Location, location, location!

Edinburgh’s East End is a bit of a mess at the moment with all the tram roadworks and the finalisation of the new St James Quarter. There are however oasis’s amongst the chaos and The Courtyard by Marriott is one of them.

The Courtyard is in a prime location for shopping, eating and sightseeing. It is a 5 minute walk from the train and bus station, 5 minute walk from the tram stop to Edinburgh Airport, a 3 minute walk to the new St James Quarter, a 5 minute walk to Princes Street Gardens which lead up the Royal Mile. There are ample taxi tanks and bus stops nearby transporting you across the city to Leith, West End and further afield.

You are surrounded by a plethora of bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes and bakeries, a heady mix of chains and great Scottish independents. With such abundance of foodie delights on your doorstep, you’d be wise to sit in the Courtyard Terrace and sip on a glass of wine, whilst contemplating or planning your day/night out.

STAY - REVIEW OF THE COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, EDINBURGH

The Courtyard has a one way system in place, which leads you straight to reception for a very simple, friendly, contactless check in. Following the carpet stripes (a bit like London underground system), we walked along the hallway to our suite. We were delighted to find we had a room at the back of the building, with a balcony and views up to Carlton Hill.

The silence mixed with sweet birdsong strikes you as you open the balcony doors to lush greenery and blue skies. You’d think it was magic as the front of the building where the entrance is, is the busy street, the road and tram works and general city noise. Here nothing. Quiet. Still. Beautiful.

The room is a good size with a massive super duper comfy king sized bed. Bright white fresh soft linen on the bed greet you and invite you to lie down. The room has a business feel with the large glass desk and ergonomic chair taking up a large section of the room closest to the balcony doors. There are plenty of plug and USB points on either side of the bed, and in the built in cabinet/TV unit that runs along one side of the wall. The room comes with Wi-Fi, bar fridge, air-conditioning and 32” flat screen TV.

Decor is minimal with only 4 prints of lighthouses above the glass desk and colours of turquoise and chocolate add flickers of colour to the muted bedroom colour scheme. This gives the room a very tranquil feel and does calm you, making you ready for slumber.

The bathroom is well equipped with a large walk in shower and modern toilet/hand basin facilities as well as a full wall mirror with good lighting.

I only have one gripe about this room and that is that the door of the bathroom is frosted thickened glass that leaves about a 1cm gap on closing - so every little noise made in the bathroom can be heard in the bedroom! Eeeekkkk.

Although this East End of Edinburgh has a deluge of places to eat and drink, The Lantern Room (the Courtyards restaurant and terrace area) has one of the best open air terraces around. It’s an extremely busy and sought after spot, so my advice is to book in advance.

Their menu is small with light bites and predominantly burgers on offer. After a day of exhausting sightseeing or shopping, you’ll not want to wander further than a few meters from your hotel room and this terrace is an ideal oasis. Here they have you covered - with their extensive brollies - if the weather is chilly, turn on the heaters, and if the weather is sweltering hot, take refuge in the shade.

Onto the menu. Their light bites or While you Wait offerings are bog standard and certainly not made in house; BUT they are tasty and served hot. We tucked into the BBQ Chicken Wings (£4.00) and the Mozzarella Sticks (£5.00)

But it was the Burgers that left us gobsmacked! These are ginormous and to be honest, the only reason we ordered the double was that we thought they’d be small patties. Oh how wrong we were. These are the leaning towers of Burger!

The Beefiest Burger (£12.00) with double American cheese, marrowfat mayo and beef dripping chips.

The Bacon Butter Burger (£12.00) with American cheese, crispy smoked bacon, burnt bacon butter, mayo and caramelised onions.

Warning - only order this if you are super hungry! Burgers were succulent and well cooked, a little under seasoned but with all the other ingredients, it was happy chomping all round.

Breakfast is a little chaotic with queuing expected and a wait of anything up to 20 minutes. This is only due to Covid regulations and staff having to sanitize tables and chairs, maintain social distancing and still run a busy service.

Breakfast is either continental or hot cooked breakfast - Full Scottish or Vegetarian with scrambled egg only. There are plenty of pastries, fruits, yoghurts, pancakes, cereals, fruit juices, teas and coffees.

The cooked breakfast is a decent plateful but not such great quality ingredients - I’d happily eat the breakfast again but skip on the scrambled eggs.

All in all, I loved the room. The balcony is a little calm at the end or start of the day. Dine on the burgers and choose the Continental breakfast. If you want a comfortable hotel in an absolute prime city centre location, close to transport links, then you should book the Courtyard by Marriott.

The Courtyard by Marriott, 1-3 Baxters Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3AF www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/edicy-courtyard-edinburgh/

Over night stay, bed and breakfast in the Superior Guest Room with Balcony - £195 per night for 2 people.

My Spoon Award - Silver Spoon 8/10 (room 9/10 and food 7/10)

I was invited by The Courtyard by Marriott to review their over night stay including dinner and breakfast. Accommodation, food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.