The location of this place was superb; at the east end of Princes Street close to St James' Quarter. The bar was decent - I got a free beer while waiting for my room to be ready - but everything else was sub par. Thermostat in room didn't work and as I was there in February it got pretty chilly, particularly in the bathroom. I wasn't in the room much luckily. The walls had at some point been sprayed by something by a previous guest, and whatever it was had dripped its way down the entire wall. Finally the one chair that was provided had something - maybe food, maybe something worse - caked to it. My complaint at reception was dealt with by asking me if I wanted a free breakfast. In what world is this a 4 star hotel? read more

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Overall the hotel is nice. The location is wonderful, just walking distance from the Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, and Calton Hill. The room needed a bit of TLC but otherwise was nice. Check-in time was 2p and we arrived around 1. They took our bags told us to come back after 3 since they were busy. I found it weird that they wanted us back later than checkin time. Because of a tour we had, we didn't get to come back until 7p, which meant no freshening up. We had issues with our AC not working and the staff weren't very helpful. They kept saying they would give us an update, and it is hard to sleep when it's hot in the room. We had the windows open but there wasn't much of a breeze. After we checked out I received an email that said they are working on it. read more

My experience here is actually at the bar lounge, rather than a guest. Popped in when meeting people for a quick drink. We had a couple of half pints and full. The bartender couldn't be nicer. Told him we were in a hit and run, quick drink and rolling! Beautiful setting, gorgeous old craftsmanship. read more

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Had a great stay. The room was huge by Europe standards. They are currently under construction so you have to come in via the restaurant. No biggie. The staff was nice, and I love that they lend you out umbrellas. Every hotel in the UK should do this! The bed was a bit firm, but got some good nights sleep. Continently located a block away from the train station made it super easy to go to and from London. read more

4 stars for staff helpfulness and location. Great centrally located hotel, easy to walk everywhere. I only took a cab when leaving the city. Upon check in, my room was dirty. Makeup face on a pillow, coffee or something all over the wall, and my room had a view of garbage. For the price I paid, I was unhappy. Management made it right despite being a packed hotel, and moved me into a clean room along with a comped breakfast. The restaurant was running a special menu due to fringe festival, Indian street food, I didn't care for it. I like Indian food, but it just wasn't good. There was a mouse in the restaurant, that nearly climbed my foot. The waitress, another table of guests, and myself jumped and screamed as it scurried. The breakfast was meh as well. Porridge lacked flavor and apt texture. The sausage roll was like cardboard. I settled for coffee and yogurt because the pastries were gone and they never restocked anything. Bed was hard, but comfortable enough. Shower had excellent temp and pressure. Bathroom was spacious. AC was a must have for me, and the AC in my room worked well. This hotel could improve by having a shuttle for at least the airport. It doesn't, but I had a car service so I was covered. Without the staff and location, I'd probably give this place 3 stars overall. read more

Appreciate the history of the building and the lobby interior. Our rooms were sadly street side so the outside noise never ended. The room although modern lacked a luggage rack so no where to set-up. The shower door leaked immensely onto the floor. The re-caulking over caulking verified the issue. The restaurant is being redone so food was limited on premises. The next morning was pitiful to find no setup for minimal coffee or tea at minimum, even in the bar area for self serve as I have had in other hotels. The reception area told me to go to Starbucks down several blocks. Really! Overall not that impressed. read more

Hotel was really clean. Close enough to everything, including shops and the castle. I felt safe staying here and would stay here again.

Highly recommend this establishment! All the staff were so friendly and accommodating,, especially Katrina! The location was walking distance to everything. The rooms were spacious and beds very comfortable! The pool and steam room were clean and a perfect way to relax after a long days travel. I highly recommend the hotel breakfast, they had the best waffles I have ever tasted! The Dormans will definitely come back again! read more

