Monday, 26 September 2011

Victorian comfort in York

Just back from a weekend in York with Matt.

We stayed at Ascot House Bed & Breakfast, a 15-minute walk from the city centre, and we'd both thoroughly recommend it.

It's run by a very friendly family for whom nothing's too much trouble, including storing our luggage for the day and calling us a taxi to take us to the station - even though we'd checked out hours earlier.

The room was very comfortable (my only quibble would be that the bed was a bit hard, but that didn't stop very good sleep), thick fluffy towels in the bathroom, and a breakfast that ticked both boxes of quality sausages and no baked beans unless you asked.

York is a beautiful city and there are plenty of great places to eat. We'd recommend Michael's Brasserie and Plunkets.

Pity the weekend was over so soon, really.

Sunday, 4 September 2011

Another little gem in Morningside

I've reviewed already several of the B&Bs who belong to the network informally known among themselves as the "Morningside Mafia": Bob and Jill Knox at 4 Morningside Place, Bolette Nason at 1 Tipperlinn Road, and Keith Paterson at Alexanders Rooms.

Just up the road from Keith, at 1 Albert Terrace, is the home of Clarissa Notley, "an American who has adopted Edinburgh and Scotland as her home".

As with any of the Morningside Mafia I'm assured of a warm welcome from Clarissa, and her two beautiful Siamese cats Lottie and Lily. Clarissa is a lovely friendly lady who's always ready for a chat - and as she knows a great deal about the theatre, art and literature, that will always be a very interesting conversation.

Clarissa also provides delicious and innovative breakfasts. Last time I stayed there it was American pancakes with maple syrup, apple and cinnamon. Mmm. And I can still taste the cinnamon buns, too...

I'd recommend any and all of the ladies and gentlemen of the Morningside Mafia to anyone who's looking for a warm, comfortable and friendly B&B to stay in a pleasant residential suburb of Edinburgh. For me, staying with one or other of them 2 nights a week, they always create for me a home away from home.

Thank you all - and thank you to my good friend and former colleague Michael Green, for directing me to the Mafia last year!