Exterior

Reviews of The Valentine - City Centre Rooms

3 out of 5
The Valentine - City Centre Rooms
19-21 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh, Scotland

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 26 out of 90 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 38 out of 90 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 16 out of 90 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 90 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 90 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Sophie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The location was ideal for exploring. A fast walk to the castle and royal mile and bus stops a few feet from the door for any other exploring you may want to do. There are some great restaurants and a couple of groceries stores within a few hundred feet. The staff and the room itself were wonderful! Everything was very clean and everyone was so kind. We would definitely stay here again in the future!
Stayed 5 nights in May 2023
Response from Ross on Jun 16, 2023
Thank you so much for your review and kind words, it was a pleasure to have you stay with us for your Edinburgh trip.Best WishesRoss

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Colin

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service
Like: good location and friendly service. Didn't like: room could be done up a bit.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jessica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place to stay in Edinburgh
I highly recommend this hotel. Location is perfect. Our room on the first floor was spacious, comfortable, clean. (Our family members staying on the top floor had a much smaller room, though.) Had a great view of the back garden and church steeple from the window. Very quiet considering you are in the middle of the city. Self check-in was easy. Staff was friendly and helpful. Wifi works great. No breakfast included.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Rob and VIcky on Sep 22, 2021
Thank you so much for such a positive review and maximum score, it was a pleasure to have you stay with us, your family members were indeed in a lower priced and smaller room. We have removed breakfast from all our prices now as is becoming more common so that people have the option, and we have so many great cafe options nearby serving all day that we may remove it completely in the future. Thank you again for staying with us and for all those kind words! Best Regards Rob and Vicky

8/10 Good

Karim

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Location
Great Location
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Rob and Vicky on Sep 21, 2021
Thank you for your review and for choosing us for your Edinburgh stay.

10/10 Excellent

Oren

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Rob and Vicky on Aug 31, 2021
Thank you so much for such a positive review - it was a pleasure to have you and your children stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

Warren

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay
Very welcoming, huge family room and great location
Stayed 2 nights in May 2021
Response from Rob/Vicky on Jun 1, 2021
Thank you so much for your review and the kind words. It was a pleasure to have you stay with us. Best Wishes

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was a nice place to stay, a walking distance to the old town.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2020
Response from Rob on Mar 18, 2020
Thank you for your review, we're glad you enjoyed your stay!

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We left the property, it was dirty and the owner was rude
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Rob on Feb 16, 2020
As we write this review to the side we see a summary of previous reviews stating staff 100%, value 99% and breakfast 96% and so on... During their short time with us these guests in front of several witnesses threatened bad reviews unless we paid them (we hadn't charged them for their room). This ended the conversation and here is the resultant malicious review. Bad apples.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It was a good walking distance to Olde Town - fine for us. Monica and staff were always helpful. Breakfast was adequate with good timing. Room always clean - down side is it was quite small. But we managed and we enjoyed our stay.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Rob on Sep 23, 2019
Thank you for your review and for choosing us for your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Rui

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Rob on Sep 3, 2019
Thank you so much for a perfect score - it was a pleasure to have you stay with us!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Rob on Sep 3, 2019
Thank you so much for staying with us and providing a high score!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Easy access to West Eng, good value for money, quiet, lovely view from room
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Rob on Apr 24, 2019
Thank you for your review and kind comments!!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Property was in a prime location, just 10/15 minute walks into the main stripe. Staff we're very friendly and happy to help and the breakfast was mighty! What more could you ask for in accommodation!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Rob and Vicky on Feb 19, 2019
Thank you so much for your review and kind words - we're so glad you had a good time in Edinburgh!

8/10 Good

Norma, Glasgow

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One night's stay
We find this a lovely stay but am glad it was only for one night as the description said private bathroom but this was shared. We only went in that evening and went out to our night out right away and were back late. I woke up at 4 p.m. having to go to toilet but I had to wake my husband up as I could not get in. It was locked. I think we must have woken other people up too. Don't know why a toilet has to be locked when no-one is in. The breakfast was very good with plenty of choice but the coffee seemed very weak, almost watery really.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Rob on Nov 2, 2018
Thank you for your review, good score and high marks in particular for location and staff. You booked a room with a private external bathroom and there seems to be some completely unnecessary confusion over this as this was exactly what was provided. WE HAVE NO SHARED BATHROOMS. You state that you were surprised to find it locked and wondered why this is the case. It is the case simply because YOU had the only key to it, being your private bathroom, there was no reason to think it was shared. In this way no one else can use it (and all have their own of course). It can only be locked from the outside by the guest, if you choose to leave it unlocked then it would be unlocked, but you did not choose so. It is an important point as we would not want potential guests to think we do (or are allowed to) supply anything other than the room that you select. Thank you again for staying with us.