The location is great. I don't know if it's just our room or not, but it's constantly freezing. The thermostat is as high as it goes. There is a space heater which we use but it doesn't help much and it's very loud. The all tile bathroom is absolutely frigid as there is no heat vent in there. There is also an inexplicable amount of light switches in the room and at least half don't do anything? The usb chargers over the desk didn't work and they only had chargers on one side of the bed, so we had what looked like a command center on one side so we could charge all of our various devices. On our second to last day, we left the room around 9:30am and didn't get back til nearly 5pm. Room service hadn't come yet. They were down the hall so we just grabbed fresh towels, but kind of insane they hadn't gotten to our room so late in the day. ETA - it's our last day, housekeeping came but never replaced the toilet paper so we were completely out. I had to chat with a bot to ask for some. Never came. Luckily there were some tissues. read more

I can't say enough good things about this hotel. Perfect location, very comfortable rooms, reasonably priced. I'd like to especially mention Alasdair and Irene who really went the extra mile for us with service. Great experience for me and my family. read more

Very helpful employees at the front desk, restaurant, bar, housekeeping - everyone! Very clean rooms & facilities, too. The room was nice overlooking the street in this quiet neighborhood. Our tour through Lindblad Expeditions recommended this hotel as it was one they used at the beginning our our adventure. The hotel had a really nice private luncheon for everyone before we left. Overall the food in the hotel was fine. read more

Wonderful stay, lovely staff, amazing location!! Hotel is modern, bright, and has very comfy beds.

Good location, clean and safe, quiet at night, good breakfast choices and friendly staff at front desk as well as in restaurant. Would definitely stay here again. read more

This review is for their restaurant, for breakfast. I love, love, loved their version of their continental breakfast. It had fresh breads and yummy pastries, cheeses and meats, fresh fruit and many types of yogurt, salmon and smoked fish and more. On top of that you can then order a hot item off the menu. I had the eggs Benedict and greatly enjoyed them. My wife had the Scottish Eggs. They were a bit different: airy and not quite as flavor-able as scrambled eggs (I'm guessing they add a fair amount of milk, which kind of waters them down (I wouldn't order them again). To me, the highlight was their European Continental Breakfast. It was delicious. read more

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Positives: The service was excellent, actually, our server was extremely helpful & cheerful, one of members of our trip wanted to adopt her as her daughter! The food was excellent! Modern size room, quiet neighborhood, but we're on the 4th floor, and at 3am, we could hear people from Hunter talking. Because the building slants, the 4th floor is the 7th floor in another part of the building? Or the main street floor is the 4th floor. You get it! I love the main stairs! The bed is comfortable. UPDATE: There's a separate room for a shower! Negatives & this is just about our room: 1. The tub/sauna to floor comes up to my thighs, I'm basically saddling it like a horse to get down without slipping & sliding off the tub! It's not for short people or children's safety in mind when they designed, but for tall & able-bodied athletes! 2. The hot water faucet, has the sound of a piano key pitch, when you turn it on a certain flow. 3. The toilet, is another thing. I could fall down, trying to make a bowel movement! In other words, they're made for large butts! I wasn't sitting, I was leaning on both thighs! 4. The toilet paper holder, every time I take a rip off the paper, it falls to the floor. 5. The bathroom door, trying to be as quiet as a mouse (while husband sleeps), makes a loud noise, opening/closing! 6. The electrical plug in the bathroom, too long for my Water Pik chord to reach. All during our stay here, I didn't get to use my Water Pik. I don't ever give a 5 star hotel 2 stars, so I'd give it a 4. Our Tour Company picked our hotel, and we were told, if we have any complains to tell the front desk. This is not something that can be fixed in a minute, we're here for 3 nights. UPDATE: With all the negatives, the worst of all kind is not getting Wi-Fi, other people in the lobby were also complaining . . . that Verizon have to come to our rescue which is now costing us $10 to get us connected to our families, equals -4 stars! read more

I have been to Elliott's restaurant twice now, once for lunch and once for dinner and I love it. Tucked away in the Apex hotel on Waterloo place. It is not somewhere you would pass if you didn't know it was there Things they do well 1, Best bread rolls 2. The Heritage potato pave is delicious 3. Helpful staff 4. nice décor 5. good value with their set menu Things they could pull their socks up about 1. They need to have separate fryers for meat/ fish and non meat items as the chips are cooked in the same oil as the meats so not suitable for vegetarians. 2, none of their wines are suitable for vegetarians and it doesn't list on the menu if they are veggie or not, but the staff checked and they aren't. read more

