Wonderful carpet at the ibis Styles in Edinburgh. Photo / Supplied
Wonderful carpet at the ibis Styles in Edinburgh. Photo / Supplied
Anne Gibson checks into the stylish Hotel ibis Styles in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Getting there: A half-kilometre suitcase tow from the stunning Waverley railway station where gothic-like towers and spires loom above through the glass roof.
Style: Highly sophisticated, stylish, modern refurbishment of an older established building to bring 103 hotel rooms. Creatively crafted, full of Gaelic heritage and humour, 100 per cent non-smoking.
Check-in experience: Witty and welcoming all beneath a vivid pink wall, a neon sculpture of a deer head complete with spectacular antlers and a set of bagpipes in the window behind reception.
Room: Three, in fact: lounge, bathroom and bedroom all on level six with a return balcony and floor-to-ceiling glass, 32-inch flat-screen TV and wide views across the city's skyline.
What's in the neighbourhood? It's only 1.45km from Edinburgh Castle so a quick stroll across to the Old Town, with its iconic Royal Mile running between the beautiful Palace of Holyrood and the castle, all the centre of this wonderful city. Jenners store on Princes St is only 100m away. Too tempting, kilts to charm the laddies and lasses.
The bed: Sweet Bed by Ibis Styles, slat base, sprung mattress, with a mini whisky barrel alongside, standing in as a bedside table.
Noise? None, utterly peaceful. Two heat pumps: one in the bedroom and one in the lounge to keep the rooms at a perfect temperature, easily controlled.
Reception at the ibis Styles Hotel in Edinburgh. Photo / Supplied
Hall carpet: Scottish words are embedded in the weave. "Wheesht: be silent, e.g. hold your wheesht." Also, "glaikit: foolish, silly, thoughtless" and "blether: long often pointless conversation e.g. why don't you come over for a blether".
Something to eat? Continental-style buffet breakfast. No haggis, no bacon - so not cooked which is a wee bit sad considering Scottish hotels do breakfast so well. But pastries, fruit, cereal, yoghurt were all perfectly substantial enough to set off for a day on the hoof.
Bathroom: A mirror engraved with "spend a penny" (to amuse the Americans, perhaps?) and a large walk-in shower tiled in a tartan pattern.
Celtic twist? Rooms are styled with traditional Scottish themes - so welcoming when you've flown all the way from New Zealand. Ours had a thistle theme, so the main entrance wall was a colourful gigantic display of these purple beauties. Wardrobe doors are engraved with Scottish words too. The large modern painting on level six had a brown paper mache deer standing in a wild highland landscape.
Price: £90.25-£109.25 ($212.17-$256.78) per night when we stayed in May.
