The Old Waverley

We stayed here in may 2022 The rooms are in need of refurbishment, the beds were good and comfortable but the bathroom was worn out. The breakfast and bar area were updated and nice, breakfast is good. Good selection of warm and cold food. The location of this hotel is perfect and in the middle of the city center and easy to get to from the airport with the tram or bus.

The most important aspect of this establishment is its location. All of the major attractions are nearby, and there are numerous places to eat. The only negative aspect I can think of is the darkness of my room. Apart from that, everyone on the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. It is something I would recommend.

Little dated in the rooms but the bar and restaurant area were excellent, decor was lovely. Only a one night stop over for a visit to the theatre but couldn't ask for a better location. Breakfast was delicious, cooked to perfection and even though there were no fried eggs, the haggis made up for it.

Great location for sure. The airport bus stop is a 2 minute walk from the front door. The room we had was okay, very little room, nice bed, and bathroom, just small, with no natural light. Not sure we would go back

We had an absolutely amazing stay. We had a corner room which overlooked the Scott Monument, Edinburgh Castle, and Arthur's Seat. What more could you want in Edinburgh? Oh, and it was right across from the train station and an easy walk to all the sights.

Friendly welcome, accommodating of early start, room basic but comfortable, nice bath and WiFi worked fine. Breakfast team friendly and went the extra mile. Old school hotel but did just what I needed.

Not our first visit to this lovely old hotel, we had a corner room with a brilliant view of the Scott monument and vista of Edinburg. Even at night with the castle and monument (amongst others) lit up, we didn't close the curtains. Lovely, well priced, breakfast BUT why ordinary sausages when Lorne (slice/square) sausage would be much better! Don't buy at the bar though as prices are prohibitive.

Would never stay here again. Staff friendly & helpful. Great location; you just step out onto Princess Street. Our room however was dreadful. Told it was "one of our best rooms". I cannot believe that was the case. Checked out after one night.

We spent 3 nights here. The beds were comftable and the rooms warm. We had a lovely view of the castle and gardens from our room. Would recommend having at least one breakfast in the hotel. Reception staff were lovely.

Spent Christmas at this lovely hotel in Ediburgh. For its price, it has one of the best and most accessible locations in the city: it's right by Princes Street and right in front of Waverley Station. It's only no more than 10min walk to the Royal Mile and the Nelson Monument, and even less to the lovely shops by George St. Our room was nice and cozy.

The bed was a dream because it was soft and warm enough. Staff are very helpful and accommodating. The Spanish wait staff who served us during breakfast was very friendly. Breakfast is okay, not outstanding so for the following days we opted for coffee at the bar instead. The restaurant and the bar both have very lovely views of Princes St and beyond. TIP: if drinking tap water isn't your thing, bring bottled water since none is available at the room.

Extremely disappointed in the lack of customer service. My train from London to Edinburgh was unexpectedly cancelled ten minutes prior to departure so I had to modify my check-in date at the hotel. Despite the fact that the situation was out of my control the hotel still told me I had to pay for the evening I wasn't going to be there. The situation was very disappointing - I have never been a guest in a hotel that has not been amendable to offering refunds to customers when things like this happen. I was already paying over $300/night - it was not worth it. I will not be recommending this property to my friends and colleagues traveling to Edinburgh.

Location was great. Parking was not convenient, had to lug our cases uphill through a construction site, I get that it's not the hotel's fault but it still takes away from the experience. We stayed two nights here and the elevator was down the whole time. We were on the third floor, not the worst thing ever but still not ideal. It did get a bit warm in the room, I wished the windows opened more because it was so nice outside and very stuffy inside. Luckily we didn't spend much time in the room.

They have a confusing, fundamentally dishonest online booking system that only offers one option for a non-refundable reservation. Their customer service is unresponsive, and incredibly rude. Terrible experience with this hotel.

This hotel couldn't be better located - you are able to do everything by foot. The staff is very efficient and welcoming. The room and bathroom were very clean and the bed was extremely comfortable! I did not have breakfast in the hotel as I found it a little expensive - 12 per person - considering there were many other cheaper options nearby.

Charming, comfortable and a great location. My only complaint is insufficient wifi. Need to work while on vacation and it was challenging. Other then that very comfortable and staff was great.

