Last Updated on April 22, 2025
A Room with the Ultimate View
100 Princes Street has to be the quintessential Edinburgh address. Conceived as part of James Craig’s plans for Edinburgh New Town in the mid-18th century, Princes Street runs along what was once Nor Loch, a swampy body of water that separated Old and New Town. When the Nor Loch was drained, it was replaced with Princes Street Gardens, giving the street stunning open views to the South. Strict planning rules stated that only one side of Princes Street would be developed, preserving the view of the Old Town and the Castle from the south. It’s that view, across the Gardens to the spectacular Edinburgh Castle, perched on a rocky crag looking down on the City.
I’ve stayed in a Castle View room before in Edinburgh. In another, rather well-known hotel. My room there came equipped with a stool and a pair of binoculars from which, if the weather was clement, I could just see the castle. Not so the Isobel suite at 100 Princes Street, where the floor-to-ceiling triple-glazed windows look out over the gardens to the Castle. It is, for me, a sentimental part-Scot in exile, the most romantic and beautiful view. Apart from that, the room itself is beautifully designed, with some stunning focal pieces including the embossed metal wardrobe, a spacious desk with a range of international sockets, tartan and velvet wall coverings, and a wonderfully quirky sporran to use in place of a do not disturb sign.
There’s a fabulous level of attention to detail. A dark mahogany cabinet at the foot of the bed has a remote-controlled lid that opens to reveal not one but two flat-screen TVs – so you could comfortably watch in bed or from one of a pair of velvet upholstered armchairs set in the bay window. We did wonder if there was the option to simultaneously watch two channels…but didn’t put that to the test.
The various lighting, curtain drawing and heating/air conditioning options (including underfloor heating for the bathroom) are all integrated with the design using brushed brass dolly switches, all carefully labelled. And, there’s every item of stationery you might ever need, from postcards to quality writing paper and notebooks. There’s a kettle and teabags to make tea, together with fresh milk in the nicely set up minibar. And, there’s a Nespresso machine for that all-important early morning coffee. Guests are welcomed with fresh flowers, fruit and cookies. Everything in the room you might ever want.
As you’d expect, the spacious bathroom comes beautifully furnished with a walk-in shower, separate bath and a discreet toilet in its own room at the end of the bathroom. There are complimentary toiletries, loofahs and washclothes and a host of little extras like cotton buds and wipes, so you couldn’t possibly need anything. There are more fluffy towels than two guests could use in a week, and fabulous towelling robes. With even more attention to detail, the wardrobe has lightweight cotton robes and slippers.
If the Isobel Suite was my own idea of perfection, the Archibald on the same floor with the same castle view offered even more in terms of space and luxury. For a couple looking for the ultimate destination room, this would be a superb choice. If you happen to be travelling with a pet or want outside space to enjoy an evening cigarette, 100 Princes Street has suites with perfectly formed outdoor terraces to the rear of the hotel. With just 30 individually designed rooms, this is an hotel that recognises luxury is something very personal.
When you arrive at 100 Princes Street, you check in, sitting in the Wallace Room, looking out over the castle view again. Of course, you are offered a glass of champagne and some nibbles. And of course, you’ve already filled in your pre-arrival booking form to book help to reach the hotel from the Airport or Train Station, to let the hotel know of any personal requirements and to make sure that the pillows in your room suit your personal needs.
You might want to pre-book an afternoon tea or a whisky tasting experience. What you might not realise until you arrive is that the essence of this hotel is a deeply personal and intimate experience.
You can’t have afternoon tea here unless you are a resident or a guest of a resident. Nor can you enjoy the whisky tasting experience. By limiting visitors to residents or their guests, the hotel keeps a fabulous level of exclusivity. And that somehow exudes affluence.
