Salamander Court

Host was accommodating as my wallet had been stolen and the card against which the reservation was made cancelled and invalid so a bit of a faff transferring money before the cancellation time of 2.00pm day of arrival and we were driving from Loch Lomond so phone internet access dubious. Apartment is immaculate. Two large bedrooms, one with an n-suite, comfortable beds and warm duvets, two public rooms, one with an adjoining lovely well equipped kitchen, and ideal if you want to eat in. Room are tastefully furnished with good high quality furniture and tasteful framed artwork and paintings adorning the walls. Most lights have dimmers so that you can set the mood if you simply want a romantic night in after cooking dinner and want to watcha DVD by candlelight. The castle is a 45 minute walk away, about 20 minutes (and £1.70 each way to Princes Street) by bus, £10-12 by taxi depending on traffic. Downsides? Only a couple. No Wifi. No USB charging sockets in an otherwise state-of-the-art apartment. A welcome pack detailing bus service numbers and where to catch them to Princes Street would have been useful. We started walking and ended up getting a taxi as it rained down heavily. The view could out across the Firth of Forth could have been fantastic.... but for the Port of Forth warehouse and quay which has been there for over a hundred years. Edinburgh recommendations? The Fringe/Festival if it's that time of year. The Castle - although be advised it's an £18.50 entrance fee - lunch and a beer at the Deacon Brodie Tavern on The Royal Mile, Dean Village, a beautiful oasis right by the Water of Leith and five minutes from Princes Street, Holyrood Palace, a tramp up Arthur's Seat, and Calton Hill too, to look at the architecture from which Embra's nickname, The Athens of The North derives, Princes Street Gardens and the Scott Monument. The Portrait Gallery - free... yay - eating at one of the many good restaurants slightly off the beaten track on Lothian Road (the family-run 'Frizzante' ristorante comes highly recommended if you like authentic Italian), and then live music and some dancing at The Jam House on George Street in The New Town.