The Roxburghe

I found a voucher deal for a spa day here and since Saunas, massages and Afternoon Tea are 3 of my favourite things, I roped in 2 friends and snapped up the deal. All in all, it was good value for money but only because of the voucher — there were no ‘Wow factors’, just a good day out with friends.
Firstly, booking was a bit of a hassle. I communicated via email — and this part was fine with quick, friendly responses. The hassle was, the voucher conditions stated that you could book up to a party of 4; however, there are only 2 treatment rooms so that meant one of has had to go for the treatment an hour later. Finding times where we could go one after the other was another hassle — even with midweek bookings. We also wanted to finish our treatments, use the spa facilities and then have afternoon tea last. Eventually, after about 20 emails we got it sorted!
On the day, our treatments were their first bookings. Normally, most spas want you to turn up 15 minutes early, to fill in a health form, get changed and start your treatment at the scheduled time. Well, we seemed to surprise them by getting there at 9:45 when they started at 10. Luckily a girl from the gym showed us to the changing rooms and sorted out towels, slippers and robes — but we were asked to share a small locker as the others were needed for the gym members (we only saw a few!!).
Our massage was nice and relaxing — perfect for de-​stressing but not really for any therapeutic concerns — but I wouldn’t go to a hotel spa for that anyway. The relaxation room had tea (no coffee) and just the water glass that they brought in for us. Still, we hung out here til our friend with the later appointment finished. We still had time for using the gym, pool, steam room and sauna (no hot tub here). The changing rooms and facilities are small and tired but serviceable, although if I was staying in the hotel, or paying full price, I would be disappointed. The pool was a decent length and nice and warm, however, when standing in the pool I had a direct view of the tile skirting around the room. The tiles on the walls were in good shape, but the ones in my direct view were falling off or completely missing. Very distracting. Well functioning steam room and sauna made up for this. Back to the basic changing room to get ready for tea and we see that there is only shower gel in the cubicles — luckily one of us thought to bring sample sachets of shampoo and conditioner!
The girl who greeted us in the morning also took us upstairs for our tea (she deserves a raise — she seemed to hold everything together!). I thought Afternoon tea would be in the restaurant but we were ushered into a small private club room (maybe the breakfast room). We sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. There was a small room to the side so I peeked my head in the doorway. No-​one was there. I sat down. And waited. We were getting thirsty and I saw prepared jugs of ice water in the prep room so I went and got one myself. A few minutes later someone did turn up and take our order for Tea. There was no menu, but luckily I looked online and knew that the vegetarian option was more up our alley — also no speciality teas — only tea or coffee. After the disappointing start, we really enjoyed the sandwiches, scones and cakes. And since we were busy chatting, with no time constraints, the slow service wasn’t an issue.

The food is very good, and presented well. I ate here for a business meeting. But the service was slower than even for most UK or EU restaurants. And it appears it is quite pricey. Though the food was tasty, probably not worth the price.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, although you have to try not to look at some of the décor. The pool is small and busy, the gym well-​equipped and empty. The wifi is unbelievably bad. But of course, the location is wonderful.

Reviewing about the swimming pool/​steam room and sauna.
I have been using these facilities since September 2013. I chose to join their club due to a corporate offer they had: £30 per month including gym, sauna, swim, steam room at no additional cost, longer hours than the Dalry leisure pool and closer to my office.
Additionally, they offer courtesy towel, shower gel and shampoo in showers that have curtains. No need to have coins to use a locker — staff will give you a key when they scan and keep your membership card.
Unfortunately the pool is only 12meters long, but it’s not that busy as other places I have been so you could swim in circles if you like!
Sauna reaches only up to 93 degrees roughly — I would love it being a bit warmer.
From time to time the shampoo or shower gel might have finished in two of the three showers so you need to look for one that still have some, but if you bring your own no need to worry.
Better have your sandals with you, as people will walk with their shoes in the area where you walk after your shower and go to change next to your locker.
Still a member and yes, recommending it!

I liked my stay here, I thought the room was well lit, no icky smells, and good room service. I noticed a good solid wall, thus an early bird could sleep at night (so long as neighbors aren’t blasting music or tv). The people at the reception area are very polite and not in a snotty way. It is just their lifestyle and I think its rather cool how they speak and treat people. I would come down for breakfast with my jogging sweats and bad hair, and I was treated just as well and courteous as people with suits. THe place overall looks well kept and it is in a good location as well. I like the workout facilities and sauna too. Plus they had the lobby well decorated for Christmas. Yeah the music during breakfast was a bit out of place but no one is perfect.
Just want to also mention they do have wi-​fi and is fast. And the bathroom had this mirror that lights up and can magnify every cell (or just wrinkle) on your face if you have any. For a backpack traveler like me I found it fun to poke around with it.

