The Witchery by the Castle

Location unbelievable, especially during Fringe and Tattoo. Highly recommend booking early for an August stay so you can also experience street performers, comedy and Fringe shows as well as the Royal Military Tattoo. The Witchery made it oh so special! First, our room, the Old Rectory, is stunning. I can only imagine they all are. The spiral steps up to half of the suites is part of the experience, but don’ t let that stop you from getting a room across the street if none on the turret are available. The Whiskey Experience is right next door, the entrance to the castle a half block one way and The Real Mary’s Close tour a block the other way. Pubs are all around but best of all, the punctual 11:00pm Tattoo parade goes right by your door. We went out at 10:55 and walked ten feet to stand behind a yellow barricade so we could watch it go by; as amazing as the show itself that we experienced the next night complete with the castle dinner. Just utterly rousing watching hundreds of pipes, drums, brass and dancers go by, and then sweep right back into our room to enjoy the ambiance and luxury. We had both the breakfast in the restaurant and breakfast in our room and I preferred the service of the restaurant plus the hot food items. We were given a full bottle of chilled champagne and bottled waters nightly plus cookies, coffee and tea always available in the room. There was a table where you could get take-away and enjoy the setting if you want, because really, the room is an excursion itself. Getting food anywhere after 9:00 at night is tricky so plan accordingly, especially if you are still on another time zone. We did not eat at the restaurant because we experienced the front room for breakfast. Truly, I don’t think I could justify more than two nights at the Witchery financially but one night wouldn’t have been enough to fully appreciate the location. It’s a magical experience I hope to replicate some day, especially in August.

This hotel is nothing short of magical. You have to like the traditional, baroque aesthetic, but you are in for a treat if you do. Perfect location, wonderful service, and very unique. The breakfast option of having it set up in the room is lovely. The Sempill suite is enormous. I’ve stayed at 5 star hotels around the world, and this truly lives up to the hype.

We had heard alotnovsoutnrhe infamous witchery restaurant. It most certainly didn’t disappoint. We went for my husbands birthday and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The decor is so lovely the staff attentive and professional. It makes such a nice change to have well trained staff who know how to attend to customers. The food was exceptional. It made my husbands birthday very special. Thank you.

This part of my review concentrates on my dining experience in The Secret Garden. Having dined in the Secret Garden once before I knew that I was in for a fantastic experience. You enter through reception and descend down a short staircase into a totally magical space, tastefully decorated and romantically illuminated. On entering there is an army of staff waiting to see to your needs. I cannot stress enough that the service here is phenomenal in my opinion and is one of the major reasons why I have returned and will return again. After being shown to my table (I have to apologise for not remembering the names of the staff that were working that evening) I was offered an aperitif to which I asked for a Cosmopolitan which was nice and cold, sharp and a delight to drink. I had already viewed the a la carte menu online so I knew what I was going to order. I ordered the Balmoral Estate Partridge Schnitzel for my entre and the Cutlet of Glenfeshie Red Deer for my main. The Partridge was tasty, moist and delicious the Cutlets of Red Deer were absolutely gorgeous, chined/french trimmed (call it what you will) the rib bone was cleaned of all meat/sinew and the bone at the base of the cutlets removed leaving a beautiful ‘oyster’ of meat and cooked perfectly, served with a jus, fried cabbage and pomme dauphine. Absolutely delicious. I’m not a big fan of dessert personally but I went with the Vhalrona dart chocolate tort which was lovely and served in a small portion as it’s quite a heavy dessert. Wine…… oh where do I start with the wine list at The Witchery? This is a very extensive wine list and I would advise people to view it online before you go as there is so much choice. I like Californian reds and the wine list has plenty of choices from which to choose from reasonably priced to silly money. I chose the Syrah from Sine Qua Non and it was delicious, once again the well informed staff were able to answer all questions regarding this wine and they were very enthusiastic about showing me label stamp, bottle and cork. To end my evening I had a dram of a single malt from the Ardbeg distillery which truly hit the spot!! Overall the food is excellent, the wine is excellent and the staff are nothing short of the best!!

Stayed one night in the Rectory Suite. It felt like stepping back in time. The decor was one of a kind and the soaking tub with heated floors in the bathroom was pure luxury! The service was top notch as well. Breakfast is in the main Witchery dining room and was lovely. I took one star because the room did smell a bit old and stale. There is an air purifier however that works well. Overall excellent stay and the location cannot be beat for exploring old town!