The Stockbridge Snug by Calton Living

Hosts were very accommodating with key collection when we had a late arrival time

Kitchen could use with a bit of an update

Location

Bathroom was tiny, interesting that there are no photos of it on the booking pages.

As has been said by everybody Stockbridge is a very good location. Very good bus service to city centre and bus stop 5 mins walk away. Area has some 1st rate charity shops.The flat itself is typical of older Edinburgh properties which imposes certain limitations like size of bathroom. Kitchen is well equipped; bed is comfortable as are sofa and chair in living room. The bedroom is v. quiet as it faces an internal close. Kitchen and bedroom therefore nice and light.

Did not like having to provide photo ID which I thought unnecessarily intrusive. I have made many bookings with booking.com over the years and never been asked for photo ID. I thought this might be because the flat was somehow special - 'the Raeburn Residence '- but in fact it's a very ordinary flat. The kitchen is well equipped but there's nowhere to sit due to the design. The table in the living room is a bit small for 2 people eating; the large cupboard in the bedroom which could have been a wardrobe has been taken over by step ladder, a hoover and ironing board. There is quite enough room in the bedroom for a wardrobe but instead there is only a wonky hanging rail with 4 hangers. I would really have liked an information pack in the flat with details of heating system, appliances, (how TV works!) how/where to get bus for town, suggested places to visit and how to get there - such as one gets in most rented holiday flats instead of constant messages saying 'we hope you're enjoying your holiday and let us know if you need anything'. With a proper information pack this wouldn't be necessary. One minor detail - the window onto the street was filthy with street grime.

The access

The flat is in the nice neighbourhood - not as noisy and crowded as the city centre, but still you are rather close (by bus) to main attractions or train stations. There is a lot of cafes around, try them for breakfast or an early lunch. If you like browsing in second-hand shops, you would like this street as well (but beware, they are quite pricey!). I liked the design of the flat - that and the neighbourhood were two main pros and that's why I decided to book this flat. The living room and the kitchen are spacious, perfect to have a slow morning or a movie night. The bus stops are about 2 minutes walk from the flat and they can take you to the city centre. The kitchen is well equipped, they had one of best coffees I ever tried. The flat was tidy. The company which is representing the flat has a special app/site for all bookings, you get all the information via this site and booking.com, but some things (like sending photos of your IDs) you can do only via their online form. The check-in was easy, you pick up the keys from the shop across the street.

There is an Indian take-away restaurant down to the flat and the smell from it was overwhelming... We couldn't open the windows from about 5/6pm until the very late night (so exactly the time we were back from exploring the city), because in other way our flat was full of burning smell. We had to sit in with closed windows, but... they were passing the sounds and smells from the outside as well. As there were no window shutters, we couldn't block unnecessary light, sound and smell - the first night was hard. You would hear all the noises the neighbours make, especially on the staircase (banging the door all the time), because they are gaps between main door and their frames. There is no wardrobe (it's a mop room instead), we got a wonky clothes rail with only 4 (!) hangers, so we had to store most of our clothes in our bags. The shower was kinda okay, but the whole bathroom was tiny, I had to wash my hands, face and brush my teeth standing outside of the bathroom/toilet. It would be better to make a smaller kitchen and to extend the toilet. Maybe I wouldn't be so picky if the price was smaller. I know it's August, lots of tourists, festivals etc. around, but for the price I paid I could stay somewhere closer to the main city or for a longer time (yes, still in Edinburgh!). I think it would also be much fairer to inform that they require you to send them photos of your IDs BEFORE you make a booking. I was told about it AFTER I paid and made all of the planning - I didn't want to start it all over again, especially that most of the places were already booked... I understand that they need to know who is in the flat, but I think they are better ways to know it, especially now, when you hear about lots of scams. I was even more scared, because they were already a victim of phishing - few weeks before my stay I started to get lots of suspicious messages with links via booking.com from their profile.

Location was incredibly

Bathroom was really small, it should say something about that, but I would have booked anyway

Nice neighbourhood & easy to get into centre on 24 or 29 bus

Bathroom very very small. Also stairs only May not suit some guests with limited mobility.

A great base for exploring Stockbridge! The flat is lovely and quiet (despite being on a high street). There are plenty of eating, drinking, and shopping options easily within reach and transit too-- although Edinburgh is quite small so it's easy to walk most places. The flat is well-equipped for a stay: the kitchen supplied with pots/pans and a dishwasher and washing machine; the bath with soap and towels; and the bed with linens and extras if needed. The living room has a comfortable sofa and large tele in case you want to stay in. Check in and management is quite easy. It's all app and WhatsApp based, so easy communication all around!

This is an older building (not a new build) so the bathroom is relatively small-- if you're a larger size (height or width) it might not be the most comfortable.