We spent 5 days at Violet Bank House and we found it to be a highlight of out trip to Scotland. It ranks right up there with the Edinburgh Military Tatoo. Reta and John MacLennon are the most gracious hosts we've encountered anywhere in the world.
Their B & B was outstanding and the breakfasts were wonderfull. We think so much of them that we invited them to visit out home in Tennessee if they ever come to the U.S.

We throughly enjoyed our stay at Violet Bank House. Rita and John really made us feel at home and nothing was too much trouble. Breakfast was amazing and I'm now a true haggis fan!!! We would have loved to stay longer!
The bus in and out of edinburgh is fab, sometimes tricky finding exactly the right change but again Rita helped us out on this one.
The room we stayed in was lovely and clean, the bathroom was amazing too. Rita and John really have thought of everything when it comes to toiletries too, there was so much provided it was great.
Thank you Rita and John for a wonderful stay, you made our trip that bit extra special.
Emma and Richard

Yeap, both Reta and John were absolutely amazing! They gave us a discount on our stay to make up to their mistake for providing the wrong direction to their place. They even offered through the phone to pay for the cab fee that we had to use in the end to get to their place. Very nice couple!
Reta's very friendly and helpful. You can tell since she's also the finalist of the friendliest ladyowner of B&B in 2009 (might be mistaken of the year). Breakfast was superb and they were very accommodating to my request. You have nothing to feel unsatisfied about the house. It was so comfortable that my girlfriend and I could just stay in the house and not go to the city! Definitely clean. There's also a small lounge area where you can borrow DVDs and use the computer.
This place is more suitable for folks who want quality stay and away from the bustling city. pretty far away from the city BUT frequent bus no.44 takes you to the city in 20 minutes. bus tickets are cheap but u'll be better off with renting a car if you want flexibility. overall, an absolute pleasant stay!

Reta & John are lovely and nothing was too much trouble. We stayed in the room with an en-suite bathroom and it was very clean, modern and really comfortable. Reta welcomed us with tea & home made Scottish pancakes with home made jam.... lovely!
The location is good. We had a hire car for out of town trips but used the bus to get into the centre of Edinburgh. It takes about 20 mins. We drove in to town in the evenings as the parking restrictions are lifted from 6.30pm onwards and we managed to park outside the restaurant!
We would highly recommend Violet Bank House, between us we have stayed at many hotels and B&B's (e.g. this year we have been to the USA, Africa, Cotswolds etc.) and this one is really great.