The Howard

This week I had an overnight stay at The Howard. Located on the prestigious Great King Street at number 34 and labeled the most welcoming and discreet five star hotel in Edinburgh I was certainly in for a treat.

The service here is beyond comparison with a deluxe team of butlers to attend to your every whim. Upon arrival you are treated to tea or coffee in the decadent Georgian drawing-room and with the hum of a symphony in your ears you may settle into a real home away from home.

Escorted to my room, the Charlotte suite, I was delighted at the interior detailing to be found within, from the cast-iron column radiators to the bedside rotary dial telephone, every element of the suite's decoration was sympathetic and commodious. There was ample space to relax and bathe in the light of the three floor-to-ceiling sash and case windows and there was a definite luxurious pleasurable ease to be found here! The king-size bed was the pinnacle of lavish comfort and one might well never wish to leave.

The large bathroom benefited from perhaps the greatest shower I have ever had the pleasure of using with delightfully pressured waterflow and dual spraybars to erradiate any traces of Auld Reekie's presence. Expect nothing but the best with the range of Penhaligon's toiletries.

I dined in The Atholl, the hotel's restaurant, with decorations beffiting the Georgian splender afforded this address. The fine dining experience and extensive wine list was seconded only by the new menu for February. I sampled the Beetroot Consumme with wild mushroom ravioli followed by an ambrosial Vegetable strudel, mushroom & tarragon cous cous and sun blush tomato compote. If anything could top off this experience it had to be the cheese plate from renowned local cheesemonger I J Mellis. A relaxing atmosphere of old world charm, character and modesty. The meal was complemented to perfection by a sensious coffee and petit fours in the drawing room.

Sustained by a ludicrously good night's sleep, breakfast was of course to the delightfully high standard to which I was becoming accustomed, with the Chef laying on Eggs Florentine as a real treat.

With character and class in abundance this hotel is a definitive must stay for all lovers of fine hotels. Book Now!