Please report to The Principal Hotel
It was Saturday and the sun was shining. The tea was perfectly sweetened and the dog was sheepish. This could only mean one thing. We were flitting the cloudy cliffs of Cruden Bay for the more metropolitan buzz of Scotlands capital city. Edinburgh has long been one of my favourite cities thanks to its incredible architecture and endless historic tales. This time we were visiting the city for a whole different kind of Tales… Cocktails.
Edinburgh has two Principal Hotels. One is located on George Street and the other, in Charlotte Square. The Principal we stayed in is on George Street, beside St Andrews Square and less than a 5 minute walk to Princes Street. A sublime location. Scott and I had taken the bus on this trip due to cocktails. The Principal Hotel is also only a 5 minute walk from the bus station.
Car parking for the Principal is in the Q Park in the Omnicentre with a huge discount for Principal guests at only £10 for 24 hours. Should you be taking your motor to the capital, you can drive to the hotel. The concierge will take your luggage, leaving you free to go and park the car with ease.
Come In, We Love You
In blogland, we meet all kinds of people and I mean all kinds of people. We usually receive a warm welcome but no welcome to date has been as lovely as The Principals. We were both tired from the terribly long journey from Aberdeen to Edinburgh so arriving to have our luggage taken care of was bliss. Considering the hotel reception was so busy with wedding guests, the staff were handling everything effortlessly, with impeccable attention to detail. On a side note, The Principal would be a lovely place for a traditional Scottish wedding.
The welcome never ended at reception, lovely Hansen in the concierge walked us up to our room with our luggage. Hansen is always happy. He helped us with our luggage during our last Principal trip and his cheery, wee face is everything. If I was going to hire a concierge, he’d be my guy. The last time we visited, he was the first person to see my face when I seen this sensational view from our room. Wow then and wow now, it is gorgeous! In fact we spent most of that stay drinking Edinburgh Gin at the window but that is a whole other story…
Suite Suite Loving
Last time, we had a beautiful room with a classic Mary Poppins-esque rooftop view which felt peaceful, yet central. This time, we were staying in a delightful suite overlooking George Street and the Hard Rock Cafe. We were surrounded by the Edinburgh buzz which is exactly what we were hoping for as we were visiting the city for Tales of the Cocktail – Tales on Tour. What better way to get prepped than by listening to the city hustle and bustle from your hotel window?! (and having the opportunity to shut it all out when sleep is calling).
The suite was open plan, comprising of a small sitting area furnished with a chesterfield sofa, a TV, various storage space and a desk by the window (perfect for blogging).
The bedroom was large and eloquently decorated in neutral greys with a super-king (extremely comfy) bed, a desk-come-dressing table and yet another TV. An artsy frame of Robert Burns took pride of place across from the bed, not the first time a talented writer has joined Scott in the bedroom. Wink wink.
All these Little Things
Our suite had a mini fridge containing bottles of water and a pint of milk, a notable change to the standard hotel milk-pots that literally contain a tear-drops worth. There were also two obligatory hotel robes although these were not stored in the fridge. In the bathroom, there were 4 mini Principal Hotel toiletries which we definitely didn’t steal… Perfection.
Also, (and more randomly) this was the first time I had ever seen an umbrella in a hotel room. This is genius and to all the hotels reading, you need to go and put in a purchase order for 56 umbrellas. This is Scotland after all. We never got to use our brolley but the thought was definitely there.
This Blog Runs on Tea and Champagne
I loved my welcome before I even knew about the presents but presents will always be received well at The Aye Life. The Principal were ever so kind in sending a delightful bottle of Besserat de Bellefon champagne to the room for us to enjoy prior to the evenings events. The service from entry right through to the grand unveiling of our suite was already splendid, the champagne was the cherry on top of the cherry.
An Evening Soiree
Firstly, how excellent does ‘An Evening Soiree’ sound, definitely the name of my next and only book. The first part of our evening consisted of a Gin Masterclass with the Principals very own No.25 gin. I had long been eyeing this saucy devil and it was about time we lip-locked. Ryan, the fellow tasked with serving us the classy gin (poor guy) made a comment that will not quickly be forgotten. “I’ve been told I can make you any cocktail you like, I’ve heard of worse arrangements.” Ryan was correct. Along came a brightly coloured Aviation cocktail containing cherry liqueur for my dashing other-half and a more classic Bramble for Miss me.
This was followed by a glorious meal in Therestaurant located within the hotel.
How do you like your Blog in the Morning?
I like mine with some eggs. After an evening of sleeping like several gods, breakfast arrived as I slaved tirelessly over the blog. Would you believe that Scott had to walk all the way from the bed to the door to accept a mere 2 trays of extravagant breakfast? What a liberty.
Would you all please report to The Principal?
I’ve come to an arrangement (in my head) that I will be spending at least 1 month out of the year blogging from the Principal Hotel. They don’t know this yet but I really don’t think 1 month is a big ask… This is my favourite Scottish hotel to date (and I’m not supposed to say that). The service and welcome was professional and polite and the décor throughout the hotel was stylish and traditional. To all at The Principal, we will always love you.