The location of this hotel is what drew us to stay here. It is directly across from Waverley train station on Princes St. The staff is kind and the rooms aren't as small as a lot of other European rooms. Shower is spacious. Bathrooms are modern, but bedrooms look like they haven't updated the furniture and decorations in a long time. There is no refrigerator or microwave in the room.

There is only one very small lift for the entire hotel, which ensures that you'll be waiting a while to hop on unless you want to cram in with a few other people. There are also a lot of stairs you have to go up to get to reception. Thankfully, there's a bell at the bottom where you can call a staff member to come help with heavy bags.

This review only relates to my Hot Chocolate Quest and NOT the Hotel itself. I returned to this lovely hotel after having attended a fine Yelp event. My friend visited such I wanted to surprise him with cake and coffee and lovely views onto the OLD town of Edinburgh. The views are amazing and the furniture very comfortable. The Hotel lounge deserves a 4* no doubt.

The service was accomodating. I ordered a HOT CHOCOLATE and a scone with cream and jam. The hot chocolate was not freshly made and far to sweet. I was not able to drink it. The scone seemed very hard and warm and mostly like had been pre-heated after having been de-frosted. The cream on the scone melted like butter (due to the scone being so warm) and was dripping. My friend ordered a sandwich and a beer and both were fine. I definitely will go back for a drink and nice views. Not for a Hot Chocolate so :-D

I have never been in The Old Waveley before and it was actually a very nice establishment for a function. Very Central.infact i dont think you could get a better location. Nice and Bright. I must try afternoon tea here sometime!

Tis was the time for the Last Elite Event of the year and the Old Waverly Hotel had the glittberball spinning! It's a beautiful ballroom. It has the features that alot of hotel don't. 1. Kept the cornice on the ceiling. 2. a stunning view of prices st gardens and the castle! The buffet was delicious and the macarons were pretty awesome too! Scones were pretty tasty too although I like mine Big! Staff were friendly too.

Situated near to transport hubs for buses, trains and eventually trams! The hotel is neatly tucked between businesses on the shopping mile. When you go wandering up a winding beautifully decorated staircase to reception to find their bar or foodie venue, listen for the distant sound of the lone ghost piper. At the bar discover beers around 4, and ample selection of whiskies, liquor and all sorts of beverages to satisfy any palette.

I thought the bar has a cosy pre-theatre venue feel to it. Good start if your going to the nearby Playhouse or Festival Theatre each less than 10 minutes walk. From velvet curtains, large armchairs and prints of Ye' old town adorning the walls the sparklers in your cocktail completes the mood. Ambient lighting in the right places with corners to snuggle into, mixed background music playing instrumental doh-whop jazz, or Scottish sounds in abundance will make any visitor to Edina feel welcome.

I heard the bar food is to try, but with half hour left for serving, maybe next time. If you find yourself sitting at the back or to the left of bar, then look out the windows. You will get a grand view of the touristy Walter Scott Monument, or to some, the large spiky thing on Princes Street East. This is also the area where you also might glimpse a real live Scotsman playing his pipes, sticking out of a bag; that some say the noise created is used to attract and capture haggis in the highlands?

Great chat with bar staff, who are friendly and know their stuff around the alcoholic chemicals. Since Waverley didn't have any Innes&Gunn I almost tried another dark bottled beer name Edinburgh Ale, but what was off putting was the price for half a pint. So thought I'd indulge into a pint of the amber nectar instead. In all nice drink and half hour chill out time. I didn't stay here though as just passing through! The haggis smelt nice also, thanks to the pipers of Scotland!?

I stayed here for six nights while touring Scotland. It was very basic but nice. Just off the train station which made getting into the city/out of really easy. It was walking distance to everything in the city and a great rate for the time we were there. It was worth the price as we hardly spent any time in the room.

This is the place to stay if you want to walk everywhere.and never mind the construction on Prince Street it is their equivalent of Boston's Big Dig, it's not going to end soon. Think old hotel.retrofitted with tiny elevator, winding hall ways. Remember to get a room facing Prince Street or otherwise don't spend anytime in your room. Don't spend any time in your room anyway.just go out and enjoy the city.

Not sure what to fault. As others have noted, the location is brilliant. If you are coming in by train, this is a dream. It is rightadjacentto the principal attractions, I.e. The castle. The service is friendly, the rooms are surprisingly spacious. The decor is upscale though not ostentatious and the prices reasonable. You may not wow your friends but this is a quality place at a fair price in a perfect location.

