Castlehill / Old Town

The Witchery by the Castle

★★★★★

The Witchery is less a hotel than a stage set you get to sleep in, and for a romantic stay in Edinburgh nothing quite compares. It sits on Castlehill, steps from the Esplanade, in Boswell's Court — a merchant's house built in 1595 and occupied ever since — and the restaurateur James Thomson, who founded the Witchery in 1979, turned it into one of the city's most famous dining rooms before adding suites above the restaurant and in the neighbouring seventeenth-century Jollie's Court. There are just nine of them, and each is a gothic fantasy of its own: The Vestry, The Sempill, The Old Rectory, The Library, The Inner Sanctum, The Heriot, The Guardroom, The Armoury and The Turret. Expect antique furniture, heavy drapes, tapestries, oak panelling, gilded mirrors, deep roll-top baths for two and the soft glow of candles and firelight; several have four-poster or canopied beds, and a few have views over the Old Town rooftops. A bottle of champagne and a breakfast hamper are traditional touches. Downstairs, the restaurant is two rooms in one: the original Witchery dining room, all dark oak and red leather, and the Secret Garden, opened in 1990 in a former schoolyard and reached down a stone staircase, with painted ceilings and a view over a terrace of topiary and urns. Both are serious about Scottish produce and the wine list is famous. The Witchery has long been a favourite of celebrities, honeymooners and anyone marking an occasion, and it books out months ahead at weekends, in August and at Hogmanay.

What to know before booking: this is not a conventional hotel. There is no lobby, gym or spa, and the suites are reached through the restaurant and up old stone stairs, so it is not suitable for anyone who needs step-free access. It is intimate and adult in tone — designed for couples — and children are not a good fit. Service is personal rather than full-service grand hotel, and the restaurant can be busy and lively below you in the evening. The payoff is total atmosphere: in a city that trades on history and drama, no other address delivers so much of both.

Location: the castle is a minute's walk up the hill, the Scotch Whisky Experience and the Camera Obscura are neighbours, and the Royal Mile descends from the door. Victoria Street and the Grassmarket are a few minutes below. The flip side is that Castlehill is one of the busiest spots in Edinburgh by day; by night, after the tour groups leave, it becomes peaceful and atmospheric, which is exactly when Witchery guests enjoy it most. Taxis can reach the top of the Mile, but bring luggage you can carry a short distance on cobbles.

Price and booking: rates sit at the very top of the Edinburgh market, reflecting the tiny number of suites. Book far in advance for weekends and the festival season, and reserve dinner at the same time — staying here without eating downstairs misses half the point. The 5% city visitor levy applies to the first five nights. For anniversaries, proposals, honeymoons and anyone who wants Edinburgh at its most theatrical, this is the one.