Abbey Gate Studios: Studio 9

A quiet, self-contained studio a few streets back from Holyrood Park — for travellers who want a proper base, not just a room.

★ 4.93 · Studio · sleeps 2 · 1 bathroom · Self check-in

The short version

Abbey Gate Studios sits on Abbey Mount in Abbeyhill, a residential pocket of the city that’s easy to overlook and genuinely well placed: Holyrood Park and the Palace are a seven-minute walk one way, Calton Hill the same in the other. Studio 9 is one of the building’s self-contained units — a proper kitchen, a separate sitting area, and a private bathroom, run more like a serviced apartment than a hotel room. There’s no front desk. You check yourself in with a code, and that’s largely the point: no queue, no small talk, just a key to a quiet flat in a part of town that still feels like a neighbourhood.

It suits people who’d rather make their own coffee than queue for it — and if you’d rather not, Fortitude Coffee is on your doorstep.

Fortitude Coffee is just one stop on the list — for the full round-up of where locals actually queue, from subterranean roasters near South Bridge to sunlit corners of Bruntsfield, see our guide to Edinburgh’s best coffee shops.

What the room is actually like

Studio 9 is built around one open room rather than a warren of hotel corridors — a double bed, a proper desk if you’re working, and a kitchen with enough in it (fridge, microwave, hob, kettle) to make breakfast without leaving the building. The separate sitting area does a lot of work in a small footprint, giving the studio a living-room feel rather than the usual hotel-box arrangement. Heating’s included, WiFi is free throughout, and the private bathroom comes with a shower and the usual toiletries. It’s not a suite, and it isn’t trying to be one — it’s a well-kept, sensibly laid out studio that gets the basics right.

Getting your bearings

Abbeyhill doesn’t get the footfall of the Old Town, and that’s the appeal. You’re a short, flat walk from the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the foot of the Royal Mile, and an equally short climb to Calton Hill for the view everyone photographs but few get up early enough to have to themselves. Princes Street and Waverley are a brisk twelve-to-eighteen-minute walk, or a short bus ride if the weather has other ideas. It’s not a nightlife postcode, and there’s no bar downstairs — the trade-off for a genuinely peaceful night’s sleep a mile from the busiest streets in the city.

Studio 9 at a glance

Location: Abbey Mount, Abbeyhill, EH8
Sleeps: 2 guests, 1 double bed
Kitchen: Full self-catering kitchen
Bathroom: Private, with shower
Check-in: Self check-in via access code
WiFi: Free throughout
Nearest landmark: Holyrood Park, 7 min walk
City centre: Princes Street, 12–15 min walk

Who it’s for

Couples and solo travellers who want space to actually live in for a few nights — cook a meal, spread out paperwork, not live out of a suitcase balanced on a luggage rack. It’s a strong pick for a longer city break, for anyone working remotely for a few days, or for return visitors who’ve done the Royal Mile and want to stay somewhere quieter this time. It’s less suited to late-night arrivals who want a real person on the other side of a desk, or to groups who need more than one bedroom under a single roof.

Worth knowing before you book

• There’s no 24-hour reception — check-in instructions and an access code are sent ahead of arrival, so keep an eye on your inbox in the days before you travel.
• Photo ID is generally requested as part of the booking process, in line with most self-check-in aparthotels in the city.
• There’s no on-site parking; Abbeyhill is a residential street, so factor in a short walk if you’re driving.
• The kitchen makes this genuinely good value if you’re happy cooking one or two meals in rather than eating out every night.

Check dates and current rates

Availability and pricing for Studio 9 shift with the season — best checked directly before you commit.

Booking through this link may earn Welcome To Edinburgh a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

If you’d rather be in the thick of it, our guide to the best areas to stay in Edinburgh covers the trade-offs between Abbeyhill, the Old Town, and the New Town in more depth.