The Scottish capital is the second most visited city in the UK (after London) and it’s obvious why. Edinburgh writer Alexander McCall Smith said “this is a city of shifting light, of changing skies, of sudden vistas. A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again.” Indeed it would be difficult to find more dramatic views than those you encounter upon emerging from Waverley train station. In one direction green rolling hills extend upwards to the looming Edinburgh Castle while in the other direction is Arthur’s Seat, a grass covered extinct volcano. And of course in addition to the magnificent views and architecture, this city is well known for the Edinburgh International Festival of performing arts and the Fringe festival, the world's largest annual international arts festival.
The Balmoral has 187 guest rooms including twenty suites designed by Olga Polizzi to evoke Scotland’s heritage and landscape, with a colour palette of blues and greys along with bespoke Balmoral tartan. Of the twenty individually styled suites, The Bowes-Lyon suite named after former patron of The Balmoral, The Queen Mother, is one of the most impressive. With its unusual layout and large, porthole-style windows overlooking Princes street, the suite features lovely green velvet sofas, leafy drapes and cushions from Glaswegian brand, Timorous Beasties in the spacious lounge. The hotel’s food and drink offering is excellent too from Alain Roux’s Brasserie Prince for breakfast and all day dining to the opulent Palm Court for afternoon tea to Number One, the Michelin-starred restaurant for fine dining and Scotch, the whisky bar serving over 500 kinds of Scottish whisky.
