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The Stevenson House
17 Heriot Row New Town, Edinburgh EH3 6HP Scotland
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About
4.5
#19 of 153 guest houses in EdinburghLocation
Cleanliness
Service
Value
A very central family home which welcomes you at all times of the year.Experience Edinburgh like a local,walk to the sights and let us help you make the most of your visit.Especially suited for family vacations as we have active children ourselves.French,German & Afrikaans, Literature and History spoken.An atmospheric,multicultural experience in the childhood home of R L Stevenson awaits you !
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Property amenities
Paid public parking on-site
Street parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Wifi
Free breakfast
Non-smoking hotel
Room features
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Private bathrooms
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Historic Hotel
Boutique
Languages Spoken
English, French, Afrikaans, German
Location
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 100 out of 100
100
191 Restaurants
within 0.3 miles
225Reviews1Q+A29Room tips
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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Detailed Reviews
The location of this marvellous confection is hard to beat - central yet opposite a gigantic private garden - it is the best of both worlds. The family who live here (and you will probably meet them all as they are fabulously friendly and able to chat about pretty much anything) have the most extraordinary and eclectic taste. Every room has history, literature, art abounding and even the most obscure comment will result in someone dashing off to find you the *very* book you need to gen up on the subject matter. Breakfast is a smorgasbord of traditional European cheese and cold cuts with toast and eggs as an option (Nutella is saved for Sundays, but I am sure if you ask nicely...) and cereal and fruit are always available. You couldn't ask for lovelier hosts and the fellow guests made for fascinating breakfast chats which added enormously to our stay.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Local information, especially obscure, is a speciality of the house - tours can be arranged.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I spent an amazing weekend in Edinburg with a friend.
The city is worth to be visited in any time of the year considering the amount of history everywhere you look, food and entertainment during Fringe that gives a plus and the people are just extremely delightful and friendly.
The cherry on top the cake is Felicita and John’s house, the place where we stayed. At the entrance the bell says, “It’s not a museum” but it is even more. It is a personal collection of painting, swords, sculptures and decorative trophies from every sort of cultore and country. Just a cultural and visual pleasure, that definitely helps to ease into the atmosphere.
Felicita and John are just fantastic hosts as well as their children that have been all polite and helpful. We met three of them and it was nice to spend breakfast time with Gioia and Lucia, very well mannered girls with their lovely names and the son, young boy, very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to.Everything we asked was satisfied and we have felt welcomed at any time. Breakfast is another highlight of our stay; homemade bread, jam and everything they prepare is fresh, on the table for their guests.
I highly recommend it
The city is worth to be visited in any time of the year considering the amount of history everywhere you look, food and entertainment during Fringe that gives a plus and the people are just extremely delightful and friendly.
The cherry on top the cake is Felicita and John’s house, the place where we stayed. At the entrance the bell says, “It’s not a museum” but it is even more. It is a personal collection of painting, swords, sculptures and decorative trophies from every sort of cultore and country. Just a cultural and visual pleasure, that definitely helps to ease into the atmosphere.
Felicita and John are just fantastic hosts as well as their children that have been all polite and helpful. We met three of them and it was nice to spend breakfast time with Gioia and Lucia, very well mannered girls with their lovely names and the son, young boy, very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to.Everything we asked was satisfied and we have felt welcomed at any time. Breakfast is another highlight of our stay; homemade bread, jam and everything they prepare is fresh, on the table for their guests.
I highly recommend it
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Date of stay: August 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: Rooms have got an amazing viewing
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Stevenson House is absolutely stunning - a classic and beautifully decorated New Town house in the perfect position to explore Edinburgh. John, Felicitas and their family could not have done more to make us feel welcome. They even gave us some bubbly so celebrate the first night of our honeymoon. The bedroom was very comfortable, not least the incredibly deep bath. Thank you, John and Felicitas!
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Date of stay: June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is in a great location, and the hosts were friendly. It was also nice to stay in Robert Louis Stevenson's childhood home. That said, I would not recommend the place. We stayed in the main room which had an en suite bathroom. The bathroom smelled like it had been cleaned with an old mop, or perhaps the smell came from the family's laundry that was hanging high above in the bathroom. What the hell? Informed the host's kid about the smell, but when we returned to the room, it was still there. We stayed out as last as we could because we dreaded coming back to the place. Also didn't appreciate that the hosts didn't provide fresh bars of soap. Instead, a sliver of soap previous guests used was left. That combined with the giraffe and zebra skin rugs were a bit much.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was such an interesting home and the hosts were wonderful. The Stevenson House is filled with Art, Books and beautiful and unique things. The house itself is magnificent and has such history that that is reason alone to stay there. We stayed in the Africa room with a huge window, beautiful view and African art. It was perfectly comfortable and had everything we needed - it is a third floor walk up but the stone steps and staircase is a wonder to behold. The best part of the stay was getting to know John and Felicitas the hosts, who were very accommodating, engaging and filled with stories of the history of the grand old home and Edinburgh and Scotland too. I most highly recommend a visit. Oh and breakfast is a real treat - the dining room is stately with beautiful antique portraits, and the breakfast jams - all home made are delicious, but the company is the best!