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Had a great stay!
We had a brilliant time. The staff at the hotel are friendly, the hotel itself is lovely, and it's conveniently located. This is the second time we've stayed here and we definitely would again. Breakfast was great as well.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017
Thank you so much for the kind words and recommendation. It was a pleasure to have you stay with us. Many Thanks Rob and Vicky

6/10 Okay

gerald

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017
Thank you for your review, without any comment it is hard to respond to reviews, but thank you for staying with us.

2/10 Terrible

Steve, Sylva NC

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing stay in dirty too small room
We booked this place for 3 adults. The room had barely room for the two beds so only one person could stand at a time. The shower was dirty, moldy, and did not drain. Hotel provided 3 tiny packets of shampoo on first day and nothing for next 2 days. The hotel was dated and dingy. Poor location and quite a walk to central Edinburgh. Not worth the money.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2017
Response from Rob on Jul 22, 2017
We welcome all feedback but this review has some serious factual flaws and misconceptions, which we will work through for the benefit of other guests. We're glad to hear that the breakfasts stood out despite the list of complaints. We have absolutely no idea where the guests were travelling to get to the Royal Mile, we provide maps and there is this big Castle thing visible from around the corner to guide anyone without a map. It is correct that it is not 20 to 30 minutes away - it is 10 to 15 minutes away, but don't take our word for this - take a look at Google Maps which will inform you it is 900m (but mostly uphill). Such inaccuracy p[erhaps casts doubt on the rest of the review. The idea that only one person can stand at a time in the room is as comical as it is wrong. There are pictures of the room provided during booking, it did not shrink before arrival, nor can it be expected to grow after 200 years at the same size. The history of the building is cheriushed by most guests, but these guests clearly feel more steel and glass would help. We would be concerned at a report of a shower being dirty, but to throw it that it would not drain is a relief as we do not believe this to be true - if it was surely any guest would report it and have it remedied, but of course there was no such communication. The location we would contend is not such much good as fantastic, we are in central Edinburgh by any definition and a comfortable walk to all the main attractions without being subject to the noise of the most central streets. Finally, we provide a basic starter set of toiletries - even though we do not advertise free toiletries, plus a there is a self-service display of a wide range of toiletries, rather than being grateful for this, this guest simply wants more...

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
a 20 minute walk into town
All what you would expect from a b&b

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great location
Close to everything in Edinburgh-staff was very helpful with directions around town, calling for a cab, answering questions. Lovely breakfast every morning! Thanks for a great visit!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

8/10 Good

jack, Gloucester

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The location and cost offsets this B&B
The four poster bed, was just a frame with a mattress inset in the frame. The room is at the top of the old building so lots of stairs, it was comfortable but we were only sleeping and changing, I would not want to be stuck in the room for long periods of time. The local area is not the best, but it is close to the city and Castle as advertised. The staff are very helpful, giving information on places to go and see around the city. Parking is very limited and would not be any good for large or expensive cars. The breakfast is very filling and if they had more vegetarian options, it would be really good.

6/10 Okay

Allison, Ashtead

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Good find
We stayed here for 5 nights and the room was small but very clean and plenty of tea & coffee supplies.The bathroom was clean & tidy. The breakfast was lovely with plenty to choose from, the staff was very friendly and informative of the area. The quest house is within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street and Grass Market. Definitely stay here again very convenient for sightseeing around Edinburgh.

6/10 Okay

Maxine, Christchurch

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Close to Local Attractions and Restaurants
Room appeared tired and small with a very small shower. There are 34 rooms over 3 floors but there is no lift/elevator so you need to carry your luggage up and down the stairs. Breakfast choices were great and the staff friendly and helpful with directions and sightseeing and able to book trips etc direct on your behalf. Very close to restaurants and sights etc. A mixup with keys meant a 1 hour wait (and a few tears) as unable to contact management to resolve. Another couple had the same issue and turned out the keys had been mixed up.

8/10 Good

Matthew, Masterton, New Zealand

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly helpful people

10/10 Excellent

Lorenzo, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The best B&B ever experienced
We never had a so amazing experience in a B&B. Or better I just had a similar experience once, in Japan and not in a B&B but in a 4 stars hotel!! The owners were very kind, friendly, helpful. I never imagined to find a so big room with full of facilities and amazing typical Scottish breakfast! I will actually come back asap. Just in that small B&B .