I hope to age as gracefully as the Old Waverley Hotel. Not that I want to live to be over 150 years old, but it's in remarkable shape, all things considered. Beyond having a rich history, I thoroughly enjoyed the creaky, tilted central stairs, the free high-speed wi-fi throughout the property, and especially the spectacular views from my room of Scott Monument and the Edinburgh Castle.

They do, however, need to reconsider the furniture configuration in the rooms: there's no room to fit a chair under the work desk because the bed is simply too close. In order to work, I ended up having to straddle the edge of the desk. That's -not- an attractive look, let me tell you. Also, kudos to the exceptionally efficient staff at the front desk.

They may be brusque, but they will get you checked in/out in record time! That's kind of how this hotel goes: it may not be glitzy, glamorous, or the newest, shiniest hotshot on the block. but it'll get the job done. Like 'wham, bam, thank ya ma'am' done. And that, good readers, is a respectable thing indeed.

My parents and I chose to stay at this hotel just before I moved into university accommodation, as it's extremely central, being situated on Princes Street. The decor also looked quite rich and characterful, and when we arrived, we weren't at all disappointed. The hotel is very nicely presented! However, we came with a lot of luggage and the staff weren't that helpful in helping us lug them up the stairs to reception.

We felt lucky to be placed in a top floor room overlooking Princes Street, especially as most of the sound could be blocked out by closing the windows. However, the bagpipes were NOT blocked out and promptly woke us up every morning around 9! I'm ashamed to say I had murderous thoughts of sniping the fellow just to get some shuteye, and have since lost any affection for the bagpipe I may have had.

The hotel is reasonably priced for it's location, but it did seems it was just a few adjustments away from being a real luxury hotel. Just make sure your hotel room is facing AWAY from Princes Street.that my warning!

You can't really fault this place for location. It's secondary to none, and is the basis of my 4* review! As a tourist this is probably the best place to stay in the city. It's right in the middle of Princes Street and has brilliant views of the castle and the city gardens. The hotel itself doesn't look like much, but don't judge a book by its cover.

Up some stairs (or elevator, whatever) and you are in the Waverly! It's nice enough, really traditional and still has a Scottish twist. As highlighted before me, the prices are brilliant too. So overall, for your value for money and location, you can't really go wrong!

I stayed here with my bridesmaid on my hen night as it was teh best rate I could get on a Friday night in Edinburgh. Even then it was pretty steep and we had a tiny wee room right at the top of the hotel. But it was a nice enough twin room with the usual tea/coffee facilities and a nice-sized ensuite. Our rate included breakfast which was a buffet style affair in the restaurant and I wasn't overly impressed with it, althought we did come down later on in the service.

It just had a range of toasts, yoghurts and what appeared to be tinned grapefuit pieces. Still, it was free. The building itself is a lot smaller than you would think and it only has one lift which is tiny and takes an age. It is a good hotel to stay in if you are only needing a place to rest your head.

My partner booked a table for us under a 5pm.co.uk deal: 19.50 for a three course meal and a glass of house wine for free. We'd never tried the hotel (as we live in Edinburgh) and its restaurant before. The first impression was very good. A beautiful entrance leading off from Princes Street - lots of shiny warm marble gave it a luxurious feel.

Narrow stairs lead to the hotel's lobby and the restaurant. The staff were friendly and welcoming, but we were disappointed that we were not allowed to have a window seat (and overlook Princes St Gardens) as they were quote: 'already booked'. It was 19:30 and apart from one middle-aged couple, we were the only diners. The restaurant itself was classically and tastefully decorated - an elegant room with original high ornate ceilings, tables not too close to each other, and crisp white table linen.

Unfortunately the food was less than impressive. My partner and I both ordered a creamy tomato soup as a starter. This was not too bad and the serving was very generous. Next was the main course: I'd ordered a broccoli rissotto with cheese sauce (only vegetarian option), my partner a fish dish (can't remember what it was). Big mistake. There was more cheese sauce on my plate than risotto.

The strong cheese flavours completely drowned out the flavours of the broccoli risotto. A real shame. My partner's fish was ok but nothing special. For dessert my partner choose a chocolate mousse and I decided for the chef's mystery dessert. Both were nicely presented but too sweet, and as a result we only managed to finish half of the dessert.

Although the staff were lovely and the room atmospheric I won't be back as the food was aweful. For the price we were paying I expected more than that. Also there weren't many other dinners (except for two elderly couples) so the place felt a bit dead.