The Dunstane Houses

If you’re after an intimate and luxurious guesthouse vibe, this boutique hotel, a 10-minute stroll from the West End, is the answer.

Family-run and friendly, it’s peppered with personal touches, such as the old photos of island life hung by its Orkney-born owners.

Two hotels in one, there are 35 rooms split between this William Playfair-designed mansion and Hampton House across the road.

The open-plan lounge and bar has deep velvet sofas and a scattering of tables where you can grab a light bite or settle in with a dram.

It’s a bit like staying with wealthy Edinburgh friends – a home-from-home with benefits – and free parking. Not to be sniffed at in Edinburgh.