The Four Sisters Boatel
Location: Lochrin Basin, Union Canal, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH3 9NY, Edinburgh, GB
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Property Type: Apartments
About this Property
Unique Accommodation Experience
Stay on a boat in the heart of Edinburgh at The Four Sisters Boatel. Enjoy the comfort of individually decorated guestrooms with fully equipped kitchens, private balconies, and modern amenities.
Relaxation and Recreation
Take advantage of the on-site garden and terrace, or rent a bicycle to explore the city. Unwind at the picnic area or fire up the barbecue grills for a cozy evening.
Ideal Location and Nearby Attractions
Conveniently located near popular landmarks such as Princes Street, Grassmarket, and the University of Edinburgh, The Four Sisters Boatel offers easy access to Edinburgh's top attractions.
Book now for a unique and unforgettable stay in Edinburgh aboard The Four Sisters Boatel.
Important Information
- This property's policy is to refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, including pre-wedding stag/bachelor and hen/bachelorette parties.
- Up to 2 children 10 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.
- Cashless payment methods are available for all transactions.
- Contactless check-in and contactless check-out are available.
Policies
Check-in: 04:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Instructions: There is no front desk at this property. To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation. If you are planning to arrive after 7:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests planning to arrive outside of normal check-in hours will receive an email with special check-in instructions and key retrieval information. The host will greet guests on arrival.
Amenities & Facilities
- Meeting rooms
- Boat tours nearby
- Proposal/romance packages available
- Express check-out
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Boat on site
- Terrace
- Garden
- Luggage storage
- Express check-in/check-out
- Street parking
- Outdoor furniture
- Picnic area
- ATM/banking
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Kayaking nearby
- Rafting nearby
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Express check-out
- Marina on site
- Meeting rooms
- Smoke-free property
- Billiards or pool table
- Grocery/convenience store
- Free grocery shopping service
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Boat tours nearby
- Games
- Infant/toddler toys
- Couples/private dining
- Private picnics
- Proposal/romance packages available
- Children's games
- Children's toys
- Boat on site
- Motor boating nearby
- Fishing nearby
- Casino nearby
- Personal motor watercraft nearby
- Swimming nearby
- Coin laundry on site
- Food and water bowls
- Secured bicycle storage
- Bicycle parking available
- Bicycle repair station
Rooms Available
-
Luxury Cabin (The Wee Sisters Houseboat)
2 Double Beds
660-sq-foot individually decorated room with a balcony
Layout - 2 bedrooms, living room, and dining area
Relax - In-room massage available
Internet - WiFi
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV, digital channels, and iPod dock
Food & Drink - Kitchen with refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, and cookware/dishware
Sleep - Select Comfort bed, Egyptian cotton linens, a down duvet, blackout drapes/curtains, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, bathrobes, bathtub or shower, and a shower/tub combination or a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Washer/dryer, iron/ironing board, and safe
Comfort - Heating
Need to Know - No housekeeping, no cribs (infant beds) or rollaway/extra beds available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 5 (5 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Refrigerator
- DVD player
- Microwave
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Kitchen
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Stovetop
- Toaster
- Dining table
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Shampoo
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Designer toiletries
- Premium bedding
- Separate sitting area
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- In-room massage available
- Separate dining area
- Down comforter
- Sleep Number by Select Comfort mattress
- Rainfall showerhead
- Separate living room
- No rollaway/extra beds
- No cribs (infant beds)
- Separate bedroom
- Dryer
- Bedsheets provided
- Highchair
- No housekeeping
- Soap
- Baby monitor
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
-
Luxury Cabin (Camillia Houseboat)
2 Double Beds, 1 Twin Bunk Bed and 1 Twin Sofa Bed
660-sq-foot individually decorated room with a balcony
Layout - 3 bedrooms, living room, and dining area
Relax - In-room massage available
Internet - WiFi
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV, digital channels, and iPod dock
Food & Drink - Kitchen with refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, and cookware/dishware
Sleep - Select Comfort bed, Egyptian cotton linens, a down duvet, blackout drapes/curtains, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, bathrobes, bathtub or shower, and a shower/tub combination or a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Washer/dryer, iron/ironing board, and safe