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Terrible experience. Very expensive, poor service, no real restaurant, room hot (couldn't fix during four day stay), wifi support spotty. Great location, but many other better places nearby. At £300 per night, a poor value for a mediocre hotel. read more

Wonderful hotel, far exceeded my expectations. Hospitality was spot on with receptionist Natalia noticing how tired we were from travel and letting us check into our room early and waitress Kym who made our mealtimes so enjoyable. Spa is fantastic. Rooms are clean and I adore the rubber ducky. Centrally located, walking distance from must sees. I will stay here again next time I'm in Edinburgh! read more

Upon first entering you can tell this is a very nice hotel. Staff is courteous and welcoming, the decor in the lobby is gorgeous, there is a nice bar and a gorgeous chandelier that sets a very posh and sophisticated tone in the atmosphere. For the price of the rooms, however, I was a bit disappointed. It just didn't WOW me like I was hoping. The rooms were large but had a lot of wasted space and didn't seem laid out very well. Our room was on the third floor, but we had to take the elevator down from the lobby, which is on the 5th floor, because the building is built into the side of a hill. Main entrance and ground floor on one side is actually towards the top of the other side! Because of this the view from our window wasn't great and it made the room quite dark. We actually couldn't even really get to/see out of our window because the backboard was like a wall that blocked off about 5 feet of the window...it was just very odd. It seems like they tried, but missed the mark, when trying to make a very old building more modern (and I mean really modern, as far as the decor goes). This includes weird hallways with stairs and such that make navigating a bit difficult (especially when carrying in luggage). Also, parking is quite a ways away and is a bit of a hike, especially if you're coming with luggage, and this was another major downfall for me. While the hotel is a bit off of the main strip, it is still central located (right by Waverly Station) and within walking-distance of many tourist attractions and public transit options. So I guess that is one thing it has going for it (not that there weren't plenty of other hotels nearby, though...). Really, the only things I can say I was truly impressed with were the staff and the fee WiFi! The bathrooms were nice, as well, with a large tub and shower, but quite sterile. Honestly, I can't say I would necessarily stay here again, even though there was nothing wrong with my stay...I just don't think I would want to spend that amount of money on a room of the quality I got when I stayed here. read more

The in-laws had a significant anniversary celebration here a few months ago & until then I hadn't realised this place existed. We had a fab night so when I was pondering central locations to have some farewell drinks I thought that this place would fit the bill. The bar is light and airy & you can sit and while away a few hours without feeling guilty about keeping a table or pressured to order more drinks. It has a lovely calm vibe to it and it's somewhere I knew friends with children would be happy with. We sat at the bottom end of the bar with some of having lunch, folk arriving & leaving at different times & children of assorted ages in our group. Everyone was made to feel welcome by the staff, chairs and tables were moved to accommodate the waxing & waning size of our group throughout the afternoon. The food was good, the squid went down particularly well with some of our number as did the burgers. At times the service for drinks was quite slow but otherwise it was a lovely relaxed afternoon. I'd definitely recommend it for a relaxed afternoon drink. Even when it was busy it didn't feel crowded. read more

This is a reasonably nice hotel in Edinburgh that I can recommend because: 1. the location is great. You are right at the end of Princes St, near Waverly station and also close to Calton Hill and Holyrood Park. There's a lot within walking distance to do. 2. The room size was quite nice - there was enough room inside to stretch out and feel comfortable. The bathroom was huge and had a great walk in shower and full tub. So that was a plus! 3. Housekeeping was good and efficient. They were also friendly. 4. Elliott's restaurant was very good -they served a decent breakfast (continental and full English). I had dinner one night in Elliott's and had a very nice meal for about 30 GBP, with a flavorful steak and side dishes that were excellent. My only issues with the hotel were the comfort of the beds - for some reason the mattresses didn't feel that good for long-term sleeping. I found myself tossing and turning a lot every night. Maybe I had an older one? Not sure but I did see it crop up in other reviews. Also I did not find the front desk staff very helpful or friendly. They weren't rude, but they didn't seem to want to go out of their way to be helpful either. Would I stay there again? yes given the location and the quality of the room size. But I hope the bed is more comfortable next time. read more

