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EDINBURGH
Far from resting on its laurels, the historic Scottish capital is embracing
a new age of bold, brilliant hotels, from revamped grande dames to slick
design dens in centuries-old buildings
WORDS: LUCY GILLMORE
Edinburgh is famously a city of two historic
halves: the Old Town’s forbidding castle
and jagged skyline squaring off against the
New Town, all pleasant crescents and leafy
boulevards. But the Scottish capital is far from
preserved in aspic — forever reinventing itself,
the city has been moving with the times over
the past few years, with work underway to
extend the tram network and a multimillion-
pound redevelopment of the St James Quarter
at the end of Leith Walk. In fact, there were
even rumblings that the city might lose its
UNESCO World Heritage status with all the
modernisation. This state of flux is reflected
in the constantly evolving accommodation
scene, too. Sleek boutique hotels have popped
up in grand Georgian townhouses, former
banks and historic tenements have been
converted into designer aparthotels, and a
raft of hip hostels now offer excellent value for
money. Big names are wanting a slice of the
action, too: W Edinburgh is set to open this
winter in a building wrapped in burnished
metal ribbons (dubbed the ‘Walnut Whip’),
bringing some more modern pizzazz into this
timeless cityscape.
56 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL
