Stylish places: The George Hotel Edinburgh

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to be sent up to Scotland for work and stayed at The George Hotel Edinburgh. I was so excited for this trip and jumped at the chance when it was offered to me! Visiting Edinburgh is on my ’40 things to do before I turn 40′ – OK I know I’ve ages to go before then, but when I turned 30 I wrote this list. It was a turning point in my life then and I wanted to set myself some goals!

A short flight from Heathrow and I was at Edinburgh airport – I chose to take the tram which is only £5 and it has free Wi-Fi too. The tram takes you right through the centre of Edinburgh and is faster than a taxi during rush hours.

The George Hotel Edinburgh is a Georgian townhouse hotel on one of the most prestigious streets in Edinburgh – George Street. The multi-million pound refurb by interior architects Goddard Littlefair is almost complete and luckily I was in one of their beautifully renovated delux double rooms on the top floor.

As you enter The George Hotel Edinburgh, a doorman guides you through the lobby to the reception area.

‘Designed and curated to reflect its Georgian heritage, a collection of classic furniture evokes the local cityscape through a rich palette of colours and textures, whilst an undertone of edgy, industrial-inspired detailing and finishes reflect the site’s former usage as a printing press and the changing city all around.’

As I was only in Edinburgh for two nights and was working both days and had an evening black-tie do, I didn’t get much chance to see the city. So as soon as I checked into my room, I took some snaps while it was still daylight and headed straight out again to see the famous Edinburgh castle.

Firstly – this bed. Wow.

At home, I only have space for a standard double bed – once you put the two of us in there, plus a toddler (he still sneaks in around 3-4am), it’s pretty cramped. So to have such a huge king-sized bed all to myself was heavenly! The sheets are beautiful and the plumped cushions are so heavy – perfect for propping you up in bed to watch TV. I loved what the designers did by contrasting this pale linen lamp shades with the leather upholstered headboard. The brass studs, sockets and light switches give some modern industrial touches to this space.

I love this Chesterfield sofa – a brave colour for a hotel room, but it suits the décor perfectly. A leather armchair tones the scheme down – how beautiful is this mustard yellow leather chair below?

It was already starting to get dark and so I headed off in the direction of Edinburgh Castle. You really can’t miss it – especially if you’re staying at The George – it’s just a stone’s throw (and a very steep hill) away. It’s funny because a week after I visited Edinburgh, I took my son to Lego Land in Windsor and there was the perfect recreation of Edinburgh Castle. Guess which one is the Lego version?

The last shot was of the Legoland version – not bad huh? Walking up and down the steep Edinburgh city hills meant that I did not feel at all guilty about ordering room service and watching TV in bed that evening! I ordered the dry aged highland beefburger and a large glass of wine and caught up with some blogging : )

Breakfast in the Printing press was fantastic. The Printing Press is a stand-alone restaurant and bar connected to the hotel. Designed to the same high standard as the rest of The George Hotel Edinburgh and with a great menu too. Serving seasonal Scottish produce, it was the first time I’d tried Haggis and although I enjoyed it – I don’t think I’d have it with breakfast again! There’s plenty of fresh fruits, yogurts, pastries and fresh smoothies too. I managed to get a few shots of the Printing press whilst it was in between busy times – but it does get very busy and you may want to book for dinner.

I only got to have a sense of what Edinburgh is like and will definitely return to have a proper tour of the City! If you want to take a look at some more reviews – check out the hotel on Expedia : )

Natalia xo