Cairn Hotel

first impression because scaffolding around the building was very offputting however once inside the hotel i was greeted with polite friendly staff from management down to the cleaning staff the rooms are basic but clean and have everything you need it is idealy located 10 mins walk from princes street and the food is good. to see edinburgh on a no frills mini break it is ideal also use the edinburgh shuttle bus if comming from airport cheeper than taxis and to and from hotel best to book in advance

I booked into this hotel for 3 nights but left after the first night. When we arrived on Windsor Street we saw that the hotel was covered in scaffolding and the scaffolding was covered with green tarpaulin which means the inside of the hotel is completely dark with no natural light coming in at all. Very claustrophobic! We were given the key to our (double) room which was so tiny that we could not both move around in it at the same time. The curtains were filthy, as was the window and window sill, the bed was tiny (definitely not a... more

I stayed for 2 nights in November in a single room. I had read very mixed reviews about this hotel with titles such as “Wouldn’t stay there again if my life depended on it” and “Never again”. There is scaffolding outside the Hotel and the single room was small but not dingy. The room was not filthy, the towels were not dirty, the bed and bathroom were quite adequate. The reception staff were not rude and the reasonable breakfast was not cold. If I wanted to stay again in a budget hotel in Edinburgh would I stay there? Yes.

I read the previous reviews and was unimpressed with the impression given so much so that I was only prepared to see what the room was like before deciding whether to stay or book out. I was only there one night so decided to stay. The staff were pleasant enough - the shoebox of a room was clean - the bathroom was minute - the shower door fell off - you could sit on the toilet and wash your hair in the sink at the same time - the room should be rented out as a single not double - refuse room 301 if there are two of you staying. Fair walk... more

DO NOT BOOK!! We visited Edinburgh approx 10 years ago and had an awful experience at the Cairn - filthy room, peeling wallpaper, dirty carpet, very uncomfortable bed (mattress had springs sticking out & sagged in the middle) and rude reception staff - Our ensuite had a bath with a shower hose over it but no shower head. When I went to reception to ask for this to be rectified I was glared at and told "You did not book a room with a shower". I was too gobsmacked to respond! Having visited Edinburgh again recently we were curious to see... more

We were allocated room 304 - 23/08/06 for 1 night The problems were Bedroom - very shabby - dirty – dusty – unkempt and cobwebs evident. The carpet had two nasty stains on it the worst being one just as you would have stepped into the bathroom the other by one of the single beds (neither of us removed shoes until actually getting into bed). Although the bed covers matched they were faded and gave the impression of not being clean - underneath the duvet was similar – we removed both before getting into bed. We were unable to... more

I stayed in this hotel for 3 nights in May 2006. My recommendation is mixed. I found the location in the new town extremely convenient; the hotel is in a wide and airy.dead-end street just off the main road to Leith so there is no traffic noise. There is a bus stop about 50 m from the hotel; the buses are frequent and take you anywhere. Waverley station is a few minutes away on foot. There is a theatre near by as well as places to eat. All great. However, the hotel itself is a neglected building. The first night I was in a... more

Stayed as part of a coach party. First room given horrendous, smell was overpowering, sheets had stains on them. This was a twin room, one of the beds on the point of collapse. We requested another room, which was slightly better but not much. Carpet was so dirty it felt sticky, I could not bring myself to put my bare feet on it. As a coach party there were set meals. The breakfast was reasonable but evening meal awful eg large mounds of soggy over cooked cabbage and chips!!. Ate out each night. The only consolation was we were only there 3... more