The Roseate Hotel Edinburgh Review: McLaren 720S Scotland Tour
Our final stop on the McLaren 720S International Excellence Magazine Tour was The Roseate Hotel in Edinburgh. They have free parking so we pulled the supercar around the back of the imposing detached Jacobean manor and ambled into reception.
McLaren 720S Scotland Tour.
The staff welcomed us warmly and sat us comfortably in the Dunstane Bar lounge’s leather sofas with a dram of 12-year-old Highland Park and some scones. You can’t go wrong greeting two writers with aged whisky in the early evening.
After a speedy and painless registration that did not require leaving the sofa or the aforementioned whisky, I was shown to the splendid Roseate Junior Suite overlooking the gardens and main thoroughfare. The room is delightful, Scotland in a jar, with a free-standing roll-top copper bath, an ornate red Persian carpet over a slatted wooden floor, a comfy blue sofa facing a desk, a smart tv, plus two tweed pillows on a luxurious king-size bed. The en-suite bathroom with shower is a modern Art Deco twist with oodles of light-grey marble.
What I particularly liked about The Roseate Edinburgh is that it has a vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere, you feel the beat of the city of Edinburgh but you are cosseted and pampered in your own gorgeous mansion, surrounded by extremely helpful and friendly staff.
The previous owners and managers of the hotel (then called Dunstane House) Derek and Shirley have been at this a while, moving from the Orkney Islands to Edinburgh in the late 80s and running all manner of guesthouses and hotels they acquired and renovated. There is a wealth of experience behind The Roseate Edinburgh and it shows in every detail. The water beside the bed, the attentive but discreet service, the subtle use of modern tartan, effervescent wallpapers mixed with soft gold tone colours and their fine collection of whiskies.
The Roseate Edinburgh reflects this Orkney heritage, influencing the art on the walls, the room names, collars and fabrics, even the kitchen produce is sourced from the Orkney islands. I would highly recommend their whisky tasting as it incorporates many of the finest local and Orkney whiskies, a taste sensation, and you even get a Highland Park 40.
You can’t stay here and not avail yourself of the Edinburgh nightlife. Our goal was to sample three or four bars and get a flavour of the town. However the first bar we came across offered live music and a lively Scottish atmosphere, so we made it no further.
There are a million things to do and visit in Edinburgh: The Queen’s official residence in Scotland’s capital, The Palace of Holyrood House, Castle Street Market overlooking Edinburgh Castle, the water of Leith walkway along to Edinburgh’s New Town and down to the docks of Leith, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and of course the numerous distilleries.
A healthy breakfast of fruit juice, scones, pastries and fruit salad was in order, taken in my room looking out over Edinburgh. Then back in the McLaren for the journey home.
The Roseate Edinburgh puts you right in the centre of Edinburgh in refined luxury at great value. The service is warm, friendly and properly Scottish. This is the place to stay if you want to be in town; warm, cosy, romantic and opulent, but relaxed. You can also stay at the sister hotel, Hampton House, directly opposite. Both houses make an ideal venue for weddings, with genuine Gaelic ambience, baronial surroundings and easy access to all that Edinburgh and the gorgeous countryside have to offer.
The Roseate Edinburghhttps://www.roseatehotels.com/edinburgh/theroseat…
McLaren 720Shttps://cars.mclaren.com/gb-en/super-series/720s