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Don't miss this opportunity to share some quality time with a wonderful Scottish family.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Staying at the Stevenson house truly made our few days in Edinburgh a memorable, wonderful experience. The MacFie family were truly fantastic hosts and we loved getting to know them and learning from them about Edinburgh and the house. Our young kids were entranced by our lovely hosts and their home. We would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a truly special travel experience.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from John Macfie, Owner at The Stevenson House
Responded 24 Feb 2020
Thank you for the kind words: it was a delight to have you and your family to stay. I hope we may see you back again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We enjoyed our 2 nights at the Stevenson House. The house and furnishing are interesting. Books are everywhere and the art and furnishings look to be from all over the world, especially South Africa. John was very welcoming and made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. One of us in our party had a biking accident and John made sure to let us eat dinner at the house and stayed with us to make sure we were ok. We also enjoyed chatting with John after dinner and while enjoying some whiskey, learning about his and his wife’s family history. Breakfast was great and accommodated our schedule. Would recommend staying here to see a different side of Edinburgh and its people.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: We did not have a car, but parking appeared to be in the street.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Overall we had a great time in Edinburgh, at least 50% of the experience was thanks to our stay at The Stevenson House.
The Macfies are delightful hosts, extremely welcoming, you will feel at home immediately. At breakfast we had highly interesting discussions about Edinburgh, Scotland (and plenty other fascinating debates) which all added up to a truly immersive Scottish experience.
The house itself is worth the stay, it is where the author Robert Louis Stevenson lived from the age of six.
Of course, if you are looking for yet another hotel with a minibar, a flat TV screen, 100+ channels to browse and room-service, this is not the place for you.
The house is centrally located in a calm and good neighborhood, with pleasant views. This is convenient when you wish to visit the touristic areas (to the South) in the morning, and then the quieter areas such as Stockbridge (to the North) for a relaxed evening drink or diner. For fabulous chease and wine, try out Smith & Gertrude.
We stayed in the Master bedroom. Rooms and beds were very clean and comfortable.
We will return for sure next time in Edinburgh.
The Macfies are delightful hosts, extremely welcoming, you will feel at home immediately. At breakfast we had highly interesting discussions about Edinburgh, Scotland (and plenty other fascinating debates) which all added up to a truly immersive Scottish experience.
The house itself is worth the stay, it is where the author Robert Louis Stevenson lived from the age of six.
Of course, if you are looking for yet another hotel with a minibar, a flat TV screen, 100+ channels to browse and room-service, this is not the place for you.
The house is centrally located in a calm and good neighborhood, with pleasant views. This is convenient when you wish to visit the touristic areas (to the South) in the morning, and then the quieter areas such as Stockbridge (to the North) for a relaxed evening drink or diner. For fabulous chease and wine, try out Smith & Gertrude.
We stayed in the Master bedroom. Rooms and beds were very clean and comfortable.
We will return for sure next time in Edinburgh.
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Date of stay: July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
+ great Edinburgh neighboorhood and lovely looking house from outside, private park across the street (owners have access, but you need to ask them), front drawing room (which we did not have access to) looked nice
This was quite an experience. From the outside the house looked very nice and the area very beautiful. That all ended when the door opened. Our host (Max, teenage son, nice young man) showed us in with the poor help of his nanny. There was clutter everywhere ...sort of a "...take us as we are", family environment ..not much pride or effort in keeping things clear and tidy for their guests. Our room was not ready so we came back an hour later. Bags were in the room. Thank you. We had to ask for the location of the bathrooms (not ensuite). We were told that no one else was using the bathroom (not true). We had to ask if there was a common area for the guests to use ...the main floor dining room was shown to us. In there was baby food and baby clutter ...everywhere. OK, so we like kids and can understand the responsibilities of having twins, but to share with your guests as a B&B experience ...this was a first for sure. The one very nice front sitting room was not offered for us to use (door closed most of the time) and after all we had seen so far we were hesitant to ask... having to ask for everything gets very tiring after a while. Our actual hostess finally made an appearance at breakfast. Asked us what we were doing/etc... but did not mention their facilities. Then to top it off, they allow their hired help (nanny) to have breakfast with their guests (plus family, babies, etc...) ...there is no end to their lack of respect for paying guests.
