Reasonable hotel Edinburgh?and any tips please!

[kissmelittleass]

Treating the kids (2 kids 2 adults) to a few days in Edinburgh mid July and looking for a reasonable priced hotel near to Princes Street.
Any suggestions please and and any tips on where to go etc be appreciated!!
Just thought of another maybe silly question! I'm assuming I can use sterling notes and coins? I just remember when I had Scottish notes before from a relative I was refused in the shop and had to change at the bank.

Of course you can use Sterling in Scotland

Mid July will be pretty busy, maybe worth looking slightly out of the city centre if pas and getting bus in each day?

Try the Malmasion near Leith. There is a direct bus two minutes away which brings you into Princes Street in about 10 minutes.

Love The Murrayfield. Its opposite the murrayfield stadium. It is about a 20min walk to princes street but there are bus stops almost directly outside and taxis are between 5-10 pound into the centre.

Have a look at camera obscurica. Mary kings close is great. The castle. The dungeons. There is a ghost bus tour and walking ghost tours.

The centre of Edinburgh is small. You don't have to be near Princes Street.

Everything DBoo said. Walk up Arthur's Seat. Go down to Cramond at low tide and walk out to Cramond Island. Royal Yacht at Leith if that's your thing. You'll be too early for the Festival but the Galleries are good (on the Mound) and there might be some stuff on for the kids. The Museum in Chambers St is good. Also, if you want a little trip out of town, but not too far, I recommend Jupiter Artland.

The Malmaison isn’t central.....I don’t think it’s particularly reasonably priced either! I often recommend the Holiday Inn next to the zoo to friends.
It has some family rooms available, or interconnecting ones, so that’s good if you’re going with kids. It has a pool, and is pretty reasonable.
You get discount tickets for the zoo if you’re staying there, and although it’s a little bit away from Princes St, there’s a bus stop right outside and it’s about a 5 minute journey.

The Premier Inn on Market street is pretty new. All the PI are in pretty good locations.

Remember your passports

There was a great thread recently about things to do in Edinburgh:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/uk/3243337-Best-things-to-see-and-do-in-Edinburgh

It went to several pages.

Edinburgh is fairly compact and the buses and trams are great so don't be put off by a hotel a little further out if it's cheaper. Just check it's close to regular buses/trams.

I've no doubt it was mentioned on the other thread but be prepared for rapidly changeable weather.

Scottish bank notes are unfamiliar in England so shops don't like to take them but it's not the case the other way around.

I recommend doing a tour of the underground streets like Mary Kings Close, there are several companies offering, mostly advertising on the High Street, can't miss them.

Have a wander all the way down from the Castle to Holyrood Palace, kinking down Victoria Street, round the Grassmarket and up Candlemaker Row, past Greyfriar's Bobby and back to the Royal Mile. There is a street market in the Grassmarket on Saturdays.

Highly recommend getting even slightly off the main tourist thoroughfares for nice food at better prices, e.g. Rose Street instead of Princes Street.

If time and strength permit, also Arthur's Seat, the Botanic Gardens, out of town Stirling castle and Linlithgow Palace are pretty easy to get to. Stirling Castle is probs a better day out than Edinburgh castle if we're honest, if you're doing all three you're getting into the realms of joining Historic Scotland and getting money off in the café.

There was loads of great suggestions on the other thread.

Try Motel one they throw in breakfast . Of course you can use your money here 😀

Loads of info here thanks everyone!

How old are your dc?

Either the Premier Inn or Novotel Edinburgh Park.
Tram stop right outside takes 20 mins to Princes Street, about £8 for a Family Day Travel ticket.

Edinburgh is very very expensive hotel wise in July. It depends on your budget.

Motel one. Cheap, clean, great location, smiley faces on the boiled eggs at breakfast; what more could you want!

Kids are dd 8 and ds nearly 13.
Will check out all the hotels, motel one sounds good and premier inns are usually ok priced, will have a look thanks

There's also a premier inn called Leith (waterfront) a bit further out. It's near a pretty harbour in a quiet part of town and on several bus routes. You get lovely sunsets on a good day and views of the Forth bridges from the shore!

The Camera Obscura up near the castle on Royal Mile is good for a rainy day - can be long queues though. Tickets seem expensive as I remember but it's over 4 or 5 floors and good for kids of all ages.

I second Motel One, it sounds budget but it is actually quite luxe and very reasonably priced. If you are travelling by train it's easy walking distance from Waverley station too.

Ha ha Creme, that's an understatement!

I like the cheap and cheerful travel lodge and request a room overlooking Princess Street. Just opposite the train station so easy access and the Chocolate lunch at Harvey Nichols was nice.

A 13 year old boy would probably enjoy the Edinburgh dungeon and The Real Mary Rose.
Your 8 year old would probably enjoy the Museum of Childhood and Toys which is really hands-on.
Both would enjoy a Mercat Tour of all the gruesome, ghostly and downright gross bits of Edinburgh. As well as a highly accredited team of guides to bring the streets to life, it’s got that yuck factor which kids just love! You’ll see what a standard family home would have looked like and even explore the famous Blair Street Underground Vaults.
Cosmo is a good place to take kids for a treat. Its a all-you-can-eat buffet with a bit of style. It's got a bottomless ice cream bar and a chocolate fountain! Perfect for ravenous teenage boys!

Thanks Ricekrispie' great ideas there sound like fun and right up their street!

Ginochoc.. will check that out thanks

We went last July. £150 for 3 nights in travel lodge including breakfast. Basic but clean and ok. Breakfast a bit bit and miss with having to wait for them to refresh it. We were about 15 minutes walk from princes street and plenty of buses came up the main road. We also used uber - first time and found it very cheap to get around.

Oh yes it does depend if you want breakfast as the princess street one doesn’t unless you count the breakfast box as breakfast (which my daughter really liked)

150 for 3 nights is a great deal, would that be for a family room? never stayed in a travel lodge before are they similar to the Premier Inn?