3.5 stars Modern hotel in a nicely renovated space. Great location just off of Princess Street. Rooms were nice and very comfortable. My first shower was a problem as my sink didn't drain, they did fix the issue in short order, but my bathroom had a strong smell of chemicals for the rest of my stay. Prices were reasonable given the hotel and its location. The morning breakfast was a little on the expensive side (but it's 10 pounds if you book in advance) -- and the food was very good. I would certainly stay here again given the opportunity.... read more

Overall really great, but the beds were oddly bad. They physically switched the mattress once, but the replacement (from the next room) had the same issue just not as noticeable. Basically there are this support wires that run side to side through the mattress and they were popping up through the cushioning. The top layer of cushion also just felt a little lumpy. Pros: 1. Nice looking room with unexpectedly high ceilings! 2. Actually had wash cloths! 3. quiet. Cons: 1. Mattress :( 2. Sideview of a sub-level bridge, though it was made of pretty stone and lit. read more

Hotel is very clean and close to everything including walking distance to the shops and the castle . Loved the lobby and the chandelier, they have free wifi connection and there is an awesome fish and chips joint about a block away from the hotel . The staff is very helpful and friendly. The hotel looks antique from the outside however on the inside it's totally modernized. The indoor pool is nice size , gym is a little on the small size but it worked out great for us . read more

Hotel has good location for exploring Edinburgh. The breakfast was good could use better bread. The leisure center has nice pool (but cool) and sauna it could use a hot tub. read more

Apex Waterloo Place Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Quiet but central located venue came in handy when waiting for transport home. So I'd been through the doors once before around three months ago to investigate a variety of hotels supporting full breakfasts for under ten pounds, this was not going to be an easy task! Apex fell into the statistical path and nearby to rail links to merit checking out more than just a peek around the doorway to see if I could obtain a coffee and somewhere to work for half hour before home. I wandered in through reception shouting find me coffee quickly and don't spare the horses; really, what I politely asked for was a coffee as I'd eaten already but didn't want to use their restaurant, (if you do they charge £11/14 for the experience). The reply from reception was yes you can get coffee, but you have to go through to the restaurant entrance and talk to staff waiting there, so off I toddled happy that I would soon be wrapped up in a caffeine induced buzz. A swift order and I then sat down in their swish bright contemporary but mood lit lounge area, yes I know; mood lighting in the morning...perhaps it's to help weary travellers wake up! Predominantly containing a large bar with TV, large windows to view the world from, or to see you bus pass as you sip another cocktail, equally large paintings, interesting seating and what looks like cool food(but the jury is still out on that one until sampled)? This is a comfortably setting, one which I would frequent again for an evening book read and pint, or early morning breakfast/coffee, so great location for a number of reasons. It's close to transport links, buses to airport, Waverley rail station. Within distance of shopping mile in Edinburgh and tourist attractions. But more visits are required to find out about this chain. read more

Apex Waterloo Place Hotel - Mood lighting within the lounge. - Hotels Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Edinburgh is one of the most magical cities I have ever visited and I fell head over heels for it during my stay. The Apex was a great hotel to stay in with a wonderful location that makes getting around a breeze. The room was amazing, the bathroom was spacious, there was ample closet space to hang up dresses for nights on the town. The bar downstairs is lovely and grabbing a cup of coffee or tea in the morning before a day at Edinburgh castle or exploring the streets is sublime. We ordered breakfast from here and room service during the middle of the night after coming home starving after a night of bar-hopping and dancing. I wouldn't say that the breakfast was worth ordering - go out and explore the bakeries in Scotland and grab a cup of coffee somewhere local. It was helpful that room service was there, though, for when we were in a pinch. One gripe - during the middle of the night there was the fire alarm went off and we were standing outside in freezing weather, some guests without shoes or coats and I wish the hotel did more for us. Even if this was routine, it woke us all up - we would have appreciated a thank you note and a glass of champagne or wine sent to our rooms. Indulge at this hotel and let them pamper you. The view wasn't great and I wished we were on the other side of the hotel, but it didn't matter much. Everything was clean and beautiful here. I would stay again. read more

