Hotel price comparison and special offers
Archive for August, 2010
Top Five Edinburgh Attractions
Aug 25th
Edinburgh, a beautiful city rich in fantastic architecture, history and culture is now rapidly becoming one of Europe’s most popular destinations. Edinburgh fuses together the medieval Old Town, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Georgian New Town, creating a harmonious balance of traditional and contemporary design. Quiet and mysterious cobbled lanes merge effortlessly with a bustling high street full of fashionable shops, bars and restaurants. Here’s our run down of Edinburgh’s top five must-see attractions:
Edinburgh Castle
One of the oldest and most dominant structures in the city, Edinburgh Castle has a history that dates back to around 900 BC. The Castle has been home to royal blood since the reign of David I in the 12th century and has been the site of numerous historical battles and conflicts over the years including The War of Scottish Independence and the invasion of Oliver Cromwell in 1650. Today Edinburgh Castle stands as the single most important building in the city and attracts over 1.25 million visitors per year. On display in the castle are a number of historical artefacts including the Stone of Destiny and the giant cannon ‘Mons Meg.’ Edinburgh Castle attracts many visitors for the Military Tattoo, held each year in August as well as for the firing of the One O’ Clock Gun that takes place every day at precisely 1pm.
Edinburgh Dungeon
One of the city’s scariest attractions, the Edinburgh Dungeon is the place to go to learn about the gory history of Scotland’s capital. Discover how those who inhabited the old city centuries ago lived out their lives with a number of gruesome exhibitions and frighteningly real live performances. Delve into the brutal history of the Clan Wars or wander through The Haunted Maze which stretches far out into the tunnels and catacombs of the Royal Mile. Highlights include the cave of Sawney Bean, where visitors travel by boat deep into the heart of the murderous cannibal’s lair and face his horrifyingly bloodthirsty family in the flesh. New for 2010 is the chilling Burke and Hare live experience, as visitors wind up in an eerie graveyard trying to avoid becoming one of the notorious serial killer’s next unfortunate victims.
3D Loch Ness Experience
One of the world’s most famous lakes is brought stunningly to life, as the 3D loch Ness Experience seeks to uncover the mystery of the monster. Presented by scientist Adrian Shine, visitors will experience illusions, hoaxes and real life eye witness accounts of the Loch Ness Monster in a clear, 3D surrounding. The experience raises questions about the existence of Nessie and presents interesting and eyebrow raising facts about the mythical creature’s life over the centuries. Created by the award winning Loch Ness Centre, which was opened by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the 3D Loch Ness Experience will entertain children as well as adults.
Auld Reekie Tours: Terror Tour
Visited by televisions “Most Haunted” team on Halloween 2006 and described as their scariest location ever, the Auld Reekie Terror Tour is sure to entertain…and scare. A strictly ‘adults only’ tour of Edinburgh’s old underground vaults and passages led by a costumed guide explores the gruesome horrors and paranormal activities that dates back to the 17th century. Visitors will be led by candlelight around the cold and damp underbelly of Edinburgh’s Old Town and discover how torture was common practice among those who inhabited the streets. A small museum dedicated to the infamous instruments of death will turn fear into reality for those who brave the trip, who all the while may be stalked on their journey by the notorious South Bridge Poltergeist. A free Vodka mixer is included afterwards at Edinburgh’s most haunted pub to calm any frayed nerves.
The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour
The award-winning Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour takes visitors on a journey around some of Edinburgh’s best pubs in a 300 year old celebration of some of Scotland’s best loved literary characters and writers. Led by Clart and McBrain, a literary duelling duo, those along for the ride will be entertained by witty and colourful verses from Robert Burns, a spine-tingling reading of the metamorphosis from Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde and a humorous account of Muriel Clarke’s divided Edinburgh. Clart and McBrain also engage in a passionate debate over the importance of a pub atmosphere’s ability to produce creative and intellectual thought. An engaging evening where drinking, if anything, is encouraged.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Cheap Places To Stay
Aug 11th
As this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival slowly approaches, it’s probably a good time to start looking at some affordable accommodation in the city. There is enough choice of hotels in Edinburgh to ensure that you certainly don’t need to spend a fortune, helping you free up money to enjoy the festival. We have provided our choice of the top five cheap places to stay in the city during the Fringe Festival.
