We finally, after a fantastic day crossing England’s Lake District and crossing to Scotland in Gretna Green, arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland!
This hotel would be our home for the next few days. It was packed with a mix of group tours, optional excursions, and free time, and we made the most of it.
Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre
34 Bread Street
Edinburgh EH3 9AF, United Kingdom
The Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre is conveniently located within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile. So, we couldn’t have asked for more.
The building was constructed in 1892 and was an old department store. It was great that they incorporated old photographs into the decor and left some of the original details intact as well.
Our room was large and very comfortable, and we especially liked that they stocked our coffee station with Walker’s Shortbreads!
However, the bathroom was tiny, featuring yet another tub and lacking counter space. Not ideal for our three-night stay. But, we did have LOTS of hot water.
A Change of Leadership
Here is a quick note on how this tour pieced together.
Our Gate 1 Travel 14-day Classic England and Scotland tour seemed to be a combination of two smaller tours. In Edinburgh, we lost a few people, but we gained a few who continue with us across Scotland.
We started in London with one Tour Manager, Emmeline, who was bold, humorous, and had a theatre background, and was both knowledgeable and entertaining.
Arriving in Edinburgh, we said goodbye to Emmeline and met Alison! She was knowledgeable, had a slightly more quirky sense of humor, and often dressed in what we referred to as “Twiggy style,” as it seemed she usually included quirky British retro-style hats, clothes, or accessories.
Both were equally as talented and fabulous, just with different styles.
Dinner At Our Hotel
Upon arrival, we were quickly checked into our rooms and then headed to a conference center adjacent to the hotel for our orientation meeting.
After meeting Allison, introducing ourselves, and learning about our plans for the next day in Edinburgh, we headed back to the hotel for our group dinner.
We were seated for dinner in the hotel’s Bread Street Brasserie, where we would also have our breakfast each day (more on that later).
Dinner was delicious, but interesting. Typically, group meals were either buffets with multiple options or a limited menu featuring several appetizers, entrees, and dessert choices. Tonight offered two options: Take It or Leave It.
Dinner began with Fresh-Baked Rolls and Tomato Soup, both of which were delicious.
Our entrée was Chicken Balmoral. A popular Scottish dish featuring a Chicken Breast, stuffed with Haggis, wrapped in Bacon, and served with either a whisky or Peppercorn Sauce. It’s named after Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Random Weird Stuff:
Sorry, Mark’s culinary geek is coming out. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made of Sheep’s off-cuts minced with Onion and Oats, Spices, and Fat, and cooked in an animal’s stomach. Now, more often than not, it’s cooked in artificial casings. Coming from Philadelphia and growing up on Scrapple, Mark was fine, Chuck, who doesn’t eat Lamb, not so much.
Fortunately, the hotel’s plating gave us a Chicken Breast, wrapped in Bacon with Gravy. The Haggis was served on the side with Carrots and a Potato Soufflé. It was actually delicious, and Mark ended up with several people’s Haggis.
For dessert, we had a Raspberry Crumble – Raspberries, Whipped Cream, and an Oat Crumble. It was terrific, tart, sweet, and light.
Back to the take it or leave it part. Chuck, not a fan of Raspberries and a bit of a Chocoholic, saw a server with a slice of Flourless Chocolate Tart. When Chuck asked about getting that instead, he was told that they only had enough for the people who had ordered a gluten-free meal.
Not the end of the world, just odd.
Bread Street Brasserie
Breakfast was included in our tour package, and they did a stellar job overall. The buffet offered a variety of Juices, Fruits, Breads, and a full Scottish Breakfast.
Random Weird Stuff:
A full Scottish Breakfast offers many of the same items as a full English Breakfast, with the addition of Haggis, Square Sausages, a square Beef and Pork Sausage, and Tattie Scones, a Potato-based Scone.
Mark was over the moon with having both Smoked Salmon and Pastrami at breakfast. Additionally, they offered several made-to-order items.
Our only complaint was something we’ve observed in several places. The Scrambled Eggs appear to be made from powdered or frozen Eggs, which gives them an unusual texture.
Overall, the hotel was comfortable, centrally located, and the staff could not have been any nicer! It was an excellent location for us to explore the city of Edinburgh.
