Travelodge Central Hotel Edinburgh

I enjoyed my stay at the Travelodge. It's centrally located right smack off the middle of the Royal Mile so either way you choose to go on that strip won't be a ways off from your home away from home. It's also a few minutes' walk to the Waverley Station and Princes Street which leads into the more modern, commercial side of town.

The small reception area greets you as you enter and to the side is the dining area and buffet. The halls are lined with different sorts of vending machines offering chips/crisps, water, soda, even toiletries - perfect for when you get those midnight munchies or just realize you left your razor back home.

Upstairs, the rooms are clean with nice, comfy beds and come with a TV and water heater for the complimentary instant coffee and tea.

The bathrooms may not be too spacious and look somewhat dated, but the effort in maintaining them is apparent. Having said that, our bathroom did have a problem with the hot water tap. I noticed that the sink was all cracked up and glued to death. It was only after my second use when the water wouldn't stop running and the tap wouldn't tighten shut. But kudos to the ever-friendly and accommodating staff who immediately came rushing up to the room to devotedly fix the problem and didn't leave until they got the job done. The next day, I forgot about the faulty tap and had the same problem again, but thankfully I managed to get the water to stop running after a while. I did take this up with their staff and suggested they get the entire fixture replaced. Hopefully by this time, all the sinks in the room are all problem-free.

The food is more than decent. The breakfast buffet, though lacking in variation (they served pretty much the same stuff everyday), abundantly provides you with the basic nutrition you need to start your day.

Attention smokers: There are 5 storeys at this Travelodge and the assigned smoking floor is the 5th. Be prepared to haul your bags a flight of steps since the elevators only go up to the 4th floor. I'm a smoker, so let me tell you, it can be quite taxing walking up and down the last flight each time.

At the time of my stay mid 2007, the elevator buttons were defective. Hitting the "close door" button once will not suffice and waiting for it to happen will prove a fruitless endeavor. The trick is to press the button 3x, wait a few seconds then hit the button again, and this time and harder! I spent enough time here to actually figure it out. There will be times when the door will close midway, only for it to re-open. When this happens, know that you've done it wrong so go back to square one. It's a hassle, but you can also have fun with it!

These minor inconveniences might be more than enough to put people off from booking a reservation here, but I thought that they just added to the whole adventure and made my whole experience even more memorable. I would most definitely stay here again!