i.
The Snug
Tucked under the eaves on the third floor, panelled in deep green. Small, warm and very quiet — the room regulars ask for by name.
- 14 m²
- Double bed
- Shower room
- Rooftop view
from £185 per night
Check dates
A townhouse hotel · New Town, Edinburgh
Fourteen rooms,
one quiet street.
A Victorian townhouse a short walk from everything, and a world away from all of it.
IThe house
Built for a merchant in 1868. Kept, ever since, for slow mornings.
Kestrel House stands on a cobbled crescent on the northern edge of the New Town — the kind of street visitors photograph and residents never leave. We restored it room by room over four winters: the cornicing, the shutters, the cantilevered stair that curls up all four floors.
There is no lobby and no queue. Someone will meet you at the door, carry your bag upstairs and tell you where to eat tonight.
- Rooms
- 14
- To Princes Street
- 9min
- Single malts
- 60
Your hosts
Isla & Callum R. — owners, who live on the top floor
Mhairi D. — head of house, who knows every close in the Old Town
IIRooms & suites
Fourteen rooms. No two alike.
Every room has wool blankets, shutters that close out the world, a proper kettle, and a bed made with Scottish linen. Breakfast is always included.
ii.
Townhouse Double
First and second floor, with original sash windows, hand-blocked wallpaper and an armchair placed exactly where the light falls in the afternoon.
- 22 m²
- King or twin
- Rain shower
- Crescent view
from £235 per night
Check dates
iii.
Garden Room
On the ground floor, opening onto the walled garden, with a claw-foot bath set by the window. Step-free from the front door.
- 28 m²
- King bed
- Claw-foot bath
- Garden access
from £295 per night
Check dates
iv.
The Kestrel Suite
The old drawing room: a four-poster, a working fireplace, five-metre ceilings and a separate sitting room with a decanter we refill daily.
- 46 m²
- Four-poster
- Fireplace
- Sitting room
from £420 per night
Check dates
“Lights low by ten. Shutters closed. The only sound the bells of St Stephen’s, once, at midnight.”
IIIEat & drink
Breakfast until half ten. A dram until midnight.
The Morning Room · 7:00 – 10:30
Breakfast
Served at the long table or brought to your room. Everything is cooked to order; nothing sits under a lamp.
The Library Bar · 16:00 – 00:00
The Library Bar
Sixty single malts, a short list of good wine, and a fire lit from October to April. Residents and their guests only.
IVThe neighbourhood
Mhairi’s Edinburgh, on foot.
Our head of house writes a new walking guide every season. Ask for the printed copy at the door; here are four places to start.
-
6 min walk
Circus Lane & Stockbridge
The prettiest mews in the city, then coffee and the Sunday market by the Water of Leith.
-
12 min walk
Dean Village
A nineteenth-century mill village hidden in a gorge. Follow the riverside path to the gallery of modern art.
-
18 min walk
The Old Town closes
After dark, when the day-trippers have gone. Mhairi’s map marks the eleven closes worth the climb.
-
20 min walk
Calton Hill at first light
Go before breakfast. We will leave a flask of coffee by the door the night before if you ask.
VOffers
Reasons to come in the dark months.
November – February
The Long Winter Weekend
Stay three nights from Thursday and pay for two. Includes a late check-out at 2pm on Sunday.
from £370 for three nights
All year · Sunday to Thursday
Whisky & Wynds
A private tasting of five drams in the Library Bar, and a two-hour evening walk through the Old Town with Mhairi.
from £95 per person, plus room
Sunday to Thursday
Midweek in the New Town
Fifteen percent off any room for two nights or more, with afternoon tea by the fire on arrival.
15% off the best rate
Book direct for these offers. They are never on the booking sites.
VIGuests
What guests say
“It felt less like checking in and more like being let into someone’s beautiful house for the weekend. We didn’t want to leave the Library Bar.”
“The quietest night’s sleep I’ve had in a city. Breakfast alone is worth the train from London.”
“Mhairi’s walking map took us places we would never have found. We have already booked for next winter.”
Guest reviews are illustrative for this concept design.
VIIYour stay
The small print, kindly put.
What time are check-in and check-out?
Rooms are ready from 3pm and we ask for them back by 11am. Arriving early? Leave your bags with us and have a coffee in the Morning Room.
Is there parking?
The crescent has residents’ parking only. We can book you a space in a secure car park six minutes’ walk away for £22 a day, and someone will walk you there.
Is the house accessible?
The Garden Room is step-free from the front door. Being a listed Victorian house there is no lift, and the upper rooms are reached by our (beautiful, but steep) stair. Call us and we will talk it through honestly.
Can we bring children or dogs?
Children of every age are welcome, and we have a cot and two connecting rooms. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the Garden Room for £25 a night.
What is your cancellation policy?
Free cancellation up to 7 days before arrival. Within 7 days we charge the first night. Offers have their own terms, which we will always explain before you book.
How do I get here from the airport or Waverley?
A taxi from Waverley takes about eight minutes; from the airport, the tram to Princes Street and a short taxi ride, or about 30 minutes direct by car. We are happy to book a driver.
VIIIWrite to us
A birthday, a proposal, a whole house?
For anything the booking calendar can’t do — exclusive use of all fourteen rooms, a surprise in the suite, a long stay — write to Isla directly. She answers every letter herself, usually the same day.