As with all Travelodge’s across the UK, the name of the game is simple and affordable. The Travelodge situated on Rose Street puts you in the heart of Edinburgh’s lively city centre, a perfect location during the Fringe Festival. Located just off Princes Street, Edinburgh’s equivalent of London’s Oxford Street, you are only a stones throw away from the beautiful Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle. Rose Street Travelodge is also just a five minute walk from Waverley Train Station and bus stop, the main port of arrival into and out of the city. The Travelodge sits on a pedestrian street lined with bars and good restaurants, ensuring you will never be away from the action. Rooms will be basic but provide you with enough necessities to feel at home while rates per room start from around £35 per night although prices will be higher at weekends.
Edinburgh First at the University of Edinburgh
Situated just across from the National Library of Scotland and within touching distance of the beautiful Edinburgh University, Edinburgh First is just over a mile away from the heart of the city. Set amidst picturesque grounds, Edinburgh First is a modern option in the cities Newington district. Rooms are basic but provide the essential tea and coffee makers plus complimentary bathroom toiletries. Guests have a choice of using the coffee shop/café and the restaurant which houses a comfortable bar and lounge area. Conference rooms and banqueting facilities can all be made available and guests are served a complimentary breakfast each morning. Room rates start from £30 per night.
Halcyon Hotel Guest House
Located on Calton Hill, this beautiful old Georgian property is just a ten minute walk from Princes Street and the historic Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre. This grand building is blessed with typical Georgian features, with a quaint living area and medium to large sized rooms. There are a total of fourteen rooms within the Halcyon, twelve of which are en-suite. High speed wireless internet access runs throughout the building and guests are also served a complimentary breakfast each morning. The Halcyon Hotel Guest House is run by a committed and friendly couple who share a passion for good service and rooms start from just £35 per night.
The affordable two star Cairn Hotel sits alongside Edinburgh’s Royal Terrace Gardens and is only a ten minute walk from Waverley Train Station. Set in the heart of the cities lively theatre district, visitors to the Cairn Hotel can enjoy a comfortable and spacious lounge area in a modern setting while the typically Georgian architecture gives the building a sophisticated and luxurious quality. A small bar and large restaurant allows guests to relax with some good food and a quick dram before heading out for the night. All fifty two en-suite rooms are fully equipped with tea and coffee making facilities, television and complimentary bathroom amenities. Conference and banqueting facilities are accessible upon request and private parking is also available. Rooms start from £39 per night.
Chalmers Street Apartments
Set back a little from the main city centre, Chalmers Street Apartments puts guest in the quieter region of Meadows Park. Within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle, the National War Museum and the National Galleries of Scotland, Chalmers Street Apartments are situated in an ideal location for soaking up some culture. Guests are provided with well equipped rooms with a kitchenette complete with microwave and refrigerator plus en-suite private bathrooms. All rooms are fitted with televisions and telephones and guests have access to a communal kitchen and lounge area although there are a variety of excellent restaurants nearby. Rooms start from as little as £50 per night with a laundry service and high speed internet access also available.
Create Your Own Hotel Search Form
Aug 3rd
Last week a couple of partners asked whether they could integrate their own search forms with sletoH.com hotel search. We have re-written a piece of the search engine to make this possible.
To create your own search form you will need these form input components:
- Text box for the hotel, city or airport name.
- Date input for check in date (date format is dd-mm-yyyy).
- Nights dropdown.
- Rooms, adults and children dropdowns. When children > 0, child_age must be supplied for each child.
- Currency dropdown (EUR, GBP, USD).
Refer to the search form at www.sletoh.com for dropdown values and ranges. For example nights is between 1 and 28, rooms between 1 and 5.
Your search form should send traffic to the following URL:
http://www.sletoh.com/find.php?search_term=halifax&country_id=&check_in_date=27-07-2011&nights=1&rooms=1&adults=1&children=1&child_age_1=6&child_age_2=-&child_age_3=-&child_age_4=-¤cy=GBP&partner_id=0
Parameters search_term, check_in_date, nights, rooms, adults, children and currency are mandatory. Parameter partner_id is given to you in your welcome email and can be retrieved from the partners login area. If you add a country dropdown to your search form, take the country IDs from the list of all cities and countries.
Custom Search Forms
You can create a custom hotel search form without getting into any technical stuff. Custom hotel search form.
Get In Touch
We would love to see your search form implementations. Send us your URL and we may even link to you to show others how it’s done.
