The Stevenson House
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About
#22 of 156 guest houses in Edinburgh
Location
Cleanliness
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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
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, French, Afrikaans, German
Location
100Great for walkers
Grade: 100 out of 100
170Restaurantswithin 0.3 miles
93Attractionswithin 0.3 miles
17 Heriot Row New Town, Edinburgh EH3 6HP Scotland
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Getting there
Car HireSee car hire from US$46/day
221Reviews1Q+A27Room 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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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.
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Property's Favourite Review
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.…
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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.
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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.
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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.
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My wife and I stayed with John and his family over two nights recently and found the experience utterly delightful! The welcome from Lucia and Gioia was warming and our room was very comfortable and quirky. In fact the whole house is a treasure trove and filled with love and memories. We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfasts with the huge array of choice and it was lovely spending time with John and his daughters and two other guests. The location is perfect - just a stroll from the city centre and close to Stockbridge and the Botanic Gardens. This stay was everything we wanted - and more! Thank you for this fantastic experience.
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
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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
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Room Tip: Don't miss this opportunity to share some quality time with a wonderful Scottish family.
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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.
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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…
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Date of stay: August 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: Rooms have got an amazing viewing
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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.
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We had a really nice stay at the house, we've never stayed at such an interesting BnB! As well as being great, accomodating hosts, John and Felicitas were lovely company and told us all about the history of the house and the area. Would definitely stay here again and recommend to anyone visiting Edinburgh.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
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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.
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As a little girl brought up on a Pacific island (PNG) who loved RLS books; first his children's stories and later his travel writing, this visit was so special. I usually treat myself to a week off for my birthday to attend the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In August 2020, as the festival went online (due to COVID-19) I decided to spend a night at the RLS House, and watch some of the sessions there. I was welcomed with a glass of white wine, and after a chat with the the host, left to take up residence in the library, a room filled with books and art. The house offers two rooms to let: the master bedroom once used by Robert Louis’ parents, which features a huge four-poster bed, and the twin bedroom on the second floor overlooking the Firth of Forth, once used by Stevenson’s beloved nurse, Cummy. I chose to stay in her old room, where, like much of the house, the decoration is eclectic. There is a large, ornate 19th-century German wardrobe, artefacts accumulated during the the host's wife's life in South Africa, and two beautiful wooden beds covered with snug purple blankets, perfect for chilly east-coast summers, when the haar creeps in off the sea. There was an on-suite bathroom, and a bookshelf full of Stevenson's books to read in bed. Breakfast at the property was continental: a half-moon of ripe camembert, charcuterie and cured salmon, thin rectangles of toasted rye and sesame seed toast (home-made, as is the jam). There was only one other guest, and I joined them. It's that kind of place. The historical charm is undeniable, but underpinning it all is the warmth of a big family home.…
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Date of stay: August 2020
Value
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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.
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What a pleasant stay. All people in Stevenson house gave me a memorable experience, I am looking forward to come back again! Food, books, tasteful decoration, paintings etc... All of them are wonderful!
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
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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 Purslane Restaurant, The Table, and One20 Wine Cafe.
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).