We recently spent the weekend up in Scotland at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Edinburgh city centre, as part of a PR trip. We were invited to stay for two nights with breakfast and also managed to check out the onsite dining options, as well as the very exciting SKYbar, which is also part of the hotel.
Despite it being a very wet weekend in Edinburgh, (thanks a bunch, storms!), we still had a fantastic time at the DoubleTree. I can’t wait to tell you a bit more about the hotel and share a few tips on how to spend a rainy weekend in Edinburgh!
Disclaimer: Although I stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City Centre for a PR trip, all opinions expressed in this blog are unbiased and 100% my own.
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My review of the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Edinburgh
I always like to do a little bit of research on the location of a hotel before I visit, so I was really excited to see just how centrally the DoubleTree Edinburgh was located to many of Edinburgh’s top attractions. This makes it a perfect base for exploring when you only have a couple of days.
Getting to the Doubletree Edinburgh
As we were heading up to Edinburgh from the North West on a Friday evening after work, it made the most sense to drive up. You could quite easily get a train up though if you preferred, as there are a number of trains that run from the main towns and cities in the North West (e.g. Manchester, Warrington, Liverpool, Crewe and Chester), through both direct and indirect routes.
The drive was really straightforward, if a little long at just under four hours. It was mostly motorway then about an hour of A roads that were a little more winding and slow. All in all though the journey to the DoubleTree Edinburgh and Edinburgh city centre itself was really easy!
The hotel location
As I mentioned a little further up, the DoubleTree Edinburgh benefits from being really centrally located in Edinburgh city centre. The hotel is within minutes walk of Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Old Town, the Royal Mile, the New Town, the National Museum of Scotland, and tons of other attractions. In fact, one of the DoubleTree’s most unique features, is its stunning views over Edinburgh Castle.
Parking at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Edinburgh city centre
Whilst the DoubleTree Edinburgh hotel benefits from a great location in the city centre of Edinburgh, this does also come with the caveat that there is no on-site or free parking at the hotel.
The hotel does however, have an arrangement with the NCP Castle Terrace car park nearby, where hotel guests can park for a discounted rate of £15 per 24 hours. You just need to make sure you get your ticket validated at the hotel reception before leaving the car park.
Whilst I didn’t find the parking situation to be a huge inconvenience, it is worth noting before you travel. If you are arriving by car and have a lot of luggage I’d recommend dropping this off at the hotel reception first, then parking your car. There are a few cobbled streets to navigate between the Castle Terrace car park and the DoubleTree Edinburgh, which could be difficult with a big suitcase in tow!
The rooms at the Doubletree Edinburgh
Right, lets get down to the important details – our room at the DoubleTree Edinburgh! The room we stayed in was on of the hotel’s king rooms with a castle view.
The room was a really nice size, with plenty of space to stretch out, store luggage and relax, without feeling like you are rattling around a huge space. The decor was modern, with a focus on warm neutrals, which gave the room a cosy feel, whilst the bold carpet added a bit of personality
Inside the room I was also pleased to find all of the usual facilities that you’d hope/expect to find. There was a full sized wardrobe, perfect for hanging up all your layers during a winter trip! I find a lot of hotels can lack in storage space so this was a really pleasant surprise. Inside the wardrobe was also a hairdryer, mini safe, mini bar and tea and coffee facilities. The floor length mirrored door was also a nice touch!
If you’re planning on a working trip to Edinburgh I’d say this room was ample big and comfortable enough for a mini office setup too. The desk area had enough outlets and a comfortable enough wheely chair to settle in for a day or two.
Into the bathroom in my room at the DoubleTree Edinburgh, and I was super happy to find a bath in there! I’ve mentioned before how much I love a relaxing bath so this was a real highlight. Obviously I gave the bath a thorough testing, and I will say that it does take a little while to fill up, so if you’re in a rush definitely opt for the shower!
As for views, this was definitely one of the nicest views I’ve had from a hotel room in a long time!
Even on a rainy morning it was wonderful to peel back the curtains and gaze over at my own interrupted view of Edinburgh Castle. If the last couple of years in and out of lockdown has taught me anything, it’s how much a nice view from your window can boost your mood. I’d definitely choose to pay a little extra for a room with this view again.
Special touches in the rooms at DoubleTree Edinburgh hotel
There were a few other welcoming touched in the room that I wanted to highlight too:
- Edinburgh Gin and tonic – I always appreciate when hotels add a little locally produced or inspired touch, and this was a perfect way to ease in to the weekend after the long drive to Edinburgh
- Chocolates – Not much I need to say about these other than they were delicious, very good quality chocolates. They didn’t make it past the first evening…
- Toiletries – I’ve loved the scent of verbena since getting a L’occitane gift set for Christmas a few years ago, so the toiletries in the bathroom felt a little extra luxurious, and better than your bog standard hotel shower gel.
The SKYbar at the Doubletree Edinburgh
When it comes to hotel bars, I usually find them to be a little underwhelming and only tend to visit them when I’m feeling too tired to go out and explore. The SKYbar at the Edinburgh DoubleTree however, is about as far away from being underwhelming as you can get!
If you can’t tell from the picture, I had a pretty great Friday evening here, and can’t say enough about the attentiveness of the bar staff as well as their master cocktail making skills! (Amateur mixologists can follow the SKYbar Instagram page for some cocktail making inspo!)
If the name hasn’t already given it away, it’s safe to say that the SKYbar has some of the best views in Edinburgh. What more could you want from a Friday night than sipping an espresso martini and gazing out over to the beautifully lit Edinburgh Castle?
The whole bar is very chic and Instagram friendly, with a mixture of sumptuous seating at low tables in front of the floor to ceiling windows, and bar stalls further back. The soft pink mood lighting makes this place feel really special, sort of exclusive but cosy.
