Last Updated on February 21, 2024
A Home from Home in Edinburgh at Native
Any visitor to the UK should definitely make the trip up North and visit Edinburgh. It’s a truly fascinating city that makes the perfect base for exploring Scotland and the perfect contrast to London. It’s also somewhere that’s full of stunning hotels – everything from grand railway hotels (Edinburgh has two – the Balmoral and the Caledonian) to charming and intimate boutique hotels like The Bonham. What if you want a bit more independence though – perhaps you are travelling with small children or perhaps you just prefer to cook your own meals. Of course, there are plenty of Air BnB options (unless it’s Festival month), but how can you ensure that you’ll have a comfy stay? There is an alternative – an ApartHotel – where you get the benefits of a hotel reception and concierge support, but where your personal space also includes separate living, sleeping and kitchen facilities and perhaps more. Edinburgh is lucky enough to have a Native Hotel right in New Town, in the heart of the city. Native Edinburgh is a stylish aparthotel based in some of those classic Georgian townhouses that the New Town is famous for. It’s about a 10-minute walk to Haymarket and Waverley stations and a few minutes from Princes Street and from the bars and restaurants of the New Town.
Walk into reception and you might think you were in any other contemporary boutique hotel. But, there are a few differences which only become apparent when you stay.
‘Counter’ – the cafe and bar on the ground floor serves a great range of cocktails, snacks and more. You can also help yourself to fresh milk and request extra tea or coffee for your room and there is a good range of things you might want to buy including cakes, fresh eggs, crisps and fruit. So if you don’t want to shop or to go out, you’ll still be able to feed yourself. Or you can grab a bite to eat and relax in the cafe/lounge area – there are cheese toasties, charcuterie boards and more along with a really rather good set of cocktails, all at prices that a Londoner will find unbelievably reasonable.
What really makes this place special though is the accommodation. My own one-bedroom apartment had a wonderfully comfortable bedroom with a large double bed and a TV on the wall for watching those late-night movies. The compact entrance hall had space to hang up coats and a large cupboard housing a washing machine and tumble drier. There was a squeaky clean bathroom with plenty of fluffy white towels and a very efficient shower.
The living room was compact but cleverly designed. A comfy sofa and reading lamp by the window, a built-in desk against the wall, with a pull-out table that would work to eat or work at.
The integral kitchen had everything you might need for a short stay – whether you wanted to cook a meal, serve up breakfast or just heat up a takeaway. There was an induction hob, a microwave, a dishwasher and a large fridge freezer. Plain but pretty white crockery, plenty of cooking utensils, pots and pans, and glasses for wine, beer and soft drinks meant that you could easily have stayed in and cooked. I actually wandered a few hundred yards down the road and picked up a takeaway Indian meal to eat in front of the TV (there’s a second one in the living room).
And, the layout means that if you are using both the bedroom and living room to sleep, you still all have access to the bathroom. It’s something to consider that can easily be overlooked.
This particular trip to Edinburgh was planned before Storm Babete decided to arrive. While I normally love exploring Edinburgh, it just isn’t a great place in late October when it’s pouring with rain and beset with hurricane-level winds. I’ve never been so thankful for a comfy place to curl up and read a Book! At Native Edinburgh, you really do feel as if you are able to settle into a home from home. Everything was fabulously clean and tidy – down to TV remotes in sanitised bags, everything worked and anything I did *think* might be missing was actually available on request from the helpful people at the reception desk. There were dishwasher tabs, clothes to wipe down the work surfaces, complimentary body wash and spare loo rolls in the bathroom. And, the extra space just felt totally luxurious.
Cocooned in my own nest, the next morning I half regretted not organising stuff for breakfast in advance. Counter does offer breakfast in a bag to go (yoghurt, apple juice and a muffin ) – which you can take up to your room or with you if the weather is nice enough for al-fresco dining in the nearby private gardens which the Hotel guests can access. But I opted for breakfast in the cafe – tea and a very hip avo on toast – just the thing to get the day off to a good start. Like the other communal spaces, the cafe/lounge is a great addition to the aparthotel – somewhere that, for example, friends could meet up for a drink.
It somehow manages to blend cosy with contemporary – nice touches like plenty of plants, some funky artwork and a record player and set of vinyl records to choose from together with various seating options. In addition to the communal space on the ground floor, Native Edinburgh also has a shared free laundry facility for those staying in studios (which are not equipped with washing machines and dryers). And there’s even a small gym if you feel the need for exercise!
If your aim when you visit Edinburgh is to be somewhere central, to have plenty of flexibility and enough space to swing a small cat, I’d strongly recommend Native Edinburgh. Room rates vary depending on the accommodation you need (there are a total of 82 studios and one-bedroom apartments both with and without a sofa bed). And, on a sunny day, you also have access to one of Edinburgh’s famous private garden squares together with your own beautifully appointed flat. Prices are demand-driven but broadly very much in line with 3-star hotel accommodation – and actually rather cheaper than many equivalent AirBnB options – with all the benefits and none of the risks.
Native Edinburgh
74-77 Queen Street,
Edinburgh
EH2 4NF
Scotland