The Orwell Lodge Hotel was very easy and its location is perfect for first time visitors to Edinburgh; real close to downtown. It was just a bed so not to many problems.

The only two complaints are.
1) The shower in my room was small and only enough room to stand up so reaching and washing to the lower part of the body was hard.

2) I had to ask for a phone to be put in my room and they did but after 7 days in the Hotel they still had not got it to work and really didn't try.

The locals in the Restaurant and Bar at this Hotel are absolutely THE BEST. Real fun.

So the Hotel is OK but I will spend a few extra bucks and stay in a regular cheap Hotel like a Motel 6 even if I have to travel a little further because the buses go everywhere in Edinburgh.

I loved Scotland and England though; what a fantastic vacation spot.

Upon arriving at the Orwell Lodge Hotel, which should really be classed as a guest house, the staff were rude and unfriendly. Please do not expect any 'Welcome' or 'Hello' if you decide to stay here. On the first night, I was moved rooms with my belongings removed from the room while I was out and left in a back office. I found this out by a written note on the door, telling me to contact reception as I was now in another room. The breakfasts are OK, but again don't expect to receive any niceties. For the money, I would rather stay in a guest house and get better service or pay the extra and stay in a hotel which is a lot closer to the centre. The 'hotel' would have been satisfactory 20 years ago, but now the decor is dated and is in need of renovation. The staff also need to go on a customer service course.

Sorry about the pedestrian title but that's what I thought. It wasn't too expensive (by Edinburgh standards), but it wasn't luxury either. We got a nice room with a clean bathroom at the back. The staff were very helpful and friendly, breakfast perfectly good, but most importantly there is a bus stop opposite the hotel which takes you right into Princes Street. OK the ground floor is a pub, but many smaller hotels here seem to have that , and it didn't cause us any problems anyway. Basically pretty happy about our stay and Edinburgh is a lovely city with super people. Don't miss the open top bus ride - especially if you get a good guide.

Just returned from spending the New Years holiday in Edinburgh. We stayed at the Orwell Lodge Hotel for three nights. On the positive side, the hotel staff were very nice and helpful but that does not make the stay in all cases and definately not this one. The hotel is rated as a *** but does not meet the standards of a normal European ***. The room was adaquate but dirty and could use a bathroom refurbishment. For some reason or another we did not receive maid service for all three days even though we posted our service sign on our door. Crazy but true. This was our biggest issue as the garbage and dishes piled up. We attempted to place the items outside our door but the staff did not touch the items. We improvised by putting the garbage in a large shopping bag and taking the dishes to the kitchen ourselves. Edinburgh was awesome but this hotel did not cut the mustard.