Kitchen area

Luxury apartments in a historic city

16 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh

Accommodation
in/near Edinburgh, Midlothian, Edinburghshire,
Scotland Central & Stirling

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Review added: 30/03/2009 22:09
By: Debbie (£13.00 earned from reviews) Earn £££'s

"16 Waterloo Place was perfect for our needs during a stay in Edinburgh. The luxurious serviced self catering apartments included studios (which we stayed in) and 1-3 bedroom apartments. Booking through the website was very easy and actually came out cheaper for March than it would have booking as a package deal with a flight.

On checking in (which my other half managed to do at 8:30am due to his early flight in), the reception staff were very welcoming, helpful and very pleasant to deal with. We were shown to our apartment which was on the -2 floor. The hallways actually had motion activated lighting and everything looks very fresh, clean and well decorated.

For a couple the studio was large enough with open plan kitchen, dining room and living area with enough seating for 6. There was a large beam between the living and dining area which was tempting to walk into but managed to avoid. The living area was very tastefully decorated in neutral colours with a splash of green from the rug and cushions and we could relax in front of the flat screen TV which had Freeview, there was a DVD player but we didn't have any DVDs with us, and a docking station to listen to an iPod. There are no clocks in the apartment at all so that's one thing you may need to remember to take although reception did offer to phone for a wake up call.

We both brought our laptops with us and were provided with 1 weeks free wireless internet access but this was only for 1 user at a time. As we both required access we just phoned down to reception (which was open 24 hours) and they provided us with another username and password. The connection was good although mine tended to disconnect every so often and my one only lasted 24 hours which was easily renewed phoning reception each day. There are also direct dial phones in the living area and bedroom which had pricing for calls or could be called directly which I used as I had to go home earlier than my other half.

The kitchen although small still provided all we needed – pots, pans, cutlery, cafetiere, kettle, toaster, washer/dryer, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, oven, hob, microwave and extractor fan. According to the booklet provided by 16 Waterloo Place in the apartment, there is extra kitchen equipment available which we could just phone reception for. There were plenty of cupboards and drawers which didn't actually have anything in them. There was tea, coffee, sugar, salt and pepper, washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets provided.

The bedroom looked so perfect – was a shame to mess it up by getting into bed! There were plenty of pillows and cushions provided and the big double bed I found to be very comfy although some may find it a little hard. There was a smaller flat screen TV with remote, chest of drawers, bedside tables and a very large wardrobe for hanging up clothes. In there were a trouser press, hairdryer and I think there was even hair straighteners/crimpers.

The bathroom was very nicely decorated with shower over bath, toilet, sink, complimentary toiletries, facecloths, shower cap and the softest towels. I didn't use the bath since the shower was the perfect strength although it did tend to spray out a little beyond the shower guard.

One of the best things about the serviced apartment was coming back after a day exploring Edinburgh and having the bed made, bathroom cleaned and dishwasher emptied.

My other half is a smoker and usually went out the front door and occasionally up to the rooftop terrace since smoking isn't allowed in the apartments. From the terrace there are views across Edinburgh to Edinburgh Castle and Arthur's Seat.

The location was ideal – we were looking for somewhere central and Waterloo Place is just a continuation of Princes Street in the Old Town. The view from our studio was out onto the back of office buildings but just to the left was North Bridge, The Scotsman Hotel and The Carlton Hotel with Waverley train station running along the side of the apartments. Surprisingly there wasn't any noise from the trains at all although we could hear the blurred noise of the announcements from the living area but nothing was heard from the bedroom.

Shopping wise for catering ourselves, Sainsbury's is found just off St Andrews Square with front entrance on Rose Street which is the street running parallel behind Princess Street so there wasn't far to walk at all. It's not a large store but we still managed to get all our ingredients there as well as snacks. For other shops there is St James Shopping Centre across the road to the left, Princes Street, Princes Mall and numerous tourist shops along the Royal Mile heading up towards Edinburgh Castle. There are lots of restaurants and bars too in the area for those that don't fancy cooking.

For Edinburgh's attractions, there wasn't far to walk. Taking a tour bus (from Waverley Bridge) is a good idea if you're not familiar with the area although not too cheap at £10 per adult. It did allow us to jump on and off the buses though along the route which gave us a chance to explore Edinburgh Castle and see much of the Old Town with live guides each telling the history of the city.

If you are staying in Edinburgh and looking for a place to stay then I really do recommend 16 Waterloo Place – even for a long stay. We were there 4 days and thoroughly enjoyed it. The serviced apartments were perfect and we've already recommended it to friends."

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