Ballantrae Hotel

I've stayed in many European hotels, but this was the worst experience I've ever had. Don't worry about meeting your neighbors; you will be privy to every conversation they have and every move they make right through the walls. Forget sleeping. The rooms and sheets smell horrible. Desk help is rude.

We were given rooms 16 and 17 in the basement. Nothing had prepared us for the cell-like atmosphere and claustrophobia. We asked for better rooms and, upon being advised there were none, left to find better accommodation. The Tourist Board found us a luxurious hotel costing £10 a night less!

Booked a honeymoon Suite for our wedding night. Arrived at 3am (after an hours drive) to find that there were no keys available for our room. The poor guy on reception wasn't sure if the room had already been taken, but after many phonecalls to the owner and room checks we were finally allowed in. I was too tired to make any complaints at that point. The room was lovely- high ceilings, four poster bed etc but on closer inspection everything was a bit shabby. The towels were all threadbare, the toilet seat was badly worn and marked, the bath had hairs in it and the bathroom looked generally very cheap and worn. The most annoying thing was that we had ordered flowers, chocs and champagne to be in the room but these had been forgotten. I tried to complain several times over the 2 days we were there but no-one could help saying I should speak to the manager, who was never available. I finally left my complaints with the lady on reception who said the manager would be in contact with me but of course I never heard from them since. Now they have my money I suppose they don't need to worry. Not impressed at all and wish I had picked somewhere better for my wedding night.

We stayed at the Ballantrae Hotel for 3 nights recently while in Edinburgh and while the location is fantastic, unfortunately I could not say the same for the room we had. All the rooms are definitely not huge and spacious, in fact our room was tiny. The Carpet was filthy, we had no bath even though we were supposed to have (in a double room), the bed spread was not freshly cleaned, sockets were loose on the wall, the window was stuck and the breakfast was very disappointing. However on the up side the staff were so nice and friendly and the location was ideal for a stay in Edinburgh.

Two days without children or husband in Edinburgh on business over Valentine's weekend..couldn't face the hiked up hotel prices so I opted for the flexibility and independence of an apartment. but with the bonus of breakfast in the hotel. Found the Ballantrae Apartments and booked direct. The accommodation was superb - enormous rooms, every mod con, plentiful hot water, it was an absolute joy to stay there. Breakfasts were good, continental with the option to pay extra for a cooked breakfast, the staff were charming and I enjoyed every millisecond. The apartment is an eight minute stroll from Princes St, opposite a Casino and very close to the Scottish Portrait Gallery, Harvey Nichols with a cinema complex down the road. I stayed in, ate courtesy of M&S and luxuriated in the space. I'll be back. This is highly recommended.

Christmas 2004 - The first room had no heating and was not clean. The second room was draughty and dirty. The bathroom had thick dust up the wall in the corner. The clean towels were on a dusty heated towel rail. Thick dust and cobwebs on the "shaving light". The carpet around the perimeter had not been hoovered for a long time and there were hairclips on the floor under the "dressing table". Only adequate hanging space - not enough drawer space, especially for a family on a 7 or 14 day holiday.

My husband and I just spent two nights at the Ballantrae. I agree with the other reviews that the staff is very friendly. But we were not overly impressed with the hotel. We were given our key but when we got to the room, the "Do Not Disturb" sign was on the door; the bed was not made; the room was a mess. The poor fellow handling the desk felt terrible and had to quickly make our room up. We got zero sleep our first night - our room faced the street, it was hot so we had the window cracked open. The traffic noise was terrible. Sleeping pills helped the second night. Breakfast was disappointing. We enjoy European breakfasts - meat, cheese and hard rolls. But this is the first time in all our travels the cheese offered was Kraft American Cheese slices, wrapped in plastic! We felt this hotel was more like a hostel - not a hotel.

We had the family room for one night only. Room looked okay at first but on closer inspection, carpet was badly stained, cover on king-size bed was also badly stained when pulled back, wastebin in bathroom was dirty, jaccuzi did not work. Continental breakfast was also a disappointment with little choice. The staff were the saving grace, being very friendly and helpful.

The Ballentrea apartment was just like my homre. actually we were on a trip for 1 and a half month and almost 6 days we spended in Ballantrae.The kitchen iit was just temendous

The rooms are absolutely spacious, clean and just beautiful, high ceilings lots of features. Really friendly atmosphere. We booked a number of rooms for our wedding weekend and everyone commented how lovely and big they were. It was a great pleasure to stay there. The location could not have been more perfect, the little Indian Restuarant immediately opposite was superb!! Wonderful experience was had by all. Thank you.