Quirky, charming, lovely

Quirky, charming, lovely

★★★★★ My husband and I stayed for 3 nights in early July and enjoyed the gracious hospitality of the Macfie family. This is a true B&B: You are staying in someone’s home. But it’s a spectacular home , full of history, and supremely comfortable. For three days, we “lived” in one of the most exclusive areas of Edinburgh.

John and Felicitas were sociable when we were sociable, and gave us our privacy when we were tired. We enjoyed a hearty continental breakfast with freshly boiled eggs in the dining room with the family, as the 3 kids asked us about our favorite sports/books/movies/ice cream, and as the tour buses slowed down to let their passengers peek inside. (Try not to wave! You’ll ruin the illusion.) The double-bedded room on the first floor (second floor if you’re American) was very quiet and comfortable. The deep bathtub was heavenly after a long day’s walking around Edinburgh. The house is a few blocks north of Prince’s Street, and a 15-20 minute walk to the Royal Mile.
This B&B isn’t for everyone. No elevator. No shower in the bathroom. There is family laundry hanging in your bathroom–but since the ceilings are about 12 feet high, you don’t even notice it unless you look up. Your bed won’t be made for you. Your towels won’t be changed unless you ask. You will occasionally hear children shouting somewhere below you in the house. But you will be staying in a truly historic house in a beautiful, residential neighborhood in Edinburgh, in a room with a four-poster bed and huge windows (even though it’s at the rear of the house) with a lovely view of the neighborhood, and a bathroom that’s big enough to turn a cartwheel in. My only disappointment was not seeing Robert Louis Stevenson’s ghost. Maybe next time.

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