King James by Thistle

Ideal Leisure Hotel

The Hotel was clean, comfortable and the service always friendly. Whilst the food was good the menu could do with a little imagination and variety. However you try to dress them up steak, burger, fish & chips and curry will always be the same. Scotland has a great variety of fresh produce which was missing from the menu!

Traveler's tip on dining

The hotel is ideally situated for shoppers and tourists alike. Get out of the hotel and try the delights of Edinburgh - for a great meal try the Hard Rock Cafe on George Street. The Ribs and cocktails are a speciality.

Great Location

Room was very clean and neat. Wonderful bedding. Heated towel rack. Hair dryer inc.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Took the blue bus from EDI airport at 7 pounds, includes return ticket. Ten minute walk from city center to hotel. Arrived at 8:00 am, Stored luggage until first available room, about noon. Enter shopping mall from hotel. Many attractions in walking distance. Bus transportation great, 3 pounds will get you a day pass on any city bus. Do not drive in the city. Heavy construction of rail system not to be completed to 2012.

very conveniet location

clean and tidy.. nice staffs and room services..

Traveler's tip on nightlife

friday night was a bit noisy because of parties across the street

Great Location, Nice Hotel

Nice Hotel, great location, good service. My room did not have an A/C but the themparature was nice so it wasnt a problem. The hotel is walking distance to Waverley Bridge (which is a stop on the airport bus route and the hop on hop off tour bus). Its also next to a Mall and walking distance to the royal mile

Traveler's tip on local attractions

The Hotel is also close to the bus station. From there you can take (buy the tickets in your hotel) the Highlands & Loch Ness tour which is great, you’ll see beautifull views and a short boat cruise on the Loch (not included). Take note that the tour is long (12 hours) and a lot of it is spent travelling on the bus. But I was very happy with the tour

Excellent location

The location of the hotel was very central, close to the train station and airport bus. Good access to shopping and restaurants. It was comfortable friendly, modern (not much in the say of charm).

Not working toilet + delayed service + indifferent front desk

I got into the room and found both the toilet and the safe were not working. I called the front desk right away and then went out for sight-seeing. After I returned to the room 6 hours later, nothing had been fixed. I had to call the front desk again and waited for another 1/2 hour before the service person to show up. The toilet was not totally fixed. I needed to try 10 times before it would flush. Front desk didn’t really care about my complaint. When I asked to get a new room they simply refused. This stay was definitely the worst experience I had after traveling for more than 20 years to 30+ countries. STAY AWAY FROM THIS HOTEL.

Great location & staff

Found the staff to be very helpful and always happy. They put on a great show on the second floor most evenings, Jamies Scottish Experience. First rate. Really enjoyed it. Good location easy bus or undergraound available.

Great Hotel

The hotel was in a great location in the new portion of the city. The staff was very friendly and the rooms were very clean.

Good hotel but be sure to factor in other costs

Hotel was reasonably good for the money, but parking and wireless Internet were extra and significantly increased the cost of the stay.

Traveler's tip

Our TomTom GPS directed us to some alley way about 300 meters from the actual location of this hotel, which is on a major road. Be sure to review the hotel’s interactive map if driving there.

great hotel

hotel was clean and in great condition near all of the attractions in edinburgh

Traveler's tip on local attractions

great hotel and close to the attractions.the weather is dull/drizzle in scotland in february

Excellent Location

Knowing Edinburgh well I chose the king James for location to the Edinburgh Playhouse (less than a 5 minute walk from door to door). I would certainly choose this hotel again for the friendly staff, cleanliness and location.

Central location for Edinburgh sightseeing.

Hotel was very comfortable and a great location for sightseeing. Can easily walk to everything plus the buses stop outside the hotel.Staff were very pleasant and helpful with any questions. There wasn’t a hairdryer in the room as was advertised but on mentioning it to house-keeping we soon got one. Overall this is a perfect hotel for enjoying Edinburgh.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Go on the day trip with rabbie’s tour company to the oldest distillery and a tour through the Highlands in Perthshire. Karen was the best guide and certainly knew the history of Scotland.

We would stay here again

The hotel is extremely well located near city attractions and a shopping center is next door. There is a bus line in front of the hotel. Tour buses are just a few blocks away. The staff was very helpful and very kind. The bar food was good. The dinner menu looked good, but all evening meals in the UK are expensive.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

There are multiple day tours from the local city bus company. Take the multiple day package, ride the various routes and see much of Edinburgh. Don’t miss the castle, royal yacht, palace, and Carlton Hill.

great location

a little past its prime, but the rooms were clean and the location is superb, the concierge was also very helpful,

worse than expected

I ve choosen this hotel for it s good reputation due to traveller comments and its location. But we had some problems during our stay. We entered the hotel around 11 am . We requested for an early check in. But the reservation desk officer couldnt accept our request due to busy schedule. No problem with that. So we left our luggages and went sightseeing. But after arriving at the hotel at 3 pm. We couldnt check in. Because the lady in the front desk did not register us so they give our room to other guests although we were first arrived the hotel on that day. So although the check in time was 3 pm We waited till 4 30 pm just to check in. Also our other complaint was there was a construction going on across the street which was too loud. It started in the early morning.

Nice place, conveniently located

I initially booked only 3 nights because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was nice enough that I stayed the whole week. The location is in New Town Edinburgh, next to many shops and restaurants. Its also only 2 blocks from the main railway station. To get to Old Town and the Royal Mile is a short walk of maybe 1/4 mile. In other words, its a very convenient central base for exploring all of Edinburgh. The hotel itself was quite nice, the staff was helpful, and the rooms were surprisingly large (for Europe). I switched rooms halfway through, and the first room had been rennovated recently, and the second room was an older style but still nice. This hotel also hosts a "Scottish Evening" event on most nights, which includes bagpipes, dancers, dinner, and of course, haggis. Its a bit pricy but I quite enjoyed it. My only complaint was that there was a fair amount of noise, from the street outside, or from another resident coughing in the next room.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Ask for directions to the nearby laundromat, because you won’t want to pay the hotel’s prices for a wash!

Location,Location, Location!

If you are looking for a moderately priced hotel that is central to everything, the Thistle is your lassy! An easy walk will bring you to Old Town. I spent a week there in March. I arrived on a Monday morning and was upgraded to a large room with a king size bed. The room was spotless and the shower was heavenly after a long plane ride in a crampted seat. The hotel staff is most helpful about reservations for restaurants, bus schedules and anything else you might need. You can pop into the mall (connected on the third floor) to get a morning coffee and scone. A bus at the corner will take you to Leath or out to Rosilyn Chapel. Great time would go back in a minute!

Traveler's tip on dining

Two of my favorite restaurants Elephant’s Castle pleasant cafe with good food reasonably priced. Sit for a while with a glass of wine or a pot of tea or coffee. The Fishers, Shore Road Leath hop on bus 22 and head to this bistro for something more than fish and chips. Fish is caught that day, good wine list, desserts are heavenly. If dining alone you can sit at the bar

Gladly stay there again.

I arrived a day late after being fogged in for a day in London. The staff voluntarily upgraded me to an Executive suite. The service was great, everyone really friendly and my room superb! I highly recommend the Edinburgh Thistle!

A very good value for London’s Central Area

The rooms are extremely small but the bathroom is excellent! There was a beautiful view of Edinburgh Castle from my window. There was a rather large shopping mall that was connected to the hotel with many nice shops, as well as small cafes and pubs within walking distance. It was easy to get wherever you needed to go either by foot or taxi. The staff were always extremely helpful and friendly.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Take very good walking shoes as the streets of Edinburgh are not for the light-hearted! It is very very hilly and can be daunting at times.

I would certainly go back

Thistle’s staff was very professional. They were quite pleasant, courteous, and helpful. The lift was smooth and fast. Using the stairs to reach the top floor was equally satisfying. The room was clean and comfortable where only the trim on the upholstered chair could have used a little vacuuming.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

The Thistle Edinburgh is in a great location. It is close to plenty of shopping, food, bus stops, bus station, information center, a beautiful park, and the train station. There a plenty of attractions within walking distance. Tour companies are close by as well. The city is quite clean and enjoyable. And, Craigmillar castle is only 3 to 4 miles away.

Poor Reception

We reached the hotel at 3.00 PM. With the checkin commencing at 2.00 PM, we were expecting the hotel to be ready with the room. However, the room wasn’t ready, the reception was plain rude abt the delay without as much as a hint of apology and they made us wait for 30 min in the lobby without any apparent concern. Having said that, the room was extremely comfortable and the hotel is right in the city center. So for someone just getting there for a weekend of roaming abt. However, if you are looking for a relaxed weekend with good service... stay away.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Get the day travel card on the local buses. At 5$, it is a steal allowing you unlimited travel on all buses. They also supply you with a local bus map that will tell which bus to take to which place. The stops are conveniently located near the attractions. You wouldnt need any kind of paid tour if you have one of these tickets.

Close to the action

Rooms were nice and clean and we loved the convenience to the major attractions. There are better bars and restaurants elsewhere.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

The front desk recommended two excellant restaurants within walking distance. Bus and train station were just around the corner.