Overview

The Caledonian sits toward the west end of Princes Street and is well placed for the transport links on Princes Street. With two accessible bedrooms and plenty of dining options as well as a spa the hotel has much to offer.

Transport & Parking

The hotel has its own car parking and an entrance from the car park directly in to the hotel. Conveniently placed, the hotel is a short distance from Princes Street and the many buses, trams, taxis and tour buses that travel along there.

Access

Access in and around the building: The main entrance has a traditional revolving door. Alongside is a small ramp built into the entrance and a wide access door. It was easy to get through and a concierge was quickly on hand to hold the door. Once in the building the reception is in front of you. There were plenty of staff on hand. The building is on several floors. One of many lifts leads from reception to the upper floors. My powerchair is quite large at 68 cm wide and 116 cm in length so I used the service lift – not that I knew it was a service lift until later. The wide corridors to the accessible bedrooms were amazing. Once had enough space for a seating area and a piano! Apparently this stems for from the days of ladies in the grand ball gowns not wishing to touch another lady’s gown as they swept along the corridor to the grand staircase. Access in the accessible bedrooms and bathrooms: The accessible bedroom was a surprise in that the door opened to reveal so much space. The room door had a clearance of 86 cm so plenty of room to wheel in. There were no tight corners and tricky turns to be done here! With access to both sides of the beds and a large seating area it was great. The accessible wet room was spacious and had a door the same size as the room door; again no tight turns. With an integral shower and plenty of space around the toilet it worked well for me. The two accessible rooms are identical. Access in the dining area: The hotel offers several items for dining or getting light refreshments. Peacock Alley offers a lounge style area where you can relax and admire the old station architecture or just watch the gentle movement of the station clock as time ticks away. The adjacent Brassiere provides breakfast and other dining options during the day. The hotel’s Pompadour restaurant offers fine dining and great views. I visited all three during my visit and they were all easy to get in and move around. Furniture could be moved to make access easier and the staff were magnificent. Access to other facilities: The hotel does have a spa and swimming pool. I ventured down to visit these and whilst not going as far as swimming I can confirm that there is an accessible changing room!

Toilets

There are several accessible toilets throughout the hotel. I visited two and they were large and easy to access.

Staff

The most noticeable aspect of the Caledonian for me had to be the staff. They were magnificent from the point of arrival to the reluctant moment of having to say “goodbye”.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The Caledonian was without doubt one of my favourite places for many reasons. Often it is the people that make the visit and help with accessibility. The staff here were fabulous and nothing was too much trouble. The small things lie having a good sized wet room, being able to use a lift that didn’t mean scrunching up, enjoying the opportunity to see the spa, to have some many options for dining or just soaking up the atmosphere …

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