Cocktails at the SKYbar Edinburgh
Lets skip to the good bit shall we? The cocktails!
I was really impressed at the quality and attention that the mixologists at the SKYbar Edinburgh put into the drinks and also the drinks menu on offer. With some covid restrictions still lingering, all orders were through table service and the cocktail menu could be viewed via QR code.
The drinks menu at the SKYbar includes all of the expected wines, beers, spirits, and expensive champagne if you’re really celebrating, but I’ll be focusing on the signature cocktails.
For our first round I chose the ‘Scotland’s Rose’, while Matt went for a ‘Failte Gu Alba’. My drink was a mix of Johnnie Walker, rose and pomegranate syrup, ginger syrup and lemon, topped off with prosecco. I’m always drawn to cocktails with ginger in them as I like the fiery kick it gives. This was a nice balance of sweet and refreshing, without being sickly. I’d definitely order it again.
Round two was a bit of a lucky dip. These two drinks came recommended by our server, who was keen that we try out some of the most popular cocktails on the menu, the ‘Malibu Barbie’ and the always popular espresso martini.
I love a nice smooth, sweet espresso martini to sip on, and this was a really good example of one. The Malibu Barbie was very fruity in comparison, and a little sweet for my taste, but I still enjoyed the mix of tropical juices and liqueurs topped with some sweet sprinkles.
Another favourite from the SKYbar Edinburgh’s signature cocktail menu was the ‘Red Dragon’. This drink was an unusual mix of tequila, lychee, sloe gin, cranberry juice, sugar and lime. This one was a nice fruity number with a great balance of interesting flavours. Definitely in my top three!
If you’re looking for things to do at night in Edinburgh, I would absoultely recommend heading over to the SKYbar for a cocktail or three in front of the city skyline. It’s worth noting though, that this place is very popular at the weekends, so booking a table in advance is definitely worthwhile, especially if you want a window seat!
The cocktail menu is also regularly refreshed, meaning there is always a good reason to go back. In fact, there should be some new additions landing during Spring.
You can book a table for the SKYbar online here.
Dining at the Doubletree Edinburgh
I usually spend a lot of my trip-planning time carefully picking out places I’d like to eat, so having a few mealtimes pre-planned out for me at the hotel’s eateries was actually a nice change.
We ate breakfast at the hotel each day of our stay as this was included in the room rate, and on the Saturday evening of our stay we were invited to have a meal at the DoubleTree Edinburgh’s on-site restaurant, Monboddo.
Breakfast at the Doubletree Edinburgh
Breakfast at the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh is served in the hotel’s Brasserie restaurant, the Bread Street Brasserie.
Currently, breakfast is served as a combination of continental buffet options, such as fruits, pastries, cereals, breads and cheeses, and cooked options from the restaurant’s breakfast menu that you order at the table.
The self-serve continental offering was great, and plenty of choice and lots of healthier options, gluten free and dairy free alternatives were available too.
The cooked breakfast menu was by no means huge, but the service staff in the restaurant were more than happy to adapt the menu items when asked (e.g. adding poached egg to the avocado on toast). I ordered the omelette with ham and mushrooms and it was honestly the best omelette I’ve ever been served at a hotel!
Matt can never resist a big breakfast if it’s on the menu, so opted for the traditional Scottish breakfast. I’m told it was delicious, which was backed up by the empty plate after he demolished it, haggis and all.
Dinner at the Monboddo Restaurant
I’d done a little reading up on the Monboddo restaurant before getting to the DoubleTree Edinburgh, and to be hones I wasn’t sure what to expect! Knowing that the menu focused on small, tapas style dining, but not necessarily the Spanish style dished you’d expect, I was interested to see how it all came together.
The Monboddo Restaurant menu
The menu at the Monboddo restaurant at the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh is a combination of small plates as well as a few larger, more traditional restaurant mains.
We went with the small plates, as we wanted to sample a good range of the dishes that Monboddo has to offer. Tapas style dining is great for this as you can mix and match a few sharing plates and try lots without getting stuffed too quickly on one thing. Definitely the way to go if you ever get FOMO when eating out!
I often find tapas can be hit and miss. It’s either fresh, delicious and full of flavour or just a collection of so-so, mostly deep fried finger food. So, how did a menu offering haggis spring rolls and beetroot carpaccio stand up to scrutiny?
Small plates, big flavours!
We ordered some olives to nibble at whilst we mulled over the choice of small plates on the menu. We decided the best plan of attack was to order three plates to share, then go for round two a little later to pace ourselves!
We started with the haggis spring rolls (if there was one thing we HAD to try, it was these), hummus with caremalised onion and pitta bread, and the grilled king prawns.
We really enjoyed the haggis spring rolls, the best way I can describe them was like a fancy sausage roll (this doesn’t do them justice haha) and they paired perfectly with the red wine and plum reduction they were served on. The hummus and pitta bread was nice, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as bread and hummus goes. The king prawns though, were an absolute knockout! The prawns tasted fresh and juicy and were perfectly complimented by the flavour of the chorizo.
I was already starting to feel full after all that, so for round two I picked a couple of lighter options, the beetroot carpaccio and the smoked salmon, and our waiter had recommended the cod in panko breadcrumbs.
I enjoyed all three of these dishes, but the standout was definitely the cod. I’d never think to pair cod goujons with a honey and soy dressing, but wow, it was an amazing flavour combo!
It’s a well known fact that we all have a second stomach designated especially for desserts, meaning that no matter how full you are, there is always room for dessert!
The dessert menu at the Monboddo was simple, but done well. They say you eat first with your eyes and you can’t really argue that both the cheescake and the chocolate fondant here look delicious. Spoiler alert, they taste as good as they look.