6/10 Okay

Gary, Sydney

Edinburgh hotel
Well located close to the Edinburgh CBD. Parking is very tight so only small cars welcome. Breakfast is good but the hotel is a bit of a maze if you are on one of the upper levels. Wifi is also patchy. Bus stop is outside of door almost. Cute hotel though.

8/10 Good

Pat, VA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Reasonable prices, historic home, center of city!
The small staff is lovely! We 2 stayed in a small, single room for a week and moved to a larger room at no extra cost after I extended my stay 1 day. Guest house is an 1800s townhouse converted into rooms, not the Hilton. Is it eco friendly with low flow showers and radiators off at night (Oct, anyway). I liked being on the street side but other rooms are available. Check in before 1400 or the door is locked and staff gone as noted on booking site/home page. Before leaving the US, get UK phone service for your cell or go to the closest bar after1400 and hope the bartender will lend you his cell to call them for your mailbox number, code, and keys. One can buy a SIM card or phone there w/ minutes-- inexpensive.

8/10 Good

W Needham, Durham, NC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Great Little Guest House
Valentine City Center Guest House is a real gem. Two main bus lines at the end of the block make this location near everything in the city. King’s Theater is at the end of the block. The owners, Vicky and Rob are charming and the staff is helpful. Make no mistake, this is an old building so it does have a few quirks, but that adds to the charm. The room was cozy and clean with a bathroom. There is a full Scottish breakfast for those that can eat that much, first thing in the morning. They even manage to fit in parking in a creative way. Well worth the money!

2/10 Terrible

Jagdies

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Valentine city guest house
The hotel owner are good but hotel Should not even included into hotel.com As it will pull the hotels.com reputation down It is not value for money Asked towels to be replaced they put the soiled one back on the racks Bath room was outside the room Shower was as if it would die any moment All the place look as it is botched up Now breakfast looks like all the items bought from pound land very poor It has been one of my worst hotel stay Should stay away from it

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Edinburgh is fantastic!
Owners were really kind! Quite neighborhood. We had a private bathroom but we had to go in the hall and use our key to unlock our private bathroom which was kind of a hassle.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Love to come back!
Great location. Lovely hosts. Breakfast was very good. Beautiful city. Would definitely love to come back and stay here again.

8/10 Good

Peter, Toronto, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great location. Within walking distance of everyth
A little off-putting at first. Once we were inside and met our hosts all was well. The rooms are worn (it is a 200 year old building) but everything was clean and comfortable. Breakfast was good and you don't go hungry.

10/10 Excellent

peter, torquay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
sight seeing in Edinburgh. valentines very central to city. Rob was very helpful pointing us in the right direction, buses shops, etc

8/10 Good

Voon Kean, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good location good breakfast.
Good location, walking distance to castle and Royal Mile. But the triple room is very small.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Guest house in city center
The guest house is operated like a B&B and does pretty well. It is located in a short walking distance from the city center with plenty of restaurants around. Parking however is a problem with the guest house as well as a calm and deep sleep. At least that was the case for our stay. We booked the Luxury Four-Poster and were really pleased by the style, size and cleaniness of the room. However, during nighttime the fridge in the room was constantly making noises and early in the morning some other doors in the house were slammed or we closed very noisily. That is really sad comparing the effort the owners put into sealing the windows against noises from outside.

10/10 Excellent

Grant and Sara, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect stay! Great for those visiting scotland!
We have had a wonderful time! We stayed in 2 different rooms because we added an extra day to our stay after we had already booked the first room... the 1st room was the luxury room and was gorgeous! beautiful and clean and also classic and uniquely styled! Not just amother boring hotel! We stayed there 2 nights and then switched to a standard room which was also lovely! A bit smaller and we had a separate private bath bUT it was still very comfortable. Best part was the breakfast! Great for those who are visiting scotland in part for the food! Full scottish breakfast you can customize and generous portions! Plus unlimited coffee and lots of hot toast! Bonus points for being served at decent hours ... u can eat early if u want but if u want to sleep in a bit too u can still get food! They don't have 24 hour reception but they manage later arrivals in a really easy way so don't stress.... just email them and let them know when u will be arriving and they will get u sorted! The owners are super nice and so helpful and accommodating! 20 stars!

