Pack Your Bags: Edinburgh (Family Style)

My parents came to visit

and we decided to take them to see

a few places that they have never seen.

Ok, well one place really: Scotland,

with a lot of little stops along the way.

The first stop was Edinburgh for two nights

until Tyler could wrap up work and join us.

While I typically run around the town

with college students

or with our awesomely low-budget.

But this time around,

oh friends,

I came with mama & papa.

I may or may not have persuaded them into the ways of Barbour upon arrival in the rain.

And traveling with mama & papa

can always make things a bit more fun.

We had such a good time.

We saw all the sites

like the Edinburgh Castle 

and the Queen's Edinburgh palace, Holyrood...

we ate tons of food

at cozy places like Under The Stairs

and lunch at the famous Elephant House,

ok, actually haven't eaten one yet... but will work up the nerve to soon.

& we slept like kings

while staying at The Balmoral.

Enormous rooms, cozy robes & REN bath products. Oh, yes.

Fun fact: JK Rowling finished Book 7 of HP in a suite at the Balmoral

as a way to enjoy her success as an author.

From her starting point over a single cup of coffee at The Elephant House

to a suite at Edinburgh's grandest hotel-

I like her style!

So do I recommend the splurge for a stay at The Balmoral?

If you can swing it, of course!

Or if you want to go for something more modern,

the Hotel Missoni draws me in big time!

Edinburgh + Missoni = Awesome doormen in kilts.

Though if you can't swing it,

which is the camp I most often fall into,

I also highly recommend an apartment through Advocate Apartments

or The Fraser Suites...

either will give you great rooms at a great price in fantastic locations.

More soon as our journey continues...

the next stop is one of my favorites: St. Andrews!

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy via my instagram. Username: aspiringkennedy