Whisky galore... even the toiletries
EDINBURGH doesn’t do insecurity – every building has an air of confidence. It’s especially true of The Dunstane Houses, a wonderful mid-19th Century property full of imposing staircases and grandiose fireplaces.
There are 16 rooms. Mine, on the first floor, has a vast copper bath in the bay window and views of the hills beyond Edinburgh, and is built on a scale Harry Potter’s chum Hagrid would find comfortable.
For the benefit of tourists there are obligatory Scottish touches, from the bottles of Glenlivet water by the bed to a sofa covered in Orkney tweed, but would you believe they even have whiskyscented toiletries? Clearly this is a hotel with some peat-rich humour running through it.
Dunstane’s restaurant is a winner, too. In what was once the drawing room, there’s now a collection of tables amid velvet Chesterfield sofas and a grand fireplace where guests can choose from a charmingly uncomplicated menu offering ‘wee bites’ and ‘bigger bites’.
At one end is the oddly named, whisky-centric bar Ba’ Bar – another quirky touch by the hotel’s Orcadian owners Shirley and Derek Mowat, who named it after the annual New Year ball game in Kirkwall. And on retiring after dinner, you can get a good night’s sleep on beds by Vispring.
‘If they’re good enough for the Queen, they’re good enough for us,’ says the manager.
On the night I stayed, Dunstane won Boutique Hotel of the Year and Shirley was named Hotelier of the Year – but the young and polished staff didn’t miss a beat. The place: Near Haymarket. Very handy for Murrayfield and Edinburgh Airport. West Coates is a busy road but the hotels are set away from it and soundproofing is good.
The accommodation: Sixteen rooms in the main house, 19 in a sister property across the road. The decor there is nice, but I’d advise staying in Dunstane for sheer theatricality and ease of access to the bar and restaurant.
The food: Much is sourced from Orkney, including salmon and Grimbister cheese, and the cullen skink and haggis bon-bons are divine. In the morning there’s a full Scottish breakfast, including porridge made traditionally with water and salt, or with cream and sugar.