8/10 Good

Martin, Tacoma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved our stay ay Valentine
Rob and Vicki were great. Very helpful and informative. Good breakfast with many options. Castle and Royal mile are walkable from the guesthouse. Parking is a bit of a challenge in Edinburgh, but they have spots you can reserve.

8/10 Good

Mark, Cheshire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Three Day Break
Great location, small but cosy room, helpful & very friendly staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our two night stay.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent place
It was in a very good location and clean and confortable. The couple who worked there are very nice and friendly.

8/10 Good

Maria, Hythe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Recommed for a short city stay
Good breakfast good location,

10/10 Excellent

Kayla, Kamloops, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic Little Guest House
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! The Owners and staff were so friendly and helpful. Our room was great and in perfect walking distance to everywhere we wanted to go in Edinburgh. Nice restaurants nearby and easy to catch public transport very near by. The room was clean and cozy, hot shower, free WiFi in the room. It was a wonderful experience and we wished we could have stayed longer!

6/10 Okay

Martijn

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Kind of dated hotel. It was clean but you could see everything was used heavily. The room was small but okay for two person, we had a three person room tho. In de room was carpet which made the bathroom door not able to open and close properly. In the bathroom was no room for toiletries and the shower had no ladge. The bed was okey but 1,40 m and a little hard. The personnel was very kind and there was a possibility to store luggage after checking out.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Ross on Dec 18, 2023
Dear Martijn,Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about our hotel. Although you received the room type you booked, we recognize that the overall experience did not meet your standards. We strive to provide our guests with comfortable and enjoyable accommodations, and we are disappointed that we fell short in this instance.We value your feedback and are committed to addressing the shortcomings you identified. We will be investing in renovations starting in January for 7 weeks to modernize our facilities and enhance the guest experience.Sincerely,Ross

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
In general, it was a comfortable stay and a great location in Edinburgh. The room was clean and I noticed the room was tidied daily while I was out for business. I believe the owners try their best to offer an excellent stay for guests. Nonetheless, I need to point out some issues. I have seen a mouse in my room. This might be an issue for the whole building. For this reason, one cannot bring any food inside. Also, there were no curtains so the room is already very bright early in the morning (in summer). The window is a single pane and might bring in cold air in winter, but room temperature wasn't an issue during my stay.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Rob on Sep 7, 2023
Thank you for your review, and the kind words. During the period of your stay a neighbouring property was having a bathroom ripped out and sadly it did send a few of their rodents our way it seems, we took steps to deal with any instances when reported and that was always successful. Our building mostly features the original shutters, painstakingly reinstated in a recent project, these provide excellent blackout, other rooms have thick blinds and some have curtains, since these changes no one else has commented on this for a year now so we don't feel any action is merited there. Equally, our state of the art argon filled double glazing is in every room without exception, the only way we could have modern standards within our historic original windows. They are not single pane and our recently upgraded central heating keeps the rooms as cosy as anyone should need in winter even before the improvements which were to ensure good high pressure hot water to all rooms, another previous problem area we have completely eliminated.

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We where in Edinburgh for our honeymoon and stayed in room 14. It was so nice, clean and cosy. We would definitely choose it again another time.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Ross on Sep 6, 2023
Hi Linda, Thank you for your review. All of us here at The Valentine wishing you the very best in married life.

8/10 Good

Heidi

Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Ross on Sep 6, 2023
Thank you for your review.

2/10 Terrible

Filippo

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Dirty dusty floor, broken wardrobe, dirty dusty bedsheets, stained pillows, bathroom towels that didn't seem properly hygenised.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2023
Response from Rob on Mar 29, 2023
An expected review from a bizarre situation. Strange that no other review on any other site has anything like such a review in years. The previous claim that it was 'not the advertised room' has been dropped as has the 'hallways needed hoovered' when the guests were arriving at 2.30AM 12 hours after the cleaners finished! But some new complaints have appeared to embellish the review all of which at odds with other guests reviews. Lets just wait and see if anyone else agrees, finds dust (inside the bed we were told), stains, unhygienic towels or a phantom broken wardrobe that no one else deems broken.

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great overall
Great overall, nice room with all necessities. Didnt meet the owners much but what little we spoke to them was very pleasant. Check in and checkout was very smooth.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2023
Response from Rob on Mar 19, 2023
Thank you so much for your review and kind words!

10/10 Excellent

patrik

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Rob on Dec 6, 2019
Thank you so much for a perfect score - it was a pleasure to have you all staying with us! Best Regards Rob and Vicky