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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Gary Armstrong

Inside Edinburgh's luxury floating hotel Fingal once visited by The Queen

With millions of visitors coming to our city each year, it's essential Edinburgh has more than enough accommodation to cope.

Obviously, when the Fringe is in town, the capital enjoys a temporary population boom, seeing hotels, bnbs and guesthouses booked out.

But all year-round, thousands from across the world, or those simply taking a short visit from Scotland or south of the border, are popping by to take in our beautiful city.

READ MORE: Beautiful bothy on Edinburgh's outskirts could be ultimate escape from city

Thankfully, for all these folks looking for a place to rest their head after a famous night out in the capital, there are plenty of options.

Visitors who are able to splash the cash a little will no doubt look towards the top TripAdvisor results to find Edinburgh's best hotel.

And in at number one is an overnight stay with a bit of a difference.

From 600 reviews left of the travel review website, 569 voted their stay onboard luxury liner Fingal as 'excellent', giving it the full five stars.

Permanently stationed on the Leith waterfront, near the popular shore, Fingal opened as a luxury floating hotel in 2019. Among its admirers is The Queen, who stepped aboard for some dinner three years ago.

The boat was previously used a lighthouse tender, but is now a 23 cabin boutique hotel featuring a ballroom, grand staircase and remarkable restaurant called The Lighthouse Bar, which has a "vast floor to ceiling window, thick granite bar and shimmering ceiling".

Guests can choose between a luxury cabin, duplex or suite, with the latter setting you back £1,500 - spare change for the Royal Family.

But for those priced out of an overnight stay, dinner at the highly-revered restaurant is often on the menu for many of Fingal's passengers.

Yet, out of the many excellent hotels in Edinburgh - we've got quite a few - why is this floating accommodation considered the best?

One TripAdvisor review reads: "Fingal was breathtaking! The decor is second to none, the staff impeccable and the food sensational."

Another said: "Once you get there it is like arriving at a little oasis.

"The whole experience is one of total relaxation in luxury surroundings, with a fabulous young team of staff who really want to make sure that you get the most from your experience."

And it seems for many, the star attraction onboard is the food and drink offering.

One review reads: "The food in the restaurant was first class, well cooked and presented (salmon, scallops, halibut) and the staff most helpful when we ordered our wine.

"Breakfast was also quite an experience with an extensive choice of food before we even got to the cooked dishes, again first class."

A further comment said: "It is clear the staff love their work on Fingal and this is reflected in the superb food. The celeriac starter was unusual with blue cheese espuma. Very tasty. The Halibut and pasta dish excellent with meaty fresh Halibut.

"Very much a treat and the outside world just melts away."

And one person suggested that despite the high price, their stay onboard Fingal was worth every penny.

They commented: "The boat is a masterpiece of modern design and old school charm, no detail has been left to chance and her history has not been lost in the conversion to luxury accommodation.

"I can be quite picky, setting the bar in line with price. Our stay on Fingal was... fabulous."

For a look inside Fingal, we've created a gallery which showcases what the luxury liner has to offer which you can click on above.

According to booking.com at the time of writing, the lowest price for a night aboard is £300. To find out more about about Fingal, you can visit their website here.

Have you stayed aboard Fingal? Or do you think another Edinburgh hotel is even better? Let us know in the comments!

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