A difficult review to write following many excellent stays over the years at this Grande Dame of Edinburgh. Being a old building one would expect less than perfect amenities - poor water pressure, freezing bathrooms, noise from the road below due to old windows (castle view rooms) & temperamental air conditioning are to name a few but the staff, the service and the welcome made up for it. What could not be excused was the presence of bed bugs! During our stay in July 2020 we both were bitten on the legs during the night, the matter was reported to reception the following morning & a report was taken. I was advised the room would be sealed, deep cleaned & we would be advised of the outcome. I expected this to happen, I did not have to expect to chase and chase to just be told that the findings were not my concern, but I was advised that no bugs were discovered. The exchange of emails which followed and even trying to follow up with management during one more stay in August 2020 was farcical. As a Hilton Gold member I took up the matter with them, who in contrast, were happy to listen to my concerns. No doubt Caley management will respond to this review with a suitably patronising and dismissive response, which seems to be their preference. When reading this, please bear in mind, we have been extremely satisfied patrons of this hotel for many years and we are sad to not be going back (ever) but this matter was dealt with in such a disappointing way that is warrants this review.…
OK so first off I have to admit to being biased here. I have lived in Edinburgh for most of the last 10 years and the 'village' has been by far the nicest place I have ever lived in the UK. Consequently I have only stayed in a few hotels in Edinburgh. On this occasion I decided to tick a box on the bucket list and stay at the Waldorf Astoria Caledonian Hotel known locally as the 'Caley'. I have spent many a happy hour in its famous Peacock Alley bar over the years. The hotel itself is an attractive, landmark building just off Princes Street, that signposts Edinburgh's 'West End', and used to be a Victorian railway station I stayed in a premier room with a Castle View. It was perfect. Paying the little bit extra proved well worth it. The concierge was so helpful giving me assistance with any bookings such as the spa and restaurant. Breakfast was amazing served in no better setting than the Peacock bar. Dinner proved a gastronomic delight. A taster menu by Mark Greenaway. I am a fan of the chef's former restaurant on Queen Street so I expected nothing less than elegance on a plate. There is a spa here. It is not the best in the city so I will skip over this. There are better spas less than 5 minutes from here and this was not the reason for my stay at the Caley. A fabulous hotel - 5/5…
My partner and I love ‘The Caley’ and have not been able to visit for the last year due to obvious reasons. In 2019 spent a night at the Caley with my groomsmen the night before my wedding and the staff looked after us superbly. So when I saw the option to have a valentines box delivered to my home address I jumped at the chance. It arrived and the quality of produce was outstanding along with the effort to carefully pack all the ingredients. Went down a treat and we look forward to when we can visit again.
Been there several times and it always feels like I am coming home to visit friends. The staff is so far above average that they cannot be rated high enough. Incredible location for visiting and the atmosphere is among the best Hotels in Scotland.
We came for a two-night stay after a longer holiday was cancelled. The stay was perfect! Staff were outstandingly helpful, especially with our small baby. The room had a lovely cot set up and there was a baby bath and bottle sanitiser. At breakfast we were given a high chair and various staff came to talk to our baby (from an appropriate physical distance). Room was immaculate and very spacious - we were provided with chocolates and an upgrade on arrival which was a lovely touch! Food was also delicious and presented on a very pretty cake as the usual buffet is not allowed. We would highly recommend this hotel for a staycation as soon as guidance allows it to reopen.
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