A HOTEL in Scotland is one of the best budget breaks in the world, with “wallet-friendly prices that don’t come at the cost of style or substance”.

House of Gods in Edinburgh is one of the best low-cost getaways globally, according to National Geographic Traveller UK.

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The hotel is known for its extravagant decor that blends a clash of styles and broken rules.

Rooms are individually designed and feature dark colours, velvet, fake fur, and mood lighting.

Zebra-print four-poster beds, copper bathtubs and walk in showers are the norm, with past guests likening the rooms to Orient Express-style cabins. 

The hotel’s bar, Lilith’s Lounge, is a plush cocktail bar with a rock’n’roll-inspired menu.

Expect to see classic cocktails like Espresso Martini next to hotel-themed ones, such as House of Gods No.5, which pays homage to the iconic perfume Chanel No.5, and each drink comes with its own little story on the menu.

Other features at House of Gods include a cosy outdoor space and no room phones – the hotel uses WhatsApp for communication with guests.

And its location, in Edinburgh’s Cowgate, is close to major landmarks and minutes away from the city’s bars, restaurants, and shopping centres.

What really makes this 4-star hotel stand out though, is the price.

Rooms are available from £108 and to give you an idea of value, a quick search online shows that Travelodge rooms in Edinburgh are available from £109 currently.

Yes, you absolutely can get a much cheaper room at Travelodge if you plan ahead, but it’s very impressive nonetheless.

So what’s it really like to stay at the House of Gods? The Sun’s Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski checked in:

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If neat, simple and practical hotels are your thing, then House of Gods Hotel isn’t for you – this place is anything but boring.

Its opulent, velvet decor is what makes this spot so much more than just a room for the night, so it’s no surprise to me that it’s made it on to Condé Nast’s Best Hotels list for 2024.

The dark and extravagant bedrooms may not be to everyones taste, but there’s no arguing that it’s location is ideal, less than a five-minute walk from Edinburghs famous Royal Mile.

The whole experience of staying here is fun from start to finish, with bedrooms hidden in a maze of winding corridors and rouge curtains and in-room buttons for late night butler service.

Daylight is almost utterly shut out from the moment you enter the hotel’s unassuming front door, and we were ushered through a winding rabbit warren of rouge curtains and mirrors, eventually reaching Room 212. 

Had we left the room again that night, I’m not convinced we would have been able to find it by ourselves, but rooms have been designed not to be left for hours, maybe even days.

We booked the indulgent Treat Me Like I’m Famous package, and our bed was decorated with gold balloons and rose petals, accompanied by with a bottle of bubbles and two flutes.

The package also includes cocktails delivered to your door, a £40 bar tab, a midnight feast of milk and cookies and a breakfast hamper of bagels and juice.

Fuelled by the booze, we had a great night’s sleep and an unplanned lie-in, as we were blissfully unaware that morning had broken in our windowless boudoir, totally shut off from the outside world.

What do the other guests say?

One hotel guest who stayed in August this year for their anniversary described their stay as “10/10”.

Why wrote on Tripadvisor: “This hotel goes above and beyond and you will have one of the best experiences staying here.

“This was the perfect choice for our wedding anniversary and I wish we had stayed longer as one night wasn’t enough!

“The staff cannot do enough, the rooms are unreal and the cocktails are some of the best I’ve seen. We will be back! Thank you for making our anniversary one to remember.”

Prices for bed and breakfast at House of Gods start from £102.

As part of National Geographic Traveller UK’s annual hotel awards, House of Gods was announced as a runner-up in the Best Budget Breaks category.

The winner was INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit, with its rooftop infinity pool and open living lobby inspired by Bangkok’s temples, and room rates starting from £88.

Another runner-up in the Budget Breaks category was Interno Marche in Italy.

The design hotel pays tribute to the history of Italian design and the legacy of Italian fashion designer Franco Moschini, with prices for rooms starting from £140,

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The World’s 50 Best Hotels were recently announced with three English hotels making the list.

One of these was Raffles London at The OWO, which has only been open since September last year.

PASSENGERS flying from Edinburgh may want to pack their Nectar Card in the future, as Sainsbury’s is set to open its first-ever airport store.

A Sainsbury’s store will replace the M&S Simply Food store at Edinburgh Airport in the coming months.

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The store will be located before airport security, making it ideal for any last-minute grabs or those holidaymakers touching down after their hols.

It is not yet known when the store will open and whether prices will be inflated because of the shop’s airport location.

However, the announcement will be welcome news for budget-friendly travellers.

The news comes as part of a wave of new openings set to take place at the Scottish airport in the next few months.

A new Pizza Express venue is slated to open in the departures hall.

Seoul Bird – a Korean fried chicken brand – will also open its first airport franchise and first Scottish outlet at Edinburgh Airport.

It’s good news for holidaymakers who enjoy an airport pint, as Edinburgh Airport’s BrewDog bar will be moved to a larger site,

There will be a wider choice of draft beers for passengers to choose from as well as an expanded food menu.

According to Business Traveller, BrewDog will replace Hudson St Grill, which is close to gate 11.

Commenting on the news Gail Taylor, chief commercial officer (non-Aero) at Edinburgh Airport, said: “We’re always looking to provide the very best choice to our passengers and meet the demand for the things they want, whether it’s a drink to toast that trip away or some essentials after they return from their break.

“Our BrewDog bar has been a huge success since opening at the airport five years ago, so seeing it move into a larger unit and expanding its offering was always going to be a popular option.

“This is one of several changes people will see in the coming months, and we’re sure the arrival of Sainsbury’s – one of the UK’s top supermarket chains – will also go down well with our passengers.”

The news comes after Edinburgh Airport revealed its check-in hall would undergo a huge £5.8million revamp, with bosses unveiling plans to introduce new self-service tech.

Airport spending mistakes

Even though shop openings are often welcome news for holidaymakers, it is important to remember that airports are deliberately designed to encourage holidaymakers to spend their cash, especially when passengers have time to kill.

After they’ve passed through security, and before their boarding gate has been announced, holidaymakers become a captive audience where they’re forced to spend.

This free time is referred to as “golden hour” by industry experts who can often make money on passengers last-minute purchases.

The term was coined by airport guru Holly Buckner who encouraged airports to be aware of how to capture the needs of passengers.

In an interview on ABC’s Nightline, she added: “You [airports] can capitalise on someone who is frazzled and lost, and who is trying to make their way to their gate, but still offer something that is going to be enticing for them to purchase.”

As a passenger, it’s important to know exactly when to part with your cash.

Firstly, it’s good to know which items are normally cheaper in duty free, and which will end up costing you more.

Alcohol and cigarettes are usually always cheaper and the main items travellers stock up on when passing through the airport.

However, things like snacks, medicine and electronics are often more expensive.

Another item that needlessly costs passengers at the airport is water, which can cost a fortune from duty free shops.

Take an empty bottle through airport security, then refill the bottle at an airport fountain or ask your flight attendant for a free top-up.

There are ways to save money at airports, a travel expert has revealed how airport lounges could offer cash savings.

And this traveller shared a hack to avoid spending money on water.

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