04 June 2011
This pillow sold me on the whole place...
The last time I was in Edinburgh, I stayed at a hotel over in Bruntsfield. While a good deal, it was also far from all the places I love going to most while in town (Holyrood Park, The Royal Mile, Calton Hill...). During that last trip, while on my rounds, I passed by this charming group of buildings and thought, "Boy, would I love to live there!" Fast forward a little while after returning to NYC. I had befriended a lovely lady (via Twitter and my blog), named Susan, who rents out a self-catering holiday flat just off The Royal Mile. And guess where that flat is...
Yup. Serendipity seems to be knocking on my door in regard to Scotland all the time lately.
The first thing I want to mention about Craigwell Cottage...is that it is part of what used to be a brewery! We stayed somewhere beer used to be made! Hello!? Can you say, perfect? :)
Entrance to Craigwell
Craigwell Cottage was exactly what I was hoping for. Last time I wandered around Edinburgh, staying in my "far-flung" hotel, I thought..."I've been here too many times to be a tourist...I really would love to have my own space...more like a home."
And that home turned out to be Craigwell Cottage. My only complaint was that I wasn't able to stay longer! I would have indulged in a lot of cooking blog posts from Edinburgh, had I the time. Maybe when I return??? :)
You can't imagine how delighted I was to be able to return to a friendly face and cozy abode, in my favorite city, following the long (but lovely) trek from Iona. I sort of ran around the place filled with child-like glee. Like it was my first apartment or something. I guess, technically, it was my first Edinburgh apartment :)
I was horrified though, because on the train ride from Oban I realized that I'd given Susan the wrong arrival time. I'd gotten all smug with using the 24 hour clock and in my Iona haze I had given her a much earlier number. Bless her heart though, she took it all in stride (especially since there followed a blown fuse and near lockout incident...that she didn't find out about until after the fact, over cake. I must have seemed like a real loon!) I blame the Iona-Lag and my delirium of being back in my beloved Edinburgh. I don't think the enormous grin left my face until our final day...
Sara and I settled very quickly. It was beyond nice to be able to have our own rooms, get up and have tea and a first breakfast while taking full advantage of the free wifi in the living room.
Chilling out on the couch really gave me a sense of living in Edinburgh...a hotel just doesn't give you that...
Delicious Double Doors
Another amazing aspect of staying at Craigwell was that we had a direct path to one of my favorite places to eat, Clarinda's Tea Room. In fact, when the back door is open at Clarinda's you can see Craigwell. Can you believe that while I used to sit and have tea at Clarinda's I was staring right at my future Edinburgh lodgings? The Universe works in mysterious ways, no?
Returning from Clarinda's
The place is fully stocked with everything you would need...DVDs...an enormous floor puzzle called "Teddy Bear's Picnic" (which Sara and I tackled in a post pub, and possibly sugar or fried food induced, fit of silliness [I'll reveal pics at at a later date]).
A hop skip and a jump from Holyrood...we were able to go out for lunch and shopping...pop up to Calton Hill, say hello to Arthur's Seat...and then run home for a quick rest before going back out for dinner or a pint. We also ate in a couple times, which was a blessing after hoofing it all day. Having a home to rest our heads made all the difference.
One night, coming home, we had trouble with the gate and lo and behold, one of our neighbors was there to help us out. He even told us to knock on their door if we needed anything. We felt very safe and looked after.
I feel so grateful to have found this little gem and would stay there again in a heartbeat. Knowing me, I'll say hello every time I pass by, even when not.
I still wish I could live there :)
XO