We decided to go to The Roxburghe Hotel for christmas Dinner. When we booked we were advised that we would be given Champagne and canapes on arrival. We took a seat in one of the smaller reception areas just outside the restaurant and I noticed a waitress filling up champagne glasses. so we waited… and waited, then noticed other guest go up and take a glass, so not to be one to miss out on the champagne action, i proceeded to ask for a glass, of which the waitress seemed a little shocked, but what happened to champagne on arrival, was really expecting someone to hand me one? preferably on a silver tray! goodness lol. We did have some canapes, this time thankfully a waiter came to offer some!
Our meal was very very nice. I started with smoked salmon, Venision for main and crème brûlée, the crème brûlée was think and creamy and extra crunchy on top — only downside is their really was not enough!
We were designated a waitress and she was extremely attentive and friendly, and we appreciated that even more as it was christmas day and working on christmas day does suck! Im not entirely sure if it was worth £90 per person, but it was a lovely experience.

When I travel all I really want out of a hotel is a decent place to fall asleep so I cannot really review this hotel for its extra ammenities. The Roxburghe has comfy beds and the rooms, though small, are well maintained. The heated towel rack was a nice touch. I am going to be disappointed when a hotel does not have that from now on.
The basement gym is actually quite large for a hotel. The equpiment is a little old, but it has pretty much everything you need from cardio machines to free weights. There is also a pool but I did not check it out. Check-​in/​check-​out was simple and straightforward. The location was also incredibly convenient — near bus stops and walking distance to Old Town. Other than free internet access, I couldn’t ask for much more!

Rooms small (apart from one or two fantastic suites). All a bit tired now.
Full of american coach parties.
Oh. and they play «highland music» over breakfast. I think that says everything that needs to be said.

To be honest the best part of this hotel is the breakfast and the location. My husband and I stayed here for 4 nights at the end of July.
We were coming for a wedding from the states and were extremely tired when we arrived. It was earlier than normal check-​in so we made sure we had talked to reception before our arrival to see if we could get in early. There wasn’t going to be a problem. However, when we arrived we were told our room wasn’t ready and we could check our bags with the concierge. We understood we were there early so no big deal. We checked our bags and decided to roam around the city. It was beautiful!!! But after about 2 hours of roaming we went back to the hotel. We waited in front of reception… EXHAUSTED! The two receptionists talked back and forth and spent lots of time on the phones, yet failed to straighten the awards and recognition plaques on the wall behind them. It was almost like a fun-​house mirror. Finally, after sitting in the reception area for 30 minutes an older couple went up to the receptionist and checked in! My husband got up and then asked the same receptionist if our room was ready now… shocking, it was! They couldn’t have told us that when were were basically falling asleep on the couches!!! BTW this lobby seriously needs some updating. We then were approached by Gavin the concierge. He was very polite and welcoming. He greeted us and walked us to our room! It was nice to see someone who actually cared about customer service. The only thing was he said he was going to be available all weekend and I think we maybe saw him one other time in 5 days/​4nights.
When we got to our room it was the size of a shoe-​box. The bed was very comfy. There were NO electrical outlets in the bathroom and No robes. We called reception about the robes and they said we didn’t have a room that was suppose to have robes… huh, a four star hotel??? But they brought us robes anyways, so that is one star (I guess)…Another thing is the hair-​dryer, ugh. Coming from the states I figured this again 4 start hotel would have appropriate hair dryers. There was one in the desk drawer, yet the cord was barely long enough to reach out of the drawer let alone to my head or the mirror! Super frustrating for us women. I had to go across the street to Toni and guy to get a hair blow-​dry!
To the good…
Breakfast!!! We had breakfast in bed all four days of our stay and it was great! Very warm by the time it got to us and de-​lish! My husband especially loved the black pudding.
Also, the spa was good. I would give the spa 4 out of 5 stars. I had an hour-​long massage and it was almost perfect. The girl applied the amount of pressure I liked and I also liked that she let me pick the scent of the balm she used. Awesome! The only thing was the music. It wasn’t exactly 100% relaxing. It was more trendy dinner music, kinda weird.
Our stay was ok, but just ok… serious updating needed all around. Maybe I had a different image in my mind for this hotel considering my husband and I stayed at another Macdonald hotel in Windsor, UK in December of 2010 and it was stunning!!!

