Where to stay in Scotland: Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Last year, my husband and I took a ten day road trip through Scotland. We became hooked. Through all my travels, the city of Edinburgh in particular is one that stands out to me, and might even be my favorite city in all of Europe! I’m in love with it. I knew we had to return.

Happily, we found a way to get ourselves back to Scotland this summer! We added some time in London and also Wales this time around- and brought our 2 year old along with us (travel with children is not for the weak!). We spent several days in Edinburgh at the end of our trip, and had a great experience staying at Virgin Hotels.

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If you want to stay in the heart of Edinburgh, and in a boutique hotel at that, then Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is your spot! Located right on the popular Victoria Street, the hotel is within walking distance to all the main sites in old town. Just a block from the Royal Mile, this truly is the perfect location to base yourself.

rooftop bar edinburgh scotland — *View from the hotel rooftop lounge*

With unique and eye-catching decor, you could easily spend all day inside just enjoying its many amenities. While my personal favorite is the rooftop lounge and its incredible view of Edinburgh Castle, there is plenty more to explore! Given how clean, high quality, and centrally located the hotel is, it also has reasonable prices. There are a large variety of rooms to choose from, starting at about $270 for “Chamber King Castle View” or $390 for the “Grand Chamber Suite”. If you really want to go all in, you can opt for the “Sir Richard Suite” (~$1,200 per night).

church room virgin hotel edinburgh scotland — *Our beautiful room with church size window*

The hotel has a trendy bar near the entrance, the Edinburgh Commons Club, and a larger bar and restaurant space below called Eve (apparently named after the mother of Virgin’s founder Richard Branson). We loved that they also have a complimentary cocktail hour for guests! It definitely motivated us to check out that area of the hotel, and spend some time relaxing and chatting with the staff about their favorite things to do in the city.

eve restaurant virgin hotels scotland — *Eve: This is where hotel guests have breakfast too!*

eve edinburgh courtyard — *The courtyard of the Eve Restaurant*

The hotel also has several fun and unique lounge areas. There is a library filled with game boards, antiques, and other quirky oddities. We also liked the art-filled common spaces where you can read, socialize or enjoy a drink!

The hotel rooms themselves are spacious and beautiful with bold retro decor (I especially loved the mini fridge and rotary phone!). The televisions are equipped with a platform to easily utilize room service. Our room was built into the facade of an old church that was on this property, and the church sized windows are beautiful!

hotel room church virgin edinburgh — *Entry area to our room*

In our room, we especially appreciated the mini bar options, and the sliding door that allowed us to separate the room into two distinct spaces. This was very handy when we needed our toddler to go to sleep earlier than us! We had a crib provided by the hotel, and then just put our son in the separated space with the lights off. We also had a great street view, but didn’t have any issues with noise, even on a weekend.

edinburgh hotel virgin hotels — *Street view of our room and the original church structure incorporated into the design*

Since we had spent the last two weeks driving across the UK, we had our rental car with us. While I do wish there had been a closer and more convenient parking option, we were still relieved that they have an agreement in place with a local garage to park at a discounted rate. It did take my husband about 20 minutes to walk to the garage from the hotel however, so keep this in mind when planning.

The hotel also has a great variety of food options. You can eat at their on site restaurant (Eve), or order in for room service. Breakfast was a highlight for us- there were several options and for me the pancakes were fantastic! While I personally am never the type to work out while on vacation, the gym there is impressive too! There are plenty of machines, free weights, etc. to choose from, and towels and a water cooler as well.

*Me enjoying one of the lounge areas near Commons Club Bar*

Overall, the staff at this hotel were very attentive. The gentlemen at the front entrance were very kind and helpful to me juggling all of our luggage (while I was pregnant and also trying to mind my 2 year old son). We definitely felt spoiled during our stay at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, and had so much fun exploring the property!

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As always, all reviews and opinions are my own. However, we were hosted guests of Virgin Hotels Edinburgh and received a complimentary stay in exchange for this post.