Comfort - Heating
Need to Know - No housekeeping, no rollaway/extra beds available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 8 (8 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Refrigerator
- DVD player
- Microwave
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Kitchen
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Stovetop
- Toaster
- Dining table
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Shampoo
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Designer toiletries
- Premium bedding
- Separate sitting area
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- In-room massage available
- Separate dining area
- Down comforter
- Sleep Number by Select Comfort mattress
- Rainfall showerhead
- Separate living room
- No rollaway/extra beds
- Separate bedroom
- Dryer
- Bedsheets provided
- Highchair
- No housekeeping
- Soap
- Baby monitor
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
-
Luxury Cabin (Houseboat - 2 double & 1 bunk bed)
2 Double Beds, 1 Twin Bunk Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed
660-sq-foot individually decorated room, balcony with canal views
Layout - 2 bedrooms, living room, and dining area
Relax - In-room massage available
Internet - WiFi
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV, digital channels, and iPod dock
Food & Drink - Kitchen with refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, and cookware/dishware
Sleep - Select Comfort bed, Egyptian cotton linens, a down duvet, blackout drapes/curtains, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, bathrobes, bathtub or shower, and a shower/tub combination or a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Washer/dryer, double sofa bed, and iron/ironing board; cribs (free) available on request
Comfort - Heating
Need to Know - No housekeeping, no rollaway/extra beds available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 8 (6 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Refrigerator
- DVD player
- Microwave
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Kitchen
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Stovetop
- Toaster
- Dining table
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Bottle of water
- Shampoo
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Designer toiletries
- Premium bedding
- Separate sitting area
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- In-room massage available
- Separate dining area
- Down comforter
- Sleep Number by Select Comfort mattress
- Rainfall showerhead
- Separate living room
- No rollaway/extra beds
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Separate bedroom
- Dryer
- Bedsheets provided
- Highchair
- No housekeeping
- Soap
- Baby monitor
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Guest Reviews
- Susan (8/5): Life on the water in a historic city! - The Four Sisters was a unforgettable experience I would recommend. The location is convenient to the historical sites and museums of Edinburgh. We were fortunate to be there during the local canal festival and were able to learn more about the area and join the community. The staff was helpful and just a text away. The plumbing is a bit tricky but you are on a boat and once we got the hang of it, there were no problems
- Ryan (2/5): Book with caution - Not recommended - Unfortunately we would highly recommend that anyone with families to approach with caution and Do Not Book this. Due to the experience and what happened, awful experience overnight, we would not recommend this hotel due to the danger posed to our family. The issue is the location of the boat, this is open to the public with zero appropriate security protections in place. In the middle of the night, a Group of drunk males started with banging on the boat, followed by breaking in and attempting the doors. We got lucky as they ran off but in the event they had other ideas, our children and ourselves could have been in severe danger. This was a ‘near miss’. Unfortunately the management of the boat are declining to fully refund the stay despite the above, which is simply disgraceful. The stress this has caused since with hours on the phone to hotels.com and the danger we were all put in, is simply not worth it. In addition to this, unfortunately the owner lied to us by saying this had never happened in 15years and yet her colleague who came to clean the boat discussed that it also happened to him and his friends. This could be very dangerous. Images of the location of the boat attached. Book with caution. This review is unfortunately factual events and is no form of slander.
- Ngoc Hoa (8/5): - Good for kids, nice and neat boatel.
- Caroline (10/5): Perfect - Clean, amazing location, easy check in and check out, hassle free, would definitely recommend. It was such a cheerful trip, nike quirky accommodation in the city centre with everything you need.
- Millie (10/5): - Great location and stay. check in could have been earlier. Only down side was smell from toilet which is understandable though due to drainage. Shower and toilet external block was great and not far. 100% would stay again
- Verified traveler (8/5): - Enjoyed the experience. Would visit again. Owner very friendly. Only thing that let down slightly was the wifi and tv signal would have been good to have them at night but didnt unfortunately.
