Once Edinburgh's richest patch of real estate, St Andrew Square was where the city's bankers and insurance men counted their fortunes. Buchan House, built in 1775 as five Georgian homes, spent many years as a grand residence, before becoming a warren of offices, and now, the Malmaison. Today, it's all inky walls, low lighting and theatrical glamour and it's definitely dark, grown-up and faintly decadent rather than bright and breezy. The popular Chez Mal brasserie and bar are built into the old bones downstairs, but if you fancy going further afield, the New Town's finest is on the doorstep.
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Step inside Buchan House and the Georgian grandeur of the exterior gives way to something altogether darker and more theatrical... The designers have drawn on the colours and vibrancy of nearby Rose and Thistle Streets and the decor is bright, fun and very striking. Downstairs, Chez Mal Bar and Brasserie is the beating heart of the hotel. We highly recommend settling into for a signature Malmaison cocktail, before moving through to the restaurant for hand-cut, properly aged Scottish beef and sticky toffee pudding to make your tastebuds melt.
There are 72 bedrooms from Classic Doubles up to characterful Junior Suites, each one different and most of them roomier than you'd expect for the New Town. Most have super king beds, monsoon showers, and in the upper rooms, a roll-top or free-standing bath that takes centre stage. Bathrooms all round are generous and modern. The Junior Suites pull rank with emperor beds and the best outlook in the building, either over St Andrew Square pretty gardens or north to the Firth of Forth.
You're slap in the middle of everything Edinburgh does well, so start with the square itself: wander the gardens beneath the Melville Monument before browsing George Street's boutiques and the Scottish National Gallery a few minutes west. The Old Town, the castle and the Royal Mile are a ten-minute walk uphill, while the St James Quarter and its food halls are just behind you, as is the Portrait Gallery. History buffs, take note: the building once housed surgeon Joseph Bell, the man Arthur Conan Doyle modelled Sherlock Holmes on, so a little detective work feels rather apt.
The free-standing bath plonked in the middle of the Junior Suites, positioned so you can soak with St Andrew Square's gardens and the Melville Monument spread out below.
The Edinburgh tram stops almost at the front door and runs straight to the airport in about 35 minutes, so skip the taxi rank. There's no parking on site, so this is the smart way in and out.
The signature Malmaison look is low and moody lighting, gorgeous for a late-night cocktail but rather less so for doing your make-up. If you like a room flooded with daylight, this isn't the one for you.
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