, the Balmoral
is the grandest place to stay in Edinburgh. It rears up
above Waverley Station like a great granite cliff. The
hotel’s clocktower is always set three minutes fast to make
sure passengers get to the platform on time. Rooms are
elegantly designed by Olga Polizzi, the sister of owner Sir
Rocco Forte and the views from those at the top extend
beyond Edinburgh into the countryside. (1 Princes Street)
roccofortehotels.com
INTERCONTINENTAL EDINBURGH
THE GEORGE
Rich in history, welcoming hotel guests since 1881. The hotel's
recent multi-million-pound restoration and refurbishment
sensitively combines luxurious natural materials such as
oak, marble and leather with a palette of colours inspired
by the great 19th-century Scottish landscape painters.
phcompany.com