- Martyn (8/5): - A nice break away, we were a family of 5 and it was all a little cramped. That said a great experience for the kids and they are now asking about a boating holiday. Shower and EC were small (but expected as a narrow boat), mattresses were a little bumpy All in all a nice weekend break away, that was a break from the normal hotels we stay in - we would recommend for a city break
- Verified traveler (10/5): - Propriétaire très agréable et très gentille. Bon accueille et emplacement excellent avec l'originalité en prime
- Al (8/5): Nice place, good location. - A different and quirky place to stay, well placed for the centre and definitely cheaper for a family as opposed to a hotel with the same space and facilities. My only criticism was that every single one of the provided DVD's we tried to watch (about 20 in all) was either so scratched it wouldn't work at all, or worked and then crashed once 20 minutes in. Overall great but just in need of a touch up.
- ANDREW (10/5): - A great location and lovely boat. Owners met us and showed us around. Something different compared to the normal city centre hotel, just a pity the rain stopped us sitting out on deck. Would recommend it.
- Verified traveler (4/5): - The lady was very helpful and the boatel was quirky. it wasn't clean however and several of the windows were broken so couldn't be opened and had sharp bits on the catch. It appears due a refurb. The roller blinds were dusty as were the skirtings and by the heaters/radiators. One of the roller blinds kept falling off and the knob on the door to the shower/wc room was loose (and fell off a few times). The bedding didn't feel clean, smelled odd and the rooms were dusty. The inside of the windows were dirty. There was a duvet squashed behind the sofa and another on the top bunk with no cover on it. We had 3 young children with us, one had to use a duvet without a cover on. There was noise from revellers at the nearby bar and on their way back from a night out- latest disturbances were 3am then 6am. I regret paying £180 (then £15 for parking) for the one night- didn't seem worth it at all unfortunately.
- Mr Burns (10/5): A truly different awesome experience - Amazing stunning accommodation, Kids loved it!
- Lisa (6/5): Fun but a little disappointing. - We absolutely loved being in Edinburgh as it is a beautiful city. However we felt a little disappointed with the accommodation. The online photographs were taken quite a few years ago and the boat has now begun to look a bit to red. The door which albeit had a lock on, was not very secure when inside and this worried me having three children on board. Also it was extremely drafty beside the bunk beds as this is situated next to the door. This was due to the hatch above the door not quite fitting leaving gaps either side. However I am sure this could be fixed making the accommodation a lot warmer and safer. There is access to a shower and toilet block which was a god send as the onboard facilities are limited and as expected without space. In terms of what you get, go with the expectations of being on a boat, space is limited. The location of the boatel is ideally placed for local amenities with restaurants near by and a Tesco just round the corner. If you have young children bear in mind that the restaurants have outdoor seating which plays music late into the night. However I am sure the majority of people on these trips have older children that would enjoy being able to sit outside till late taking in the busy atmosphere of Edinburgh at its best. I enjoyed the experience of living on a boat and my children thought it was an adventure. For me personally though once was enough. Overall the holiday was that of mixed emotions a fun exciting yet tiring break.
- Andrew (10/5): Rocking digs in Edinburgh - Fantastic stay in one of the more unusual rooms in Edinburgh. Once you are over the initial shock that you are on a boat, it's a great base of operations or even somewhere to stay in and chill out.
- Angela (10/5): Quirky and quaint... lovely place to stay - The Boatel was lovely and surprisingly spacious. Bedrooms were very comfortable and despit the time of year it was very warm. Only thing to be aware of is that the bunk beds are only really suitable for children. Really enjoyed our stay and would like to return. Owner was very friendly and helpful also. Cost just under £5 to get from Haymarket station in a taxi.
- David (8/5): Hotel with a difference - Stayed on the Four Sisters Boatel with our three boys who enjoyed the novelty of staying on a boat. The boat has two bed rooms and a bunk bed so has plenty of space. Well situated the boatel is within easy walking distance of the center of Edinburgh. Metered paking is close by which was fine for a short stay, for longer stays check parking options in advance. There are local bars, cafes and shops just a few steps away. Natalie was the perfect hostess.
Photos
