coming soon
Restaurants
Valvona & Crolla- Italian deli, casual vibes
The Dome- Modern European, snaz exterior and interior. festive for the holidays
Condita- English
Timberyard- Michelin star tasting menu. very special spot. industrial vibe
Noto- fusion bib gourmand, one of my fav spots
The Spence- in the gleneagles townhouse, a menu no one can dislike. 
Dulce- excellent seafood restaurant, has a two locations, fun and lively. 
The Shore, pub in Leith
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Hotels
The Balmoral Hotel
Virgin Hotel
Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel
Gleneagles Townhouse

Shopping
Frontiers- mens clothing
**all the tailoring is superb in scotland 

Cocktail Bars
Panda & Sons- one of the top 100 bars in the world, speakeasy style cocktail bar

Coffee
The Milkman

Tourist Sites
Edinburgh Castle
Brittania Yacht
Whiskey Musuem
Johnny Walker Tasting Room 

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my family came to visit Evan & I in London. We decided that we should take on another place in the UK to explore together. None of us had ever been to Scotland and we decided Edinburgh would be the perfect location- kid friendly, Christmasy, easy to get to!


In terms of getting to Edinbrugh, there are many ways. We debated the train roundtrip but when we saw that the British Airway 1 hour flight was less expensive than the 5 hour train, it was an easy choice. We flew to Edinbrugh and trained home- we wanted to check it out. The train goes through York, which is gorgeous and worth a visit, but it is very long. My preference was flying all said and done. When we landed at the airport, we took the bus to the town. The taxi line was very long (not to mention expensive) plus the tram had just left. The bus was super easy and took us right by our hotel.


Funny enough, we were all staying at different hotels. Silly, yes but fun to see a bunch of different locations. My mom and stepdad stayed at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel which had a beautiful downstairs lobby with excellent restaurants and a massive gym (spanning 2 floors). We stayed at the Virgin Hotel. It was newer than the Kimpton and had an excellent gym. It was light and bright and a great location. My sister and her family stayed at a hotel that had multiple rooms and a kitchen as they brough their two kids.


The first evening, Evan and I grabbed drinks in our hotel bar then roamed down Victoria St, the beautiful cobblestone street right outside our hotel. We had dinner booked at Timberyard a Michelin starred restaurant in a beautiful warehouse building. There were a bunch of us, so we actually booked the private room. This meal was to die for, we selected the smaller of the two tasting menu options. They were excellent about allergies and very accommodating to kids. The whole building smelled of incense and so well done- the mani dining room is super cool its edgy elegant. I would go back in a heartbeat.


After dinner, Evan took us on a voyage to go to one of the bars from the "top 100 bars in the world" list. We went to Panda & Sons. It is a speakeasy that looks like a barber shop from the outside window. We barely had to wait and were seated downstairs. The menu changes frequently and this time they were using a freeze-dried method for the cocktails. Add this spot to your list.


For our quick weekend trip, the main tourist things we had prescheduled were: Edinburgh castle and the royal Britania yacht. Evan on his mental prescheduled list: whiskey tasting. Funny enough, our second day there, there was a wildly unexpected snowstorm. I am talking vertical snowstorm. We may have gotten half a foot of snow (how many cm is that?). Our castle plans had been postponed. Which thank goodness, its windy up there. Not to mention, I did not pack appropriate footwear for snow- adidas tennis shoes or boots with no traction it was. You may be thinking, why did you not bring shoes? Its Edinburgh its cold. But "they" say it never snows that early in Edinburgh in fact they say it only snows once a year (?).


We toured the church, had tea at the Balmoral Hotel and did a bit of hotel hopping. We also checked out the Glenn Eagles townhouse before we went to our lunch at the Garden Cottage Inn. Which is honestly the cutest venue for a restaurant that I have ever seen. They offer one menu (3 courses) and I have no notes. Excellent. Actually, my only note would be refrain from turning on the space heater if you are cold and trying to air out your wet socks and adidas because it might blow a fuse and turn the power off in the whole cottage.


If you need a coffee break my number one recommendation is the Milkman. They actually have a cute guide I saw in the café that has lots of recs around the city.


When we finally were able to get our tourist on at our prescheduled activities. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Royal Britannia Yacht. I thought it was incredible to see. Also, fun if you watch the Crown (or just are a Queen Elizabeth fan). That was great and exploring that town of Leith is also worthwhile if you have the time. Don’t bother taxing out here as the tram will take you right to the front door of the yacht museum.


The Edinburgh castle was cool, but I found it a little lack luster, might have been the fact that there were huge gusts of wind, and it was hard to walk but there were lots of lines to go in the buildings at the top that left us feeling underwhelmed. And the building that has the jewels- big letdown. Especially if you have been to the Tower of London. The jewels are nothing like those in London.


Other meals we had were at Dulce and Noto. Noto ranks so high on my list of must dine at spots. I loved it. Everything we ordered was amazing, the vibes were great, it was well priced. I loved it. Fun different food with an Asian fusion vibe.


Before we headed out of town, Evan managed to squeeze in his whiskey tasting. Although our concierge had given us a few recs, the easiest and least time consuming was just at the rooftop of the Johnny Walker building. They do offer a full tour but again we were lacking time. The rooftop views were gorgeous. Fun spot even if you want a cocktail or a tea for that matter.


If you happen to visit Edinburgh during Christmas time, it’s the best. The Christmas market is very charming, not overcrowded and beautifully located in the middle of the city. Lots of fun for kids and we adults had fun too. They have pop-up ice-skating rinks around the city and Santas around the city. We located online. Search Prince St Christmas in Edinburgh.