Cheap Apex City of Edinburgh Hotel: My Honest Review and Best Booking Tips
Cheap Apex City of Edinburgh hotel deals actually exist — I know, I was skeptical too. Edinburgh is one of those cities that looks expensive on paper, and honestly, the first time I searched for hotels there, I almost choked on my coffee. The Old Town alone felt like it was designed to drain your wallet. But after spending a long weekend there last autumn, I can tell you that staying at the Apex City of Edinburgh without paying full price is absolutely doable if you know what you’re doing.
Let me back up a little. I’d been wanting to do a proper Scotland trip for years — the kind where you actually slow down, explore the Royal Mile on foot, and eat haggis in a cozy pub without rushing off to catch a bus. When I finally committed to the trip, I gave myself a hard budget: no more than $80 per night for accommodation. For a centrally located hotel in Edinburgh’s city center, most people would laugh at that number. I’m happy to report I didn’t need to compromise nearly as much as I expected.
Why the Apex City of Edinburgh Actually Makes Sense for Budget Travelers
Here’s the thing about “budget travel” that a lot of people get wrong — cheap doesn’t always mean hostels and paper-thin walls. Sometimes the smartest move is booking a mid-range hotel at a steep discount rather than paying hostel prices for a mediocre experience. The Apex City of Edinburgh sits right in that sweet spot when you catch it at the right rate.
The hotel is located on Grassmarket, which is genuinely one of the best streets in Edinburgh. You’re a short walk from Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and about a dozen pubs where a pint costs less than you’d expect. I paid around £75 per night — roughly $93 at the time — which sounds like it broke my rule, but I’d booked a standard room for three nights and the total came out comparable to what I would’ve spent in a noisy hostel dorm after adding up luggage storage, breakfast costs, and the sheer value of sleeping in a proper bed. Sometimes the math works out in unexpected ways.
The Best Times to Score a Cheap Apex City of Edinburgh Hotel Rate
Timing is everything, and I mean that. Edinburgh has some genuinely dramatic peak seasons — the Fringe Festival in August is basically a blackout period for affordable rooms, and New Year’s (Hogmanay) is equally brutal. I made the mistake of checking rates during the Fringe out of curiosity and immediately closed the tab in despair. We’re talking rates that had tripled or quadrupled overnight.
The sweet spots are late January through March, and then again in October and November. Midweek stays almost always come in cheaper than weekends — sometimes by 30-40%. My trip was a Thursday to Sunday in late October, and I booked about six weeks in advance after watching the rates fluctuate for a couple of weeks using Google Hotels’ price tracking feature. Trust me on this one: set a price alert and let it do the work for you.
There’s also a lesser-known trick I’ve used for hotels like Apex. If you check the hotel’s official website directly and compare it to third-party booking platforms like Booking.com or Expedia, sometimes the direct rate wins, especially if the hotel is running a members-only deal or a “book direct and save” promotion. I’ve saved anywhere from 5% to 15% just by booking straight through the hotel’s own site. It takes an extra ten minutes, but it’s worth the comparison.
What You’re Actually Getting for the Money
I want to be real with you here because I know “budget hotel review” can sometimes mean “I’m glossing over the bad stuff.” The Apex City of Edinburgh is a genuine three-star property that leans toward the upper end of that category. The rooms aren’t massive — this is a city-center hotel in a historic building, so don’t expect sprawling American-style square footage — but they’re clean, comfortable, and decently soundproofed considering the Grassmarket location.
The beds are properly good. I slept better there than I have in some places I paid significantly more for. The bathroom was modern and the shower pressure was the kind that actually wakes you up in the morning, which I always appreciate. What I didn’t expect was the view — my room looked out toward the castle and the old tenements climbing up the hill, and I genuinely stood at that window for a few minutes just taking it in.
