Overview

The Apex Grassmarket Hotel nestles in the heart of Edinburgh's bustling Grassmarket. Situated a short distance down from the Royal Mile and nearby to Greyfriar's Kirk, the National Museum of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland

Transport & Parking

The Hotel has the benefit of its own on site car park. There is some on street parking directly outside the hotel but it can be busy during the day. Public transport is good in this area of the city. There is a taxi rank right outside the front door, a bus service passes through the Grassmarket and many of the tour buses stop opposite. The hotel is a short taxi ride from the railway stations at Waverley and Haymarket

Access

Access in and around the building At first glance getting in the building looks to be straightforward but closer inspection shows there are steps once you enter the main entrance. The steps lead up to the reception area. Signs by the door direct guests to the wheelchair accessible entrance. Just to the left of the main door street entrance is a large permanent ramp that goes up and around to the side entrance of the hotel and onto the patio. Double manually operated doors lead from the patio area into the side entrance foyer to the hotel. Once inside you go down some steps to reception or opt to use the platform lift (it has a weight capacity of up to 230Kg so may not suit some powerchair users). If you’re a powerchair user like me the platform lift may not be suitable but that isn’t a problem as staff are happy to provide reception services “remotely". You don’t need to go to the reception level to access the bedrooms as these are accessed from the twin lifts that stop at the patio level (the accessible entrance). Each lift has a large door clearance at 100 cm and the depth of the lift I used was 120 cm. The lift was large enough to allow me to easily turn my powerchair through 180 degrees. The hotel has a swimming pool, bar, restaurant and breakfast area. These were all accessible but you do have to take a different route to get to some of them. Access in the accessible bedrooms and bathrooms The accessible bedroom was surprisingly large and spacious. No having to negotiate tight corners with my powerchair. The wide bedroom door, 85 cm door clearance, opens to reveal a spacious area which had two armchairs and a coffee table. The wet room was easy to wheel into and had space for transfer on the left of the toilet (as you look at it). The shower area had a glass screen and level access. We were told that the glass screen could be removed if guests would find it easier without it. Unusually, a good shower stool was provided. The wet room door was the same width as the bedroom door at 85 cm. Access in the dining area Breakfast in the hotel is served in the breakfast room on one of the upper levels. It came as a great surprise when I wheeled in to be greeted with an amazing room with large glass windows giving one of Edinburgh's finest views of the castle. Getting into the room was easy with wide double doors and plenty of space to move around. The furniture is all moveable so access can be adjusted according to need. There is also a lounge, bar and dining area at street level. To get to this requires guests to pass through reception and the steps down to reception and then to ground level. An alternative route via the side door (patio area) ramp and out on to the street and then back in the main entrance gives access for wheelchair users. Access to other facilities The hotel does have a swimming pool and other spa style facilities. This area does have an accessible changing room. The route for wheelchair users to get to the changing area, other facilities and onward to the swimming pool takes a different route to avoid the steps. Getting to the swimming pool follow a similar route to the bar and dining area.

Toilets

Staff

The staff we met were very helpful and keen to make our visit an enjoyable one. They acknowledged that sometimes it was difficult because of the style of the building but were very good at offering alternative routes and solutions.

Photos