The Caledonian Hotel Edinburgh Scotland. A luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel with a history.

The Caledonian Edinburgh. A luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel with a history.

Watch my video of The Caledonian Hotel Edinburgh (Room 402):

I was looking for a smart and luxurious hotel for a weekend break treat that my partner and I were doing for our mothers in Edinburgh. We chose The Caledonian as it was a Waldorf Astoria and so we knew it would be smart- and it looked lush and traditional. It was a great choice.

We found out from the very welcoming Front Office Manager (Christina Keuter) all about the history of the hotel over the days we stayed here. In fact all the staff were very welcoming and happy to talk about the hotel and the city, right from the Doormen, through to check-in, in the Spa, restaurant and especially Christina and her assistant. They would always greet us, chat and make suggestions every time we saw them over the 3 days we stayed here.

The hotel is well over 100 years old and used to be the station and hotel for The Caledonian Railway. The area that used to be the platform is now a massive covered space that acts as the lounge. It is a dramatic room that is stylish and great to sit in for afternoon tea or drinks in the evening after dinner. The brasserie serves a huge and brilliant breakfast. The spa and gym is a bit of a trek to get to, but quirky and well equipped once you find it in the basement. The pool was small and a bit too full of kids during our stay for my liking.

The hotel is huge with very long passages and a huge grand staircase to all floors. The rooms are all different and unusual. So it is unlike most hotels these days with generic and standard rooms.

We had booked 2 rooms with views of the Castle. They both had amazing views and the rooms were quiet, even though on a busy part of Princes Street. The rooms are not huge, but have a distinctive up-market feel to them with grey walls and gold thistle wallpaper. The ceilings were really high. The bathrooms was great with a massive bath.

The hotel is towards the bottom of one side of Princes Street and was easy to walk into the main part of the street and surrounding areas with shops and restaurants. There is a goof bus service right outside and easy to catch buses out to Leith to see the Royal Yacht Britannia, and nearby is also the stop for the hop-on hop-off bus tours.

The feel of the hotel was up-market, and welcoming. The whole stay felt very special and was perfect for the treat weekend.

The Caledoniah Waldorf Astoria Hotel Edinburgh Room 402

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