Edinburgh Festivals: Where to look for last-minute accommodation
Making last-minute plans to go to the capital in August? From boutique hotels to camping in the great outdoors, plenty of accommodation options remain on the table '“ but snap them up while you can
Self-catering apartments
Airbnb’s relatively recent arrival has given the capital’s accommodation options a welcome boost. For a week’s stay in an unoccupied house or flat in Edinburgh during August, the price ranges between from £90 to £200. For a private room, you might pay as little as £35. Eventful Stays.com provide a similar service. https://www.airbnb.co.uk/; http://eventfulstays.com/
Serviced apartments
Upmarket serviced apartments such as The City Bothy (£610 for a week’s stay) and The Knight Residence fill up quickly, and the majority are now sold out. Last-minute cancellations notwithstanding, you’re unlikely to find one. This two-bedroom penthouse apartment on Quartermile is one of the last available, and also one of the most expensive at more than £4,600.
Hotels
On hotel booking sites such as booking.com, most deals below £1,000 for a week’s stay for two will include student halls and whatever guest houses remain. Highly-rated hotels include the Malmaison in Leith for around £1,750, the Jurys Inn on Jeffrey Street at around £1,800, and the Roxburghe Hotel at just under £2,000.
Hostels
Cockburn Street’s Edinburgh Backpackers, one of the cheapest options available, offers accommodation in a 14-bed mixed dorm for seven nights for £185 – just over £25 per night. Rates for private rooms vary wildly; private student accommodation blocks such as Brae House, in Abbeyhill, would cost more than £700 for a double room for a week. (You’ll often find such accommodation in the “hostel” sections of websites.) Hostels such as Euro Hostel Edinburgh Halls (around £57 per night) and Edinburgh Metro Youth Hostel (around £53 per night) are ideal for single occupants looking for central locations. http://www.hostelworld.com/
Camping/Glamping
Based at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, the camping and glamping complex run by Campingninja is accessible via bus and tram. For glampers, a festival teepee with two single beds costs just shy of £400; other options such as the glamping pods inch up in price. For campers, space for your own tent is available from around £200 for seven nights, or £15.00 per person per night. Pre-pitched tents – including two and four-person tents as well as a luxury bell tent – are also available. Some space has been allocated for campervans too. http://edinburghfestivalcamping.com/; http://hostivalonline.com/events-and-festivals/2013/02/04/edinburgh-fringe-festival/
• Quoted prices are for two adults sharing, unless otherwise stated
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