Breakfast isn’t included in the base rate, which is worth knowing upfront so it doesn’t catch you off guard at checkout. You can add it on for around £15-18 per person, but honestly I’d skip it and walk five minutes to one of the cafes along Grassmarket or the Cowgate instead. I had a full Scottish breakfast at a little spot near the bottom of Victoria Street for about £9 and it was one of the best meals of the trip.
How to Actually Book a Cheap Apex City of Edinburgh Hotel Deal
Let me walk you through exactly what worked for me, because vague advice like “book in advance” is kind of useless without the details. I started tracking Apex City of Edinburgh hotel rates about two months out using Google Hotels, which lets you see a price calendar so you can visually compare which nights are cheapest. That alone helped me shift my arrival day from Wednesday to Thursday and shave off about £20 per night.
I also checked whether Apex Hotels had any kind of loyalty or membership program. They do have a rewards scheme, and signing up is free. It won’t transform your rate dramatically, but stacking a small loyalty discount on top of an already-good rate doesn’t hurt. I ended up getting a free room upgrade on arrival, which I’m fairly certain was tied to the account.
One more thing: if you’re flexible and you’re booking within a week or two of your travel dates, last-minute deals can be surprisingly good. Hotels would rather fill a room at 60-70% of the asking price than leave it empty. I’ve seen Apex City of Edinburgh hotel rates drop noticeably in the five to seven days before a midweek stay. It’s a riskier strategy, obviously — you might not get your preferred room type — but if you’re traveling solo or as a couple and you’re not picky about the exact room, it can pay off.
The Grassmarket Location Is Worth More Than You Think
I keep coming back to this because location is genuinely one of the most underrated parts of travel budgeting. Staying right on Grassmarket meant I walked everywhere. I didn’t spend a single pound on taxis or the tram during my entire stay. Edinburgh’s Old Town is compact and completely walkable if you’re based in the right spot, and the Apex City’s address puts you within easy reach of pretty much everything worth seeing.
Arthur’s Seat, the volcanic hill that looms over the city, was a 25-minute walk from the hotel. The Scottish National Museum is free to enter and about 10 minutes on foot. Greyfriars Kirkyard — where the famous loyal dog Greyfriars Bobby is buried, if you want a genuinely sweet little detour — is practically around the corner. I probably saved $30-40 over the weekend just by not needing transport.
That said, Grassmarket can get loud on Friday and Saturday nights. There are bars and live music venues right on the square, and the sound carries. I’m a relatively sound sleeper so it didn’t bother me much, but if you’re sensitive to noise, it’s worth requesting a room on a higher floor or on the quieter side of the building when you book.
A Few Things I’d Do Differently Next Time
Honestly? Not much. I’d probably book the same hotel, maybe try to snag a room on a higher floor with a clearer castle view. I’d also build in more time — three nights felt like just enough to scratch the surface, and Edinburgh is the kind of city where you keep finding new things to love. The side streets off the Royal Mile alone could keep you busy for a full day if you’re into browsing independent shops and stopping into every interesting-looking close (that’s what they call the narrow alleyways, and they’re everywhere).
If I were doing it again with an even tighter budget, I’d try booking a standard room without the castle-facing view, which tends to come in a bit cheaper, and spend the money I saved on a proper dinner somewhere good instead. Trade-offs are part of the game.
Edinburgh Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank
The cheap Apex City of Edinburgh hotel deal I found changed how I thought about the city. Edinburgh isn’t cheap by default, but it’s also not the budget black hole it can seem like at first glance. With the right timing, a bit of rate-watching, and a central base like the Apex, you can do the city properly without the financial hangover.
Start by pulling up the price calendar on Google Hotels, set yourself a target rate, and check both third-party platforms and the hotel’s own site before you book. If you’re flexible on dates, even better — shifting one or two nights can genuinely make a difference. And when you’re there, walk everywhere, eat where the locals eat, and spend your savings on experiences rather than convenience.
Edinburgh’s worth doing right. You don’t have to pay through the nose to do it.
