Luxury Cabin (Houseboat - 2 double & 1 bunk bed) | Private kitchen
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Reviews of The Four Sisters Boatel

4 out of 5
The Four Sisters Boatel
Lochrin Basin, Union Canal, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 8 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 6 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 17 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Ryan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Book with caution - Not recommended
Unfortunately we would highly recommend that anyone with families to approach with caution and Do Not Book this. Due to the experience and what happened, awful experience overnight, we would not recommend this hotel due to the danger posed to our family. The issue is the location of the boat, this is open to the public with zero appropriate security protections in place. In the middle of the night, a Group of drunk males started with banging on the boat, followed by breaking in and attempting the doors. We got lucky as they ran off but in the event they had other ideas, our children and ourselves could have been in severe danger. This was a ‘near miss’. Unfortunately the management of the boat are declining to fully refund the stay despite the above, which is simply disgraceful. The stress this has caused since with hours on the phone to hotels.com and the danger we were all put in, is simply not worth it. In addition to this, unfortunately the owner lied to us by saying this had never happened in 15years and yet her colleague who came to clean the boat discussed that it also happened to him and his friends. This could be very dangerous. Images of the location of the boat attached. Book with caution. This review is unfortunately factual events and is no form of slander.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Ngoc Hoa

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good for kids, nice and neat boatel.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Caroline

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Perfect
Clean, amazing location, easy check in and check out, hassle free, would definitely recommend. It was such a cheerful trip, nike quirky accommodation in the city centre with everything you need.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Millie

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Great location and stay. check in could have been earlier. Only down side was smell from toilet which is understandable though due to drainage. Shower and toilet external block was great and not far. 100% would stay again
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Enjoyed the experience. Would visit again. Owner very friendly. Only thing that let down slightly was the wifi and tv signal would have been good to have them at night but didnt unfortunately.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2020

8/10 Good

Stephen

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Martyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A nice break away, we were a family of 5 and it was all a little cramped. That said a great experience for the kids and they are now asking about a boating holiday. Shower and EC were small (but expected as a narrow boat), mattresses were a little bumpy All in all a nice weekend break away, that was a break from the normal hotels we stay in - we would recommend for a city break
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Al

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice place, good location.
A different and quirky place to stay, well placed for the centre and definitely cheaper for a family as opposed to a hotel with the same space and facilities. My only criticism was that every single one of the provided DVD's we tried to watch (about 20 in all) was either so scratched it wouldn't work at all, or worked and then crashed once 20 minutes in. Overall great but just in need of a touch up.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

ANDREW

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A great location and lovely boat. Owners met us and showed us around. Something different compared to the normal city centre hotel, just a pity the rain stopped us sitting out on deck. Would recommend it.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The lady was very helpful and the boatel was quirky. it wasn't clean however and several of the windows were broken so couldn't be opened and had sharp bits on the catch. It appears due a refurb. The roller blinds were dusty as were the skirtings and by the heaters/radiators. One of the roller blinds kept falling off and the knob on the door to the shower/wc room was loose (and fell off a few times). The bedding didn't feel clean, smelled odd and the rooms were dusty. The inside of the windows were dirty. There was a duvet squashed behind the sofa and another on the top bunk with no cover on it. We had 3 young children with us, one had to use a duvet without a cover on. There was noise from revellers at the nearby bar and on their way back from a night out- latest disturbances were 3am then 6am. I regret paying £180 (then £15 for parking) for the one night- didn't seem worth it at all unfortunately.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mr Burns, Glasgow

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A truly different awesome experience
Amazing stunning accommodation, Kids loved it!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Lisa, M

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Fun but a little disappointing.
We absolutely loved being in Edinburgh as it is a beautiful city. However we felt a little disappointed with the accommodation. The online photographs were taken quite a few years ago and the boat has now begun to look a bit to red. The door which albeit had a lock on, was not very secure when inside and this worried me having three children on board. Also it was extremely drafty beside the bunk beds as this is situated next to the door. This was due to the hatch above the door not quite fitting leaving gaps either side. However I am sure this could be fixed making the accommodation a lot warmer and safer. There is access to a shower and toilet block which was a god send as the onboard facilities are limited and as expected without space. In terms of what you get, go with the expectations of being on a boat, space is limited. The location of the boatel is ideally placed for local amenities with restaurants near by and a Tesco just round the corner. If you have young children bear in mind that the restaurants have outdoor seating which plays music late into the night. However I am sure the majority of people on these trips have older children that would enjoy being able to sit outside till late taking in the busy atmosphere of Edinburgh at its best. I enjoyed the experience of living on a boat and my children thought it was an adventure. For me personally though once was enough. Overall the holiday was that of mixed emotions a fun exciting yet tiring break.

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rocking digs in Edinburgh
Fantastic stay in one of the more unusual rooms in Edinburgh. Once you are over the initial shock that you are on a boat, it's a great base of operations or even somewhere to stay in and chill out.

10/10 Excellent

Angela

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quirky and quaint... lovely place to stay
The Boatel was lovely and surprisingly spacious. Bedrooms were very comfortable and despit the time of year it was very warm. Only thing to be aware of is that the bunk beds are only really suitable for children. Really enjoyed our stay and would like to return. Owner was very friendly and helpful also. Cost just under £5 to get from Haymarket station in a taxi.

8/10 Good

David, Switzerland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel with a difference
Stayed on the Four Sisters Boatel with our three boys who enjoyed the novelty of staying on a boat. The boat has two bed rooms and a bunk bed so has plenty of space. Well situated the boatel is within easy walking distance of the center of Edinburgh. Metered paking is close by which was fine for a short stay, for longer stays check parking options in advance. There are local bars, cafes and shops just a few steps away. Natalie was the perfect hostess.
canal basin

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Propriétaire très agréable et très gentille. Bon accueille et emplacement excellent avec l'originalité en prime
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019