Why You Should Stay at the Beautiful, Historic Bonham Hotel in Edinburgh

The Bonham Hotel in Edinburgh is worthy of the splurge.

It’s a wonderful hotel, in an old building in the west end of Edinburgh.

The location is quiet yet convenient.

The hotel dates back to 1872 when it was  designed by John Lessels as city center townhouses.

The original architectural features — including wooden paneling, carved door frames, cornicing and detailed stonework — were painstakingly preserved and restored to their former glory during the recent refurbishment. 

There’s definitely an interesting history to this hotel that actually served as residences for University of Edinburgh medical students.

Anyway…

Let’s place it on the map (see below) and get into all the reasons why you should stay at The Bonham Hotel.

The location

As I mentioned, The Bonham Hotel is in the west side of Edinburgh.

There are actually a couple of embassies and consulates in the area.

And you’ll find some businesses occupying some of the other townhomes — think financial management companies and architects. 

It’s a short walk to Princes Street so you’re not far from all the action.

But it’s such a quiet place to lay your head.

Drumsheugh Garden is just across the street. 

It’s just a wee park, but a nice bit of green space in the middle of the city.

The rooms at The Bonham Hotel

I have to start with the rooms.

The rooms were refurbished when the new owners took over in 2018.

There are townhouse bedrooms (classic), superior bedrooms (a step above the townhouse bedrooms), junior suites and signature suites (the top of the line).

All rooms are different but each is decorated in Georgian and Victorian style.

And they all come with a welcome tray that includes a range of breakfast, Earl Grey and fruit teas, luxurious hot chocolate, delicious shortbread and fresh cafetiere coffee – all from Brodies of Edinburgh.

All rooms also have Hypnos beds, luxurious bed linens, mini fridges with complimentary water & fresh milk, bathrobes & slippers, hair dryers, iron and ironing board and free wifi.

I was lucky to get an upgrade to a superior room from The Bonham Hotel.

And I loved my room!

I had a view out to the park.

The bed was amazing.

And, as a travel planner who was on a working trip, I was able to set up my laptop at the desk and do some work. 

The wifi was excellent!

I had a lovely sofa and chair to sit in as well as a nice sized bathroom with good water pressure and nice hot showers. 

The bathrobe is a nice touch.

I truly loved my room and wanted to camp out in it for a few days.

Seriously.

I think I could have just stayed in my room all day for a day or 2 and caught up on work, sleep, reading and a bit of TV.

The breakfast

So many tasty choices for breakfast!

Seriously, The Bonham Hotel offers up so fabulous breakfast.

First of all there is a good array at the breakfast bar — more continental in style with breads, pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, meats, cheese and juices.

But you can also order hot breakfast — from a Scottish breakfast to just some eggs and toast. 

I had tasty smoked salmon and scrambled eggs one morning. 

Yum!

You will not go hungry.

It’s a great way to fuel up for all the walking you will do in Edinburgh.

And yes, they do cater to gluten free peeps like me!

The afternoon tea

So I booked a specialty afternoon tea experience.

Tea is served in the lounge from 1-5pm daily.

You must book for an afternoon tea.

And, if you are like me and have special dietary needs, they will cater to those needs.

I had a plethora of food — savory and sweet — that was gluten free.

You get your choice of tea and then you just simply relax and enjoy.

Since I was alone, I had a book with me to read.

But I noticed a couple of women who were also having tea and chatting away.

It’s a marvelous experience and worth the £25.

The lounge / bar

If you have tea at The Bonham Hotel it will be in the lounge and/or bar. 

I love old rooms like this where you feel as though you could be back in time — maybe 100-150 years ago. 

Well, if there wasn’t electricity, wifi and you were wearing a corset!

But the lounge is a wonderful spot to sit, have a spot of tea or coffee or an adult beverage, and chat with other travelers or your traveling companion(s). 

The bar has this feel of modern and old that really works.

And they offer up some excellent cocktails and have a nice array of Scottish whiskies. 

You will definitely want to spend a bit of time in this part of The Bonham Hotel.

The restaurant — No 35

Since I was there in January and during the Omicron wave of COVID, the restaurant was just open on the weekends. 

But since I arrived on a Saturday, I was treated to a superb dinner at No 35.

I had a delicious fish and veggie meal that hit the spot — along with a glass of wine, of course.

And, on my final night, I simply went to the lounge where they offer up lighter/bar type food that is still quite tasty.

I am a fan of their chips (french fries).

Yum!

I highly recommend at least one meal at No 35!

Service at The Bonham Hotel

I know that COVID has hit the travel and hospitality industry hard with many bars, restaurants, shops, hotels losing staff.

But I will say that despite this, the service at The Bonham Hotel was really good. 

Scratch that.

It was actually excellent.

Maybe especially considering that there were times that they were a bit short staffed.

I tend to not get my panties in a wad over service that might be a tad bit slow or if someone forgets something. 

So maybe I’m a little less discerning. 

But I will say, there really weren’t any issues.

And I felt I was always greeted by staff who were friendly, kind and just seemed to go out of their way to make sure all was good with you.

Final thoughts on The Bonham Hotel

I would stay here again and hope to stay again.

And I do recommend it to you.

Again, The Bonham Hotel is a pricier option in Edinburgh.

But I love the quiet location as I’m a light sleeper.

I loved (!) my comfy room with its sitting area, desk, cozy bed and clean bathroom with its hot shower.

I loved the old feel of the hotel.

The tea, the bar, the lounge, the restaurant, the food and the service. 

Loved everything about it!

It’s definitely one of my favorite accommodation in the UK — maybe even in all of Europe (at least so far)!

Please note that Wander Your Way is only recommending international travel to those who are vaccinated and feel comfortable doing so. While travel to Europe is getting easier, we are still not out of the woods with COVID.

If you do decide to travel internationally, please do your research or use a travel planning service such as Wander Your Way. Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC.

I am continuing to write about incredible destinations and to offer tips on travel to Europe, so that you will find some solace in these posts — so you dream about travel and learn about places. And hopefully make that bucket list! This way when we can all fully travel again, you’ll be ready to go. 

And if you are ready to go soon, please contact Lynne for any assistance you may need.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will earn a commission – at no extra cost to you — if you click on the link and purchase anything from these trusted companies. It helps Wander Your Way, a small business, stay in business. Thanks for your support!

Like it? Pin it!