G&V Royal Mile Hotel

I arrived at the charming G&V Royal Mile Hotel (formerly Missoni Hotel) on Tuesday for three nights and two packed days of meetings. Plans never go as expected, so instead I opted for a weak half day of meetings and five nights at the hotel. Well, it’s what Jack Frost opted for, anyway. Edinburgh has been absolutely pummeled with snow, sleet, and wind the last few days. My office, about a 20 minute drive from the city center has 2-3 feet of snow! The city has about a foot. Scotland has used a red weather alert that they have never in their history used. And dinner with a few Scots this week yielded comments like, “I’ve never seen the theater steps buried in 40 years of living here. We’ll never see this again.” Needless to say, my flights were cancelled along with everyone else’s And I must say that I could not be happier with my hotel choice.

Previously staying at The Sheraton, accommodations were very nice with highlights like a clean, giant soaking tub, cozy bed, and great bar. The G&V offered instead location, location, location! The spot in the middle of the Royal Mile was in perfect proximity to a few open pubs, one open restaurant, and a quick half mile walk to The Sheraton for drinks with colleagues. Travelling solo this trip, I’m quite glad to be so centrally located. The staff has been abundantly accommodating and helpful, especially with no one able to make it into work since public transport (and rail and air) were all closed. The barman served me lunch and my breakfast waitress refreshed towels and minibar. The front desk was more than accomodating to link allow me to stay in the same room and handed out lotions and potions when housekeeping could not make it into the hotel.

So without further ado, let me give you a quick pictorial tour of my Deluxe room which included breakfast and minbar – services that could not have been more perfectly aligned with the storm.

The lobby features several funky, but cozy sitting areas and one modern fireplace.

There also seemed to be a coffee bar in the lobby, but I never saw it open, I assume due to weather. Behind the coffee bar were two coolers of neon-lit hydroponic herb gardens for the resto and bar.

The hallways were a bit trippy and the hotel’s zest for lacquer was around every corner.

Thankfully, I had a door with a pink stripe.

Large bed overlooking the royal mile. Insanely comfy pillows. Backlit for evening.

The view of the Parliament building across the street is so close that it almost looks fake. I must say, I loved the voyeurism of street activities, but the large window was very cold and I kept the curtains closed most of the time for warmth.

The only blue sky I’ve seen all week. Day one.

See those storm clouds looming….

Yay for funky free minibars of wine, apple juice, and fun crisp flavors. I never got the Nespresso to work though which was a little bummer.

Vegas feeling bathroom, but that rain head shower was so hot and divine after cold walks. Also, I’ve been living in this black bathrobe. Love black clothing and the cozy terry cloth inside is perfect for this awful weather.

Fun, local toiletries.

Perhaps the best invention of any hotel or home ever, is the fog free mirror! The bathroom had mirrors on three sides that all fogged per usual, post shower. However, the main facial one magically stayed clear so I could remove my old eye makeup in a steam filled room. Mmmm. I need this at home!