The Macdonald Holyrood Hotel is a modern four-star hotel located just off the base of Edinburgh, Scotland’s Royal Mile, near Holyrood Palace and Arthur’s Seat. It is a chic, contemporary hotel with an award-winning spa, excellent restaurant and wine cellar, and dramatic views of Edinburgh Old Town. I recently stayed at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel during a short trip to Edinburgh.
Location of the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel
The Macdonald Holyrood Hotel is located on Holyrood Drive, behind the Scottish Parliament building and steps from the foot of the Royal Mile. It’s location is perfect for those in Edinburgh on business or pleasure.
Rooms and Amenities at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel
There are 157 rooms and suites at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel, from the Classic Rooms to the Feature Rooms and spacious suites. Each room is equipped with comfortable beds and a casual sitting area and workspace. The large marble bathrooms are bright, with plenty of storage space for toiletries. All rooms at the hotel also feature triple-glazed windows, which cut down on exterior noise. The design is traditional Scottish, with tartan curtains or bedspreads, and dark chocolate, cream, and deep red accents.
We had a spacious executive room with cosy armchairs and wide windows overlooking Edinburgh. Amenities included complimentary bottled water, complimentary wifi, a laptop safe, bathrobes and slippers, a Nespresso machine, and Elemis Arran Aromatics toiletries.
Suites at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel offer additional space in the separate living room and large marble bathroom.
The Macdonald Holyrood Hotel is well-known for their spa and pool. Guests have access to both. The spa features a wide array of services, from tanning to manicure and pedicures, as well as massages, sauna access and more. Parking at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel is limited, and guests are advised to reserve parking when booking their hotel rooms.
Dining at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel
Breakfast was served buffet-style with cold and hot options and some extra choices available to order. Options included the standard cereals and granolas with milk, yogurt, and fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, Scottish sausage, fresh bread and pastries, and cured meats and fish with a variety of cheeses. The Paul Tamburrini restaurant and the lobby bar are both excellent places to grab a bite to eat or a drink to savour.
The menu changes seasonally and reflects local Scottish dishes and ingredients. While much of it is reinvented French classics with a Scottish twist, there is definitely something to please everyone. We had lunch one day in the lounge bar, and both our steak sandwich and our club sandwich were delicious.
One night during our stay, we enjoyed a five-course meal accompanied by wine at the Tamburrini restaurant. We began with an aperitif, the rose champagne, which awakened my palate, ready for the meal ahead. Peter, the sommelier, explained everything in exquisite detail so we knew what to expect. Our first course was a sauteed foie gras with brioche and a cep puree.
Following that, we tasted Orkney sea scallops with caramelised cauliflower and curry oil. With these first two courses, we drank a Mantlerhof Grüner Veltliner Weitgasse. This crisp white Austrian wine pairs best with fish dishes and pork or cured meats; its rich golden colour and floral aromas were a nice complement to the caramelised flavours and the puree.
The third course was a cremeux truffle risotto, paired with a 2016 Jean Rijckaert Vire Clesse ‘Le Mont Chatelaine’ Chardonnay from Burgundy. The medium body of this wine went very nicely with the creamy risotto. Our fourth course, which was a rack of lamb with onion fondue and confit potatoes, was paired with a 2014 Xanadu Exmoor Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River, Australia – one of the world’s most up and coming wine regions. It’s bold palate didn’t overpower the flavour of the lamb, yet it was rich and elegant. To cap off the meal, we savoured a 2016 Late Harvest Royal Tokaji, a Hungarian sweet wine, with our key lime pie, lime meringue, and coconut sorbet.
I fully enjoyed my stay at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel. It is in an ideal location for exploring Edinburgh and offers good amenities to both business and leisure travellers. The room was comfortable and spacious, the food and service in both the lounge bar and the restaurant were fantastic, and we felt that the staff at the hotel were knowledgeable, friendly, and polite. It truly felt like we had the royal treatment.
For more information:
Macdonald Holyrood Hotel
81 Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh EH8 8AU, UK
Phone: +44 344 879 9028
I was a guest at the Macdonald Holyrood hotel but as always opinions are my own.