I must admit to being slightly dissapointed by this hotel. We were ugraded to an executive room I guess as the lift was broken and some residents didn’t want to tackle the stairs. The King size bed was actually two singles pushed together. The hairdryer did not work — I called reception as my girlfriend needed to dry her hair and was told one wld be sent up — it wasn’t –25 mins later I had to walk down to reception and collected it myself. The tv reception was dreadful only BBC1 was watchable. During breakfast the man whose job appeared to be fying eggs went awol to fetch mushrooms that there were an abundance of. The hotel itself is very good and the majority of staff, particularly housekeeping were very friendly. I just think with a little more effort the 4 star award wld be warranted. If you did complain you were not issued with any apology just either and excuse or ‘I’ll look into it’.

I’ve stayed here a few times and always had a great experience so it’s the place I always recommend to friends visiting Edinburgh. Great location, nice rooms and very friendly staff but my most recent trip has me feeling a bit disappointed.
The Internet /​Wifi throughout the hotel has not worked for my stay so won’t be staying here again.

I visited the Roxburghe Hotel as part of a Hen Weekend. The bride wasn’t a party animal and decided to invite some of her close friends for a spa day and night’s stay at the hotel, courtesy of her hubby to be (who just happens to be minted-​lucky sod)
I arrived a little late as I was working then commuting from Glasgow, and found it difficult to find the place as it just kind of blends in with the surroundings. Finally I found it, and once inside realised that this place did not blend in at all! The surroundings were opulent and luxurious, and the beauty rooms were relaxing and ambient, with soft music playing and candles lit, totally taking you away from the hustle and bustle of the City Centre! I had the skin consultation and back and shoulder massage, which was simply divine! The package had also included lunch and dinner in the restaurant but I didn’t partake in any of that, although I can highly recommend it all from what the Bride to be was telling me! She raved about it for weeks.
I have since noticed that the Spa break was £125 per person, including bed and breakfast, lunch, dinner, two treatments and the consultation and use of the facilities including gym and pool. It sounds a lot but it’s actually brilliant value for money, especially in this grand hotel.

I’ve been to dinners/​balls here twice now, and I have to say I’d probably choose the Roxburghe if I needed a venue for a swanky party.
The venue itself is gorgeous, it really epitomises all the Georgian glamour of the New Town with the opulent décor and grand high ceilings. The staff are really friendly too — if i worked in a fancy hotel the last thing I’d want to have to do would be to wait on a load of students having their end of year balls, but if the staff here thought that they did an excellent job of hiding it.
The other thing that struck me was how nice the food was, considering they were catering for a huge number of people the attention to detail and consistency in the quality of all 3 courses was commented on by several people at our table.
The drinks prices at the cash bar were a bit excessive though, although I suppose it’s only to be expected oin a nice hotel. And I guess you do have to treat yourself every once in a while!
It may not have the same reputation as The Balmoral, but I’d say this place is batter hands down.

I got a very good last minute deal on this hotel, but I wouldn’t pay full price.
Very high quality and very high class, but also a bit stuffy. Definitely a hotel for expense account travellers and those who have money to burn.
Exceptionally handy for all the attractions, and well worth a stay if you want a bit of pampering or want to use the fitness suite or pool.

Located opposite Charlotte Square, this hotel is well situated in the city centre for the Castle, nightlife on Rose Street and shopping on George Street and Princes Street.
It is a bit of a paradox, as some of the rooms are styled in an old fashioned, chintzy way, and others are located in a modern annex and have modern furnishings. My personal preference is for the modern annex as chintzy isn’t usually my style.
It is a large hotel, deceptively so. The entrance is very low-​key, it can be quite easy to walk past it, though I have noticed recently they have tried to make it a bit more noticeable.
The staff when I stayed here were excellent — very helpful and hard working.
While this isn’t my favourite hotel in Edinburgh, it offers a high standard of rooms and service, at a price.

the roxburghe edinburgh is set amidst the elegant georgian terraces at the west end of george street — which runs parallel to princes street — and the hotel looks onto charlotte square gardens — so perfect for the book fair during the festival and ideal for shopping or experiencing the many famous restaurants and bars on its doorstep although of course it does have its own excellent ones — small pool/​spa this scottish ‘family’ hotel group has around 50 hotels in the UK and an excellent reputation — only 5 mins from waverley station and 20 mins from airport