AN INSPECTOR CALLS

He pays his way... and tells it like it is

NOTHING quite compares with Edinburgh on a bright and frosty morning. And when staying at the Kimpton in the Georgian masterpiece that is Charlotte Square, you’re in the perfect position to admire its wonders.

Prince Albert sits on a bronze horse in the middle of the square (are his days numbered?); next door is Rose Street, the famous pedestrianised road lined with pubs, and walk 100 yards down to Princes Street and the mighty castle looms above you.

A couple of bicycles stand in the lobby of the hotel along with just enough tartan to get the Scottish message across without overdoing it. The reception area is the grandest part of what is seven interconnected, narrow townhouses.

From here, double doors lead to The Garden, an area covered in glass, which doesn’t quite feel like a garden, but there are plenty of places to sit and ponder — and breakfast is served here.

My ‘classic double’ is spacious and generous, helped by complimentary Mackie’s salt and vinegar crisps, a bag of freshly ground coffee and plenty of bottled water. The TV sits on an artist’s easel.

I’m determined to see the Scottish National Gallery’s annual January exhibition of 38 watercolours by Turner, which were donated in 1900 by the art collector Henry Vaughan. ‘You must but you should also go to the National Portrait Gallery,’ says the receptionist. ‘I’ll book you in for tomorrow morning.’

A big selling point is the large spa in the basement, with a heated pool, gym and various treatment rooms. Not many Edinburgh hotels offer this.

I’m not convinced that Baba restaurant, serving mezze-style sharing plates of Middle-Eastern food, hits the right note in the centre of Edinburgh, but it’s buzzy — and the bar next door has a terrific line-up of single malt whiskies.

Breakfast in The Garden is a leisurely affair and the staff are unfailingly helpful and friendly. But I can’t linger too long because of my meeting with Turner at the National Gallery. Waiting to gain entry with me is a couple who were at the next door table at breakfast.

‘How did you like the hotel?’ I ask the man. ‘I liked it a lot and will go back,’

he says. Me, too.

Kimpton Charlotte Square 38 Charlotte Square Edinburgh EH2 4HQ Tel: 0131 240 5500 kimptoncharlottesquare.com Doubles from £151