Have just stayed in the Howard for 2 nights, in the top suite, which was amazing!!! Rooms were comfortable, large, with lovely furniture, massive 4 poster bed, large TV, massive bathroom and lots of other little bits and peices. The butler service was fantastic, very friendly and nothing too much trouble. Breakfast was very nice and tea and coffee on tap at the touch of a button (phone button that is, ring reception and they bring it to you). The hotel is in a great location for getting to the castle, shopping areas and great for the bus service to the zoo. Overall this is the best hotel I have stayed in and wouldnt hesitate coming back.

Only one bad (ish) point - the rooms are not double glazed and the road outside is cobbled. This means that when cars go past there is a significant amount of road noise that is quite noticeable in the rooms. This however did not affect our trip.

My husband and I went to the Howard for one night on our anniversary and whilst it was not as I expected, it was a very pleasant stay. It is quite a small hotel (mor like a terraced house), but the bedrooms are definitely worthy! As well as a sleeping area there is a lounge area with a very large tv,as well as a more than ample bathroom. The rooms were very clean and had an old-fashioned (yet tasteful) ambience.

There is the opportunity to make use of the many butler services available, although we didn't really use them. The food we had for the evening meal was absolutely fantastic and the service was lovely (although we were the only people there as it was a Sunday night!) After the evening meal we relaxed in the drawing room, nicely decorated and very relaxing.

If you want to stay somewhere cheap and get drunk this isn't really the place for you, but if you want a bit of sophistication and somewhere you can take some old-fashioned relatives with high standards, this is the place to go!

Stayed on a winter deal, 2 night break. (Having an anniversary in January has its advantages!). Handed over car keys and were shown to lounge for coffee and shortbread - good start! Were upgraded to Abercromby Suite which is a beautiful, spacious room. Had excellent breakfast in the room at no extra charge. Ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife and it was very nice indeed. Staff efficient, friendly but not intrusive. Lovely dinner in the hotel on first night (especially the fillet steak!). Second night dined at the nearby Stockbridge Restaurant, which I would highly recommend. Only negative aspect of the break was the ill-fitting, single-glazed windows in the room which allowed in constant traffic noise from the cobbled street below. [Remedy difficult due to conservation area restrictions?]. Despite the latter, thoroughly enjoyed the break.

I'll keep it short and sweet with the only info you need to know if you're looking for a fantastic accommodation experience in Edinburgh-this is a great hotel, service, food, breakfast, bed, rooms, location! Stay here, you won't regret it, your'll remember it forever. Worth every penny.