Our family stayed at the Halcyon for three nights during the Edinburgh Festival and it was a great choice. Considering that as well as two kids, the family also includes a cocker spaniel, our options were a little limited for a city stay but we got lucky with this hotel. The location is excellent, walking distance to the city centre and close to a number of decent cafes and restaurants (including the legendary Valvona and Crolla). Better still, the gardens opposite are ideal for a quick walk with the dog (even when the weather is inclement as, apparently, it sometimes is in Edinburgh!) and Calton Hill is right behind the hotel for a longer walk.

The rooms were comfortable and the breakfasts were generous and delicious. The owners and staff were all very welcoming - sausages each morning ensured our dog will never forget the visit - and nor will we!

One last note about prices - for the location, the room rates are very good indeed and the special rates for children are an excellent bonus. Parking was also easy and convenient. All in all, hard to find anything to complain about here!

Halcyon Hotel was a great place to stay in Edinburgh. The location was perfect, with Calton Hill out the window and just a 10 minute walk to the centre of town. The only down side was the bit of a hill to walk up with luggage to get there!
I opted for a room with an ensuite. The room was very small but comfortable and very clean. Basic amenities are covered in the room, while a lounge on the 2nd floor provided a more comfortable place to relax. The ensuite was very clean and excellent value for money - I would go for this option every time. Those who struggle with stairs should ask for a room on a lower floor - mine was on the 4th and was quite a slog! The room was nice and quiet and sleep quality was great.
Halcyon Hotel was a friendly, comfortable accomodation that was good value for money. Certainly not luxury, it was more comfortable and simple.

We can't think of anything but good things to say about this hotel. My girlfriend and I stayed there for 3 nights at the beginning of Sept 2011. The proprietor was very helpful and attended to our dietary requirements - gluten free bread, soya milk and soya butter (which we hadn't even heard of!) The rooms were clean, comfortable and the entire hotel is beautifully decorated. The location is very good, just a few minutes walk into the city centre. We have already begun to recommend to friends and family and hope to go back one day! (do watch out for the "you're not booked in" joke on arrival though! ;) )

Booked directly on Hotel's own website. Paid deposit via PayPal. Excellent price for location. Arrived at midnight this was no problem for the proprieter. Great breakfast and service from Dominka and co.
Room was not en-suite but the bathroom was next to the room and I was the only person using it so no problem. There is free wifi throughout as a bonus point
Room small but very comfortable. No TV in room but there's a large comfortable lounge that nobody seemed to use despite the hotel being full. When I checked out I still had a couple of hours to kill before my flight left, so they let me use the lounge to do some work on my laptop for a couple of hours utilising the free wifi. I was also offered a bacon butty before I left!

Great place for the price and location