other notable negatives:
- breakfast was unappetizing, we were offered a boiled egg, some cereal with warm milk, cold tea (really ...both mornings, must have been made hours before, eventualy got hot tea but had to ask), some fruit, self-serve toast and very unappealing jams (homemade, sloppy looking, tasted aweful)
- poor internet access
- toilet generally did not flush properly, maybe 1/4 of the time
= would never stay again nor even recommend, overpriced for a B&B, and barely measures up to a rooming house
= they only accept cash or UK check, no credit cards, very difficult for international visitors to book ahead of time (ie. had to send cash/travellers check in mail)
This was quite an experience. From the outside the house looked very nice and the area very beautiful. That all ended when the door opened. Our host (Max, teenage son, nice young man) showed us in with the poor help of his nanny. There was clutter everywhere ...sort of a "...take us as we are", family environment ..not much pride or effort in keeping things clear and tidy for their guests. Our room was not ready so we came back an hour later. Bags were in the room. Thank you. We had to ask for the location of the bathrooms (not ensuite). We were told that no one else was using the bathroom (not true). We had to ask if there was a common area for the guests to use ...the main floor dining room was shown to us. In there was baby food and baby clutter ...everywhere. OK, so we like kids and can understand the responsibilities of having twins, but to share with your guests as a B&B experience ...this was a first for sure. The one very nice front sitting room was not offered for us to use (door closed most of the time) and after all we had seen so far we were hesitant to ask... having to ask for everything gets very tiring after a while. Our actual hostess finally made an appearance at breakfast. Asked us what we were doing/etc... but did not mention their facilities. Then to top it off, they allow their hired help (nanny) to have breakfast with their guests (plus family, babies, etc...) ...there is no end to their lack of respect for paying guests.
other notable negatives:
- breakfast was unappetizing, we were offered a boiled egg, some cereal with warm milk, cold tea (really ...both mornings, must have been made hours before, eventualy got hot tea but had to ask), some fruit, self-serve toast and very unappealing jams (homemade, sloppy looking, tasted aweful)
- poor internet access
- toilet generally did not flush properly, maybe 1/4 of the time
= would never stay again nor even recommend, overpriced for a B&B, and barely measures up to a rooming house
= they only accept cash or UK check, no credit cards, very difficult for international visitors to book ahead of time (ie. had to send cash/travellers check in mail)
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Date of stay: August 2007Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oh Traveller - read these reviews - I wish we had. To pay £120 a night for an ensuite room and then to find the family's washing hung up to dry in your bathroom; the drawers and cupboards in your room and bathroom stuffed full of your hosts personal posssesions and clothes - to find these were being accessed when you were out of the room. The room and bathroom were dirty as was the house generally. Have the windows ever been cleaned ? The house is just full of family junk - up the stairs, picking your way through the hall. Nothing like the webiste photos. Breakfast was shared with a lot of children and students from some language school. Felt more like a hostel than a B&B to be honest. Reader if you doubt the veracity of this review ask yourself this - why do you have to pay IN FULL and IN ADVANCE ? no one would pay these rates if they knew what it was really like.
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Date of stay: August 2009Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes, the master bedroom has a double bed (a four-poster!)
"Don't fret about the lack of a shower in the main bedroom. Just remember that Robert Louis Stevenson didn't have one, either. Such are the roots of enduring fame."Read full review
"Local information, especially obscure, is a speciality of the house - tours can be arranged. "Read full review
"Don't miss this opportunity to share some quality time with a wonderful Scottish family."Read full review
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandEdinburghNew Town
NUMBER OF ROOMS
2
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Frequently Asked Questions about The Stevenson House
Which popular attractions are close to The Stevenson House?
Nearby attractions include Edinburgh Chihuahua Cafe (0.3 miles), National Galleries Scotland: Portrait (0.3 miles), and Panda & Sons (0.3 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at The Stevenson House?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and paid public parking on-site.
What food & drink options are available at The Stevenson House?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast during their stay.
Is parking available at The Stevenson House?
Yes, paid public parking on-site and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to The Stevenson House?
Conveniently located restaurants include Rio Brazilian Steakhouse, Purslane Restaurant, and The Table.
Is The Stevenson House located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.4 miles away from the centre of Edinburgh.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at The Stevenson House?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, French, German, and Afrikaans.
Are there any historical sites close to The Stevenson House?
Many travellers enjoy visiting The Real Mary King's Close (0.6 miles), Palace of Holyroodhouse (1.1 miles), and Gladstone's Land (0.5 miles).