Step out the hotel front door straight into a festive Edinburgh.
Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year – mince pies, shiny lights and mulled wine. Edinburgh is the perfect place to indulge in all of those festive delights and that is exactly where I went.
Saturday morning dawned bright and early on Hanover Street where I was pampered with an hour-long massage and a facial. At Zen Lifestyle, the luxury award-winning salons offer a range of services, from a relaxing massage to treatments in advanced skincare.
The three salons have recently been re-branded and the purple tones extend throughout into the treatment rooms. Purple is a colour which promotes healing, but is also super relaxing. Magic fingers pressed all of the knots out of my shoulders until I became as loose as a puppet.
Zen is special because you will find them open later in the evening and during the weekend, meaning you can go in straight after work for a manicure. Their nail and brow bars are very popular, and you can see why when you look at the comfortable seats and the range of nail colours.
My custom facial was tailored directly to the needs of my skin, using the range of Murad advanced cosmeceutical products to help my open pores and oily skin. My therapist talked me through all the products she was using and the way in which they help. I came out feeling and looking like a new woman, with skin as fresh as a baby’s. I wish it always looked like that.
One present to tick off the list was for my mother, so off to Arran Aromatics we headed. We used to holiday on the Isle of Arran when I was a child and our family has always loved the brand. Now we can love it even more thanks to their new snazzy look and motto – unspoil yourself. Arran Aromatics are taking you back to basics and helping you to appreciate nature with their scents and lotions.
There is so much to choose from, so I went for a couple of their gift selections which are the perfect size to pop in your handbag or take on holiday. It was impossible to resist a few candles for the house and a lavender and black pepper muscle soak. As soon as I smelt it, I had to have it.
The flagship store has recently been refurbished to go along with the new-style branding, and downstairs there was a whole new secret. How would you like to have your own perfume, with a scent you chose, made up in front of you with a personalised label? It would be the perfect activity for a birthday or a hen-do and the perfume in its purple gift box makes for a really special memento.
After a tough day of present buying, our rumbling stomachs pulled us along Princes Street towards the Usher Hall. Hidden away around the corner was the seemingly popular and very busy brasserie-style Dine. Just a few minutes away from the shops and the Christmas market was the restaurant which features an extensive, and pretty stunning, cocktail menu.
My Bajan Fizz, made with Mount Gay black barrel rum, Grand Marnier, Luxardo Maraschino lemon juice and Fourtin Brut Champagne, went down an absolute treat. The menus are created by Stuart Muir, a Michelin-star chef. The dishes are contemporary and fresh, using local produce and are beautifully presented, but at an affordable price. The market lunch menu is available Monday to Saturday and is only £13.50 for two courses, or £17.50 if you decide to indulge and go for three courses.
Glazed Crottin cheese marinated in limoncello and chilli with lemon puree and Waldorf salad started me off. It sounds a tad fussy compared to my partner’s spiced roast tomato and red pepper soup, but both were delicious. Normally I go for a meat option for my main course, but the smoked cheddar and chestnut risotto, trompette mushrooms and compressed apple sounded tempting and a little bit exciting, and with every mouthful I applauded my culinary decision. A cheese selection – can you notice a pattern here? – rounded off the meal perfectly, accompanied by a glass of lovely, fruity red wine. Picking at the dishes and only eating a little is near impossible, so we rolled out of Dine with full stomachs and a bit of a cocktail buzz.
Gifts were ticked off the list as we walked along the many rows of stalls in the Christmas market. A tartan scarf for me might have ended up in the bag too. One look at the gigantic Star Flyer ride, towering above the gardens, was enough to make me feel queasy. No, the rest of my evening was going to be spent resting my poor feet in the pool back at the hotel.
The Radisson Blu on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is as central as you can get while also remaining in the Old Town. Comfortable and luxurious, the suites have a massive bed where you end up saying “goodbye” rather than “goodnight” when the light goes out. You would think that a weekend in the city might be spent partying, but the lounge area with its gigantic corner sofa was far too welcoming. Saturday night was spent curled up on the sofa with a bottle of red wine in front of the gigantic television. If you don’t want to brave the cold, then the hotel offers a huge in-room dining menu – bigger than I have seen at other hotels – with wine, beers and spirits.
Having recently undergone a £12million refurbishment of its 238 beautiful and stylish bedrooms and guest facilities, the Radisson Blu is a sophisticated weekend spot. The square swimming pool is not much good if you plan on doing laps before breakfast, but it is perfect for paddling around or lying back and letting the water lap over you. The sauna and steam room helped to get the rest of the kinks out of my back from carrying so many bags.
The breakfast room is right next door, so you can go for a swim in the morning and then pop along the corridor to re-fuel. Room is an incorrect term though – it is three linking rooms with the middle room being devoted entirely to the buffet. Help yourself to a smoothie, or squeeze your own fresh orange juice to start off the day. Sausages, scrambled egg, beans, hash browns, muffins, hot smoked salmon, cheese, cereal and fruit adorn the counters. It is breakfast heaven. I’m not surprised that it is an award-winning meal. If someone could give me one of those every day between now and Christmas, then I would be a very happy lady.
TRAVEL FACTS
Bed and breakfast in a classic room costs from £140 per room at the award-winning four-star Radisson Blu Edinburgh. The Radisson Blu January sale launched in December and offers up to 15% off the best available rate. To book, visit www.radissonblu.com/edinburgh or telephone 0131 557 9797. Radisson Blu Edinburgh, 80 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TH.
A customised facial at Zen Lifestyle starts at £58 and the customised massage is £52 for 40 minutes. Call 0131 516 0585 for the Hanover Street salon, 0131 516 49 for Teviot and 0131 516 0579 for Bruntsfield Place, or go to www.zen-lifestyle.com