The positives of this hotel are too good to ignore; the location, the architecture, the standard of the rooms and the very reasonable prices. I find it hard to imagine why you would want to stay anywhere else really. If you are in Edinburgh for some serious retail therapy then I would say this would be the ultimate base for you. The close proximity to Princes Street shopping and a short walk away from the Royal Mile, Calton Hill and loads of great restaurants should bump the price up by at least another £40, but you can stay in here for about £100-£160, for a double room, which is good value for the location. The rooms really are beautiful, King sized beds and superior rooms are available to upgrade to for around £30-40 and the hotel boasts a lovely bar and restaurant, Elliot's. With a fixed price dinner menu of Two Courses of £15, you really can't go wrong and the food is really nice. Great hotel in a prime location, but book well in advance for peak seasons as the place can get booked out quickly. read more

Apex Waterloo Place Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Nice clean, convenient modern business-like hotel. Modern plumbing that works well which is especially important when you're in an old building. We walked everywhere from here. Would come back! Near the train station and centrally located between New Town and Old Town. Great for walking everywhere and being close to train and bus lines. The staff was competent but not friendly, except for Guiseppe at the Elliot Restaurant. read more

Great location - off the beaten path but close enough to walk to everything. Staff was very nice. Room was beautifully decorated. And free Wifi, which is a godsend on vacation. Unfortunately, we were not crazy about anything else at the Apex Waterloo. The room was a giant dustball and my allergies went nuts as soon as we got in the room. You could see the particles swirling under the overhead lights. We were working on our computers in the room when housekeeping came by (about 4:30pm, which surprised us) and they were in the room for literally 3 minutes. I would say it might be due to our presence, but I could hear them enter and leave the room next door and they were only in there for 4 minutes (I could see the clock on my computer). We were also a little weirded out by the lack of a top sheet on the bed, but this must be a normal thing for the region because the maids seemed really confused when we asked about it. That said, there was a four-inch gap between the top of the sheet and the mattress, which grossed me out. I'm not that germaphobic, but I really don't want to touch a mattress that's been used by hundreds/thousands of people. Beyond that, the bed itself was terribly uncomfortable and hubs and I found ourselves popping ibuprofen all day for the resulting back pain. The room service food from Elliott's was fairly mediocre, though hubs said they mixed a mean cocktail. Would not return to this hotel. read more

Hotel- I'd come back here in a heartbeat, the rooms are great, clean, nothing too fancy, supplied with everything you need (hairdryer, tv, body lotion, shampoo etc). The service is amazing nothing is too much for the staff they are always willing to suggest a nice restaurant or give you tourist advice. The heating was broken in our room and they moved us straight away. Food- Unfortunately when we wanted to eat Elliots was closed, yet the staff told us they service some of the same food at the bar downstairs, so we went to eat there. Not only was the room freezing as its next to reception, but the waiter seemed annoyed we wanted to move tables due to the draft. I got the steak sandwich, were 50% was lovely whilst the other half of the sandwich was pure gristle - they took this off the bill, don't know/hope this is just a one time thing! read more

I had a very enjoyable night at this hotel. Upon arrival I was warmly greeted by the front desk staff and given all the information about the hotel and the area. We received a complimentary upgrade to a superior room on the top floor which gave some amazing views of the city. The room itself was lovely, perfectly designed and very comfortable. We decided to see some of the sights walking easily to the palace of holyrood and calton hill. We then came back to the hotel to enjoy the pool, sauna, and steam room. We had an amazing sleep and were well rested upon our departure the next day. Heading to the airport the hotel was in a great location only a 5 min walk to the airport tram. Overall, I had a great experience and would recommend to anyone looking for a place to stay in Edinburgh. read more

