"If you’re after an intimate and luxurious guesthouse vibe, this boutique hotel, a 10-minute stroll from the West End, is the answer. Family-run and friendly, it’s peppered with personal touches, such as the old photos of island life hung by its Orkney-born owners. Two hotels in one, there are 35 rooms split between this William Playfair-designed mansion and Hampton House across the road. The open-plan lounge and bar has deep velvet sofas and a scattering of tables where you can grab a light bite or settle in with a dram. It’s a bit like staying with wealthy Edinburgh friends – a home-from-home with benefits – and free parking. Not to be sniffed at in Edinburgh. " - Lucy Gillmore