This is old school 5-star. We first had chosen another hotel. Trendy, boutique and out of town. Was fiully booked. All the best: because the Balmoral is a great option. Old-school palace, at the heart of the city, next to central station. One of the city's landmarks, with its clock tower. You arrive: the tartan-clad doorman is impeccable. Be warned: there are a few details here that you might not like in the first place, e.g. the skinny bunches of flowers in the lobby, the worn carpets or pieces of furniture here and there or also the unpleasant smell of fuel in some corridors. Luckily, this is immediately balanced by this hotel's best feature: a perfect service. Ever-present, friendly, resoectful, efficient. We had a superior room in 3rdc floor facing the Castle. Very large, very high ceiling, great view, Conran-style sober, perfect room design, Carrara marble bathroom: great! One enormous fault here: the sound-proofing. The windows are not properly insulated so you may hear the outside noise. Hard to understand in a newly refurbished hotel! We were lucky because our room was far enough from the main street, but this should be addressed, absolutely! The rest is only praise: classy in-room breakfast (prefer that to the buffet, too crowdy and cafeteria-like), gorgeous pool and spa, top notch one-star Michelin restaurant (The One), perfection in details ( "ren" amenities, shined-shoes wrapped in silk-paper, etc). So, definitely a place to remember. Just ask them to re-do the rooms' sound-proofing! Uh and also: we loved the compllimentary botttle of Champagne (part of our package), but next time know that we'd appreciate a half-botttle of great Champ rather than a full one of cheap bubbly. Looking forward to coming back!
