Top 10: the best Edinburgh airport hotels
An insider's guide to the best hotels near Edinburgh airport, including the best for free shuttles, parking and comfortable bedrooms, in locations including Ratho and South Queensferry.
The Bridge Inn, Ratho
Ratho may only be 20 minutes by car from the city centre, but it feels like a secluded country village. Better still, it’s only 10 minutes (about £18 in a taxi) from Edinburgh airport. Graham and Rachel Bucknall have worked miracles, adding attractive, individual bedrooms and a great restaurant to this traditional pub, tucked neatly between a pretty stone bridge and the Union Canal. The cooking is exceptional, with talented head chef Ben doing wonderful things with good Scottish fish and game, properly hung beef, and pork from their own fat and sassy pigs. Breakfast is a fine indulgence too.
Read the full review: The Bridge Inn, Ratho
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Novotel Edinburgh Park
A budget hotel with suites, a fitness centre and a swimming pool? All this and a restaurant that serves everything from fish finger sandwiches to king prawn ramen. It’s wildly child-friendly: up to two children can stay in a family room with their parents for free (their breakfast is free, too); there’s a play area and children’s menus. Edinburgh Park tram station is a short walk away, for a 10-minute ride to the airport.
Dakota Hotel, South Queensferry
A sinister black tower in an unprepossessing retail park just south of the Forth bridges hides a sleek and sexy hotel. This is a luxurious take on bare brick hipster-chic, impressively well-executed. For a busy 182-bedroom hotel it has a surprisingly intimate feel, with a relaxed restaurant and superb service. It’s good for the airport (15 minutes away) and there are frequent trains to the city from Dalmeny railway station, five minutes from the hotel. Complimentary airport transfers Monday-Friday (must be pre-booked).
Read the full review: Dakota Hotel
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Dalmahoy Marriott Hotel and Country Club
Start your holiday in luxurious style in a country house hotel, set in more than 1,000 acres of parkland. Play a round of golf, have a beauty treatment in the spa or indulge in a champagne afternoon tea. Go for a ‘period suite’ in the main house, built in 1720, for the full atmospheric effect. If it was good enough for Mary Queen of Scots… It’s 4.5 miles from the airport, a taxi costs about £15 and guests can leave cars at the hotel, free of charge.
Marriott Edinburgh
This boxy white hotel off a busy junction looks a bit dated, but inside there’s a soothingly smart hotel with a good restaurant, spa and indoor pool. It’s two miles from the airport, but a fast and frequent airport bus service stopping right outside the hotel will also get you into the city centre quickly and easily. Park Here, Fly There package (from £129) gets you a room, 15 nights’ parking and one-way transport to the airport, without breakfast.
Hilton Edinburgh Airport Hotel
Anyone looking for a full-service hotel within walking distance of the terminal (there’s a two-minute shuttle service), should consider this hotel. It’s a corporate study in brown throughout, but there’s an indoor pool, sauna, steam room and fitness room to help you unwind, as well as a beauty salon if you need a spruce up, and a decent restaurant. Business-like rooms have all the amenities you would expect.
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Holiday Inn Express, Edinburgh Airport
Arriving in the wee small hours of the morning? There’s a 24-hour shuttle service from the airport to this nearby hotel. The chain acquired a tired old hotel and gave it a comprehensive facelift, creating comfortable bedrooms (including large rooms with sofa beds) with gleaming bathrooms. You can have a drink in the cosy lobby, dinner is available in the evening and a free buffet breakfast in the morning. Park, Stay and Go packages from £90, breakfast included.
Orocco Pier, South Queensferry
With its pretty cobbled high street hugging the Firth of Forth and glorious views of the Forth bridges, charming, ancient South Queensferry is a pleasing alternative to staying in nearby Edinburgh. Bus stops with regular services to the city are two minutes' walk away, Dalmeny rail station is a (steep) 15-minute stroll and Edinburgh airport a 15-minute, £25 taxi ride away. Lovely walks, too, past the historic Hawes Inn (featured in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped) and along the coast through the Dalmeny Estate.
Read the full review: Orocco Pier, South Queensferry
Norton House Hotel & Spa, Ingliston
Driving down the long front avenue through 50-odd impeccably landscaped acres it is hard to believe there’s an airport only two miles away – the only clue is the soft growl of passing jets. This pretty early 19th-century mansion house, with 83 bedrooms, two restaurants and an impressive spa and health club, is a comfortable stepping off point for flights or a peaceful alternative to staying in the city. It's five minutes by taxi from the airport (about £9).
Read the full review: Norton House Hotel & Spa
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Premier Inn, Edinburgh Park (The Gyle)
There’s a branch closer to the airport, but this one is newer, nicer and right next to the Edinburgh Park tram station. From there it’s a 10-minute ride to the airport; or 20 minutes in the other direction to the city centre. Freeview TV and free Wi-Fi help pass the time and children eat breakfast for free in the Thyme restaurant, which also serves kid-friendly favourites like hotdogs and burgers. Family and fully-accessible rooms available.