Guest User
October 30, 2021
This was a wonderful find in Edinburgh, and Shirley and Mark couldn’t have been more helpful with ideas of what to see and where to eat. The house is beautiful: it looks fairly small from outside but opens up like the Tardis to reveal an elegantly decorated home full of the owners’ interesting possessions. Our room, Cardhu, was very comfortable and we appreciated the little decanter of whisky – a very good one. I’m no whisky drinker but I tried a taste and I am now converted and have bought some from the same distillery. We were provided with a list of places to have breakfast but in fact, as we never travel without fruit, we were able to start the day with coffee, fruit and the granola bars provided and then hit the streets running. Or in our case, tottering gently. For us of the older generation it’s about a fifteen minute stroll into the centre, along Leith Walk which is a fascinating multicultural mix of interesting restaurants, fast food shops and ethnic grocers. We found three excellent restaurants along there from recommendations by Shirley. Parking outside is free – what a bonus in a capital city and well worth the little walk in to avoid massive parking charges. There is – quite rightly - huge emphasis on using hand sanitiser when entering and leaving, and face masks are obligatory indoors. Everything was very classy, from the glasses to the bed linen, and the toiletries are the nicest I’ve ever found in any hotel: Silver Buckthorn from the Scottish Fine Soap Co. I have now ordered some as the scent is wonderful – even my husband liked it and he doesn’t like and can’t use scented products. Mark welcomed us with a little introduction to the city but we were so disappointed to leave without actually meeting Shirley – however we plan to return and hope we’ll meet her then.