The Balmoral Hotel

We have just returned from a two night stay here in room 558. We paid extra for a view of the old town but there was a wall along the bottom of the window and the view was very limited on the front of the hotel. We exchanged various e-mails with the hotel about parking and at no time were we told it was £40 per day. The website does not cover parking as far as we could see. This was only explained on check-in when we had handed over our car keys. It is a traffic nightmare and I would not recommend travelling by car. Every road you try to get down is blocked or buses and taxis only. No warning was given before we set off. This morning we could not even get our car in front of the hotel to pick it up. The staff were great and did their best to help us with our luggage and get on our way. The cocktail bar was lovely and although it was expensive the cocktails were lovely. I couldn't complete check-out as the car was waiting. On checking my bill we paid £430 for one night and £480 for the other. There are additional charges of £21.50 and £24 for service charges for the rooms . We were never informed of these. Having travelled all over the world I have never seen such a charge. At the rate charged this should have been more than enough to cover staff who are no doubt paid close to the minimum wage. We usually stay near Ocean Terminal and it was much easier to be near attractions and restaurants The £30 charge per person for breakfast is far too expensive. We found local cafes for half the price for two of us

Afternoon tea in the Palm room was out of this world. My husband surprised me and my daughter with this for her birthday. I felt very nervous about going because I thought it would be too 'posh' but the staff are excellent and make you feel very comfortable and at ease. The food was delightful and they even boxed up what we couldn't finish. It's definitely the poshest doggy bag I've ever taken home. In my opinion it is more than worth the money as a treat or a special occasion. The ambience is lovely and you feel like you're the only ones in the room even though every table was occupied. Highly recommended 👌

The hotel is very close to all of Edinburgh's iconic destinations! No need to take a bus to go anywhere! Breakfast was delightful! Yannik the waiter during dinner explained to us the courses and even the wines very well. Christina and the other housekeepers did a great job fixing our room and even doing turndown service everyday. Daniele from reception was very proactive and helped our whole family during check out and even got us our luggages. Thank you for giving me and my family a memorable stay. Everyone was very pleased by such great service! We will definitely come back.