Edinburgh is undoubtedly one of the worlds most tourist centric cities. People visit seeking tartan, castles, ghost stories and all the romance associated with Scotlands past. Now, there’s nothing wrong with all of that, and if that floats your boat, then you very well catered for in Edinburgh. If like me though, you fancy skipping the whole tartan vibe and are in favour of find a place a tad more design led to lay your head when in the city then look no further than The Rutland.
I speak a lot about hidden gems on here, but believe me this place is very well deserving of that title. I’ve been back and forward to Edinburgh many many times and until this year, had no idea that this place even existed. The best bit is that The Rutland is located right at the bottom of Princes Street (the main shopping street and centre of the city) and with a view towards the cities most famous landmark, the castle.
I stayed in one of the serviced apartments, and as threw open the door I was instantly hit with the wow factor. The place was huge, with some of the highest ceilings I had seen. The apartment had been designed with a pop art theme at its core (which as you know is right up my street); it was decked out with some amazing pieces of art on the walls and a giant neon piece as the centrepiece. In essence this place was the ultimate city pad, I wanted to move in!
The living space had everything you could possible need, including a full sized kitchen, sky tv, comfy sofas and lovely original features, the bedroom and bathroom were just as top notch. There was a four-poster bed (of course) and a bathroom that looked right out of a fancy showroom showroom. I found it hard to fault anything really.
The location is perfect too. Edinburgh is a pretty small city anyway, and you can walk just about anywhere from here (just remember your umbrella for the likely rainfall). If you fancy some food or drinks, the new town is you best bet. I walked along to Badger & Co on Castle Street for dinner, where I enjoyed a tasty Scottish steak and a couple of cocktails before heading round to George Street (the main food and drink hub) to carry on my evening.
Breakfast is served in The Huxley, an adjoining bar/restaurant on the corner of Princes Street. It was included with my room so I went down to check it out. Unlike in a lot of hotels you order from a menu, as there is no buffet in operation. Personally I prefer the buffet setup as I’m normally in a rush so it means I can grab something quick but that is just a gripe of my own. The food at breakfast was tasty although I opted for the ‘full Scottish’ and it came without a potato scone, I thought they were an essential item at breakfast round these parts!?
I’m pretty lucky in that I get to stay in lots of nice places and The Rutland is definitely right up there with the best of them. I’d most definitely go back.
The Rutland, 1-3 Rutland Street, Edinburgh
