Colorful townhouse hotel with feel-good weekend flavor
This is a Penguin Classic of a hotel—part Arthur Conan Doyle, part Muriel Spark, and set designed with real attention to detail: with prints, maps, and memorabilia in the blue drawing rooms riffing on the golden age of travel—the kind of salon that explorers such as David Livingstone or Mungo Park would be at ease in, peering out onto the square from behind velvet drapes.
Polished banisters lead upstairs to the bedrooms—go for one in the original townhouses for the fireplaces and high ceilings. All are designed in a well-upholstered Edwardian style, embellished with succulents, letterpress-style illustrations, and record players—and if you’re lucky a copy of Ziggy Stardust.
The subterranean spa continues the foliage theme seen in the hotel’s central sky-lit ‘garden’ restaurant, with a living wall that’s home to lavender, fern, and eucalyptus. With a strong focus on results, facial treatments begin with a full assessment of your skincare hopes and hang-ups and culminate with a very deep cheek (and arm and leg) massage. Post-treatment, make a beeline for a session in the UK’s first sound wellness room.
Address: 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ
Price: From around $268 per night
