Edinburgh’s grand old Caley anchors the west end of Princes Street, a broad-shouldered red-sandstone pile built in 1903 as the Caledonian Railway’s terminus hotel. The trains are long gone, but the drama remains: 241 rooms and suites behind a listed facade, the best of them looking straight up at Edinburgh Castle on its crag. It is a five-minute walk to the shops of Princes Street and the galleries on the Mound, and an easy stroll into the Old Town.
Inside, the Waldorf refit has kept the Edwardian bones, the vaulted Peacock Alley lounge and the sweeping public rooms, while adding a Guerlain Spa with a pool that is a treat after a day on the cobbles. Dining centres on The Pompadour, the hotel’s long-standing fine-dining room with castle views, alongside a brasserie and the lounge for afternoon tea. Service is warm and properly Scottish, and the building carries its history lightly rather than as a museum piece.
Book a castle-view room; it is the reason to choose the Caledonian over its rivals, and the sight of the floodlit castle from bed is hard to better. This is a city-centre grande dame rather than a country retreat, so expect Princes Street bustle at the door, but for heritage, location and that view, it is one of Scotland’s best.