Stayed here for a few days recently. There was a loud noise coming from the ceiling in our room (sounded like water, usually lasted less than 10 minutes, maybe the people showering above us?) We were busy enjoying the city etc. and didn't let this issue get to us since we were only in the room at night. The final night of our stay however, this water noise actually awoke us twice in the night. I let the manager know about this issue upon check-out and asked for a slight discount in the room rate for the final night of our stay. His response was no AND he lectured me that we should have let him know about the noise sooner. He even stated that I should have called the front desk at 2 AM to let them come into our room and inspect the noise at that point. He didn't seem to care that 1) I just wanted to get back to sleep at that time and 2) I knew from experience that this noise would most likely be over by the time a staff member arrived in our room! In America, hotels tend to care more about a customer's experience and would have immediately offered a discount for at least the last night of our stay since we were awoken twice in the night, but this manager was extremely rude and this kind of soured our experience at this place. If you stay here and have any issues whatsoever, be warned that you need to let management know ASAP...even then I'm not sure they will really care. It has been a few days since we left and although the manager said he would reach back out to me, no one has bothered to contact me to let me know that they have inspected the room, are working to fix the issue for future visitors, and they would now like to offer an apology and a slight discount. read more

The hotel and facilities were fantastic. And the location is ideal, close to the shopping and major attractions. However, the hotel's staff left a lot to be desired. *Upon arrival, we had a conversation with one of the concierge, asking about the theatre. We were told she'd look into theatre options and provide what was currently on and available, assisting with tickets. We never heard back from her. *One of the front desk staff seemed highly agitated whenever he was asked for any information or assistance. He gave the impression that he wanted to be doing anything else other than help guests. *When checking out, we were not thanked for our business or for staying with the hotel. After spending nine nights, and plenty of money in the hotel bar, I found it appalling that our check-out consisted of a mumbled confirmation that our taxi was ordered and nothing else. Is this hotel doing so well that they do not need repeat customers and/or referrals? On a final note, the staff of the hotel bar was amazing - friendly, professional and attentive. It's too bad the front desk don't take their customer service cues from them! The reason I'm still giving the hotel a four star rating is because, as stated, the hotel itself was great. Clean, comfortable, stylish with a great location. However, for the cost of the stay, I'd expect more from front desk staff. If you don't care about customer service, then the hotel is absolutely perfect! read more

We absolutely LOVED this hotel! The service was excellent and the staff were all extremely helpful and cheerful! I would especially like to highlight Kym, the lovely waitress in the morning at breakfast. She gave us great suggestions on food and places to see while in town. One of her suggestions was touring the National Museum of Scotland. What a truly wonderful experience! The hotel itself was fantastic. The beds were comfortable and we had a great view of the castle from our room! We will stay here again in a heartbeat and I plan on it! read more

I have been to this restaurant twice so far. I live it the menu changes according to the seasons and the chef's mind is really creative. Vegetarian dishes are available. The staff is friendly even if the atmosphere can be a little quiet. For me the food is the best I've tried so far in Edinburgh! Love it! read more

Really great location to use as a hopping off point for exploring Edinburgh. I also really enjoyed being next to the Balmoral, so I could go there for meals and high tea. I appreciated the modern feel to the hotel, and the bathroom/shower. My only complaint with the room was the bed was obviously two twins pushed together. Both of the beds had a dip in them in the middle, so it wasn't the most comfortable night of sleep. That said, I would definitely stay here again because of the hotel location. I don't know why so many people are saying the hotel staff are rude. I found them to quite friendly and helpful. read more

We had an absolutely fabulous time while here for three days. The room was fantastic and the people could not have ben more hospitable. Highly recommed the Waterloo. You made our trip !!! read more

In general I would not recommend the hotel. We were here for one week for a business meeting. The employees are in general ok but not really service oriented. For breakfast you have to be seated. This can take up to 20 minutes in the morning. It's not because there to many people. You stand sometimes and wait and there is simply no one there to seat you. If you are very early you feel that they are cocking with the ingredients from yesterday and the food doesn't taste very fresh. Also, the business lunch ist terrible. We have the same sandwiches the whole week. And the food is actually not enough. After 3 days we decided that most of us are going out for lunch. The only reason I gave them 2 stars is because of the location. If you find another hotel for less money (which shouldn't be difficult) I wouldn't choose this hotel. Our whole group is under the same impression. read more

Wow! Stunning hotel with outstanding service, from free snacks and fudge in the room to extremely helpful front desk staff. Very modern rooms with beautiful slanted windows overlooking Old Town. Definitely book this hotel and try to get a room on the 10th floor! read more