10/7/2012

My flight from Amsterdam into Edinburgh was at 21.40pm. I had booked to stay at Smart at iQ near the Haymarket and the Airlink bus from the airport into town, stopped pretty close by, so I headed outside to find the bus. The weather in Amsterdam had been quite warm – around 25 degrees. When I came out of the airport, the drop in temperature was noticeably cooler. It was like Irish weather – cool and damp, which I like actually because it reminds me of home.

I got on the Airlink bus which cost 6 GBP return. This bus leaves the airport every 10 minutes, from stand 19 just outside arrivals and only takes about 30 minutes to get into Waverley station and the city centre. It’s a very good service. A single fare costs 3.50 GBP and the stops are called out very clearly so you know where to get off.

I got off at Haymarket Terrace and found Smart at iQ, on Grove Street. It was 11pm by this stage and I checked in and paid. Booking.com who I’d booked the accommodation with, never used to charge a deposit before but they do now. 10% of the charge for accommodation is charged on the day of booking and this money goes to the accommodation. The lady on reception told me that they had accidentally charged my credit card twice for the deposit. She apologised and gave me the 14 GBP back in cash. That was ok giving me the cash back but when it comes to the start of the month, when my credit card is charged, I would be charged more because of the exchange rate. It was inconvenient for me.

Anyway, I got to my room which was in Block 75, outside in the courtyard. It was a clean room, with an ensuite bathroom. It was a bit on the small side but everything looked like it had been renovated. I wanted to book a hostel so I could cook for myself, to save a bit of money. There was a separate kitchen which had been renovated also and was very clean, with new furnishings. There was a limited amount of cooking utensils but I was only cooking for myself, so that was ok.