Trying my best to avoid overeating, I opted for the whisky tasting experience rather than afternoon tea, which, in my experience, is a meal in itself. Although I’m not a massive whisky drinker, both my brothers love uisge beatha (the water of life). Ghillie’s Pantry serves as a private dining room and whisky tasting room for 100 Princes Street. Capable of seating up to twelve guests in comfort, the walls of the room are lined with more than one hundred whiskies, including several rare bottles.
Hosted by the ebullient and charming Dario, there are various whisky tasting options, depending on your budget and interest. We settled down to work our way through 5 whiskies, offering us a journey through Scotland’s distilleries. Dario told us story after story – he’s visited many of the distilleries in person, and I think my own favourite tale was of how he took the train to one, expecting there to be a taxi or bus service to get him from the train station to the distillery. It took him half a day to walk there, but that’s just what he did…I hope he got a few drams when he arrived!
We each had our own favourites from the tasting selection, but I suspect we all made note of one particular whisky for the story behind it.
Scotch Whisky is produced all over Scotland, broken down into six regions: Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands, Campbeltown, Islay, and Islands. Scotch is like wine in that the location where it’s produced makes a big difference in how it tastes, looks, and smells, even though it’s produced in the same country. But to be a ‘region’, you need at least three distilleries. Campbeltown in Victorian days was home to over 30 distilleries, most of which closed, leaving just Springbank and Glen Scotia by the millennium. The resurgence of the Glengyle distillery in the early 2000s is what gave the town three distilleries and secured it as a whisky region.
We finished the whisky tasting with a whisky and chocolate pairing, my own favourite part of the event. It’s a reflection of the quality of the event that my brothers are still talking about it. Dario worked at the nearby Balmoral Hotel as a Whisky Sommelier before joining 100 Princes Street; his obvious love of whisky made this tasting very special indeed.
After whisky tasting, we enjoyed dinner in the Wallace Room. It’s a relaxed dining experience with a bistro-style menu. By chance, I ordered a glass of Hannibal, a South African wine to pair with my food, only to discover that it was a wine from the estates of the South African owners of 100 Princes Street. Readers may be aware of my love of South African wine, so I was delighted.
We ordered a couple of sharing plates for starters. Haggis bonbons were utterly delicious – with soft, beautifully spiced haggis in a crisp shell nestling in a generous dollop of whisky sauce. And, the salmon xx were really moreish. If all you want is a little food to nibble on while you enjoy a glass of wine, a cocktail or some whisky, this would be enough.
Bistro classics to follow – a meaty and melting Wallace burger for one brother, fish and chips for the other. I enjoyed the market dish of the day, a fabulously aged sirloin steak with chips and creamed spinach. Simple dishes, but ones that, when done well as they were here, will satisfy the fussiest eater.
Breakfast the next morning at 100 Princes Street was similarly high quality. I enjoyed a bowl of Greek yoghurt with fresh berries before moving on to the indulgent full Scottish breakfast, with a perfectly cooked fried egg, high-quality sausage and bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, beans and the best hash browns I’ve had. Washed down with plenty of tea, I couldn’t have asked for more.
The best thing about breakfast, though, was the view. The Wallace, where breakfast is served for 100 Princes Street guests, has a few tables looking directly out over Edinburgh Castle, and I was lucky enough to be seated at one of those. When the sky is clear and blue, Edinburgh seems to come to life.
100 Princes Street is one of the few hotels where I was genuinely sad to only be staying for one night. With charming and friendly staff, a solo traveller never felt alone, and yet, the service was unobtrusive. Both my brothers spent some time chatting to Alisdair, the friendly doorman.
We will never forget Dario’s whisky tasting. And yet, everything was discreet, private and charming. A kind of luxury that you can’t help but love. The beautifully designed interiors exuded class but, everywhere there were quirky details. I loved the handpainted ’round the world’ mural that made using the stairs rather than the lift a necessity.
With many thanks to Resident Manager, Michael Smith and the team at 100 Princes Street for an exemplary and exceptional stay.
100 Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3AB
+44 131 2873 100
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