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Had a very enjoyable 2 night stay at the Ben Doran. Our room was very nice with en suite shower and toilet, very clean and the bed linen was exceptional. Staff were very helpful and it was situated 10 minutes from center with frequent buses.Breakfast was very good with plenty of choice and there are local restaurants and shops.We cannot understand some of adverse reviews, we will gladly stay their again

We were expecting a four star hotel, as they sell themselves, but apparently a four star guest house is in a different category. Must advise we ended up not staying at all.When we got there we were showed to a third floor room with a shared bathroom (which we were not expecting). We were told we had to share the bathroom with one other room, but counted 8 rooms in that floor and only the one bathroom.Hotel and room smelled funny.Location was not great... Not in walking distance of much.

We spent 3 nights at the Ben Doran and loved our room with a huge comfortable bed and clean, pleasant bathroom. Breakfast was also good, offering me my life's blood bran and muesli without which I cannot face the day and a good true Scottish breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, tomato, beans (oddly with kidney beans included) and black pudding. All the rooms were tidy, clean and freshly decorated. My only gripe is that the internet access for which we paid ¿¿5 for our stay was intermittent and the owner did not realise how important reliable access is. We could not plan our next day's itinerary or book online for tours - very annoying but all in all a pleasant stay. Oh and another gripe - this is definitely not within walking distance of the City centre - at least 1 hour away and through a not very savoury neighbourhood. We therefore spent at least ¿¿7 a day on buses which were frequent and reliable.

My boyfriend and I booked a room from lastminute.com for three nights. We are both students. We chose Ben Doran because there was a price deal.After we arrived, a lady asked us for a credit/debit card, which didn't bother us much as we kind of expected it, having read some of the reviews.To our surprise, we were brought to a room without washroom. We were expecting an en suite room. It was our fault as we didn't read the terms carefully. We requested for an upgrade. The lady showed us another room and told us that there would be an additional charge of ¿¿15 per night. We agreed to stay in the en suite room. The increased price disappointed us a bit but of course, we have no one to blame.The room was smaller than we expected but it was cosy, tidy and clean. Basically we have nothing to complain about the room itself.The location is alright. It takes less than half an hour to walk to the city centre. There are shops and restaurants along the two sides of the road so it would be a nice walk provided that the weather is good. There is also a bus stop right opposite to the house. A day ticket costs ¿¿3.5.Breakfast was like what the other reviews have already said - basic and simple. The place was nicely decorated. You'll find vege sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans (mixed with kidney beans), croissant, toast, cheese... They also serve Scottish porridge on request.On the second day, my boyfriend decided to try Scottish porridge. He walked out and wanted to talk to one of attendants. He stood next to the staircase, a few steps away from the kitchen. The house owner went out and grumpily told my boyfriend to "stay back". My boyfriend was shocked by his reaction.The porridge was a tasteless paste which we didn't quite enjoy.As we have prepaid online, we just had to settle the ¿¿45 additional payment. There was a booklet in our room which says "5% off if pay with cash" so we asked whether we could get the discount. The house owner said to us disapprovingly, "it was just a small amount." We were both speechless.Overall, the house was lovely but we were not very happy with how we were treated by the house owner himself. The other two ladies were fine.

The Ben Doran has a handy position, just over a mile walk from North Bridge, and the easy walk opens your eyes to lots of ideas for things to see and do in Edinburgh.The beautiful feel of the Guest House is evident as soon as you enter the imposing entrance hall, and our room (4) was just what we wanted. Big bed, high ceiling,huge window,good sized bathroom and plenty of tea/coffee available, and extras just outside the room door. Breakfast was good, but could be more choices.Alexandra was very helpful and always pleasant. Is on a main road and you can hear the traffic a bit but don't let it put you off. Bus stops outside the door into town and to the zoo etc. Will be back for sure!