Fashion brands don't open hotels in Scotland every day, so Edinburgh's new Hotel Missoni, from the eponymous Italian fashion label, has caused quite a buzz. The first of several luxury Missoni properties - Kuwait City and Oman are next - it opened in June 2009 in a prime location just off the Royal Mile. Anna Smith gave it a month to settle in, and checked in one weekend in July.
The entrance is sleek, modern and subtle, but once inside, you know you’re in the territory of a bold fashion brand. The long, glittering bar takes centre stage while quirky furniture pieces are dotted around the foyer. Receptionists are based on individual pods lined with shiny beaded curtains. We’re welcomed by a friendly young man and shown into the lifts. I admire the colourful, stripy décor. “Wait til you see the carpets!” he says. Actually, the black and white striped corridor carpets could give you a headache – good job we’re ushered into room 338, a well-positioned double overlooking the Royal Mile.
It’s not huge, but mirrors give an illusion of size, and the décor’s deliciously modern: silver leather headboard, purple bathroom, soaps in contrasting colours, arranged just so. There’s good wardrobe space behind a sliding mirror, and a free minibar with beer and juice. The only real snag is the positioning of the TV on the wall: it’s so close to the bed that a tall person could bump into it.
Time to check out the restaurant: Cucina, a boldly patterned mezzanine eaterie hoping to reflect the Italian hospitality of the Missoni family. We certainly receive a warm welcome, and excellent service, with attentive wait staff and a very helpful sommelier. With our starters – a lovely, if salty, prawn risotto and a tasty beef bresaola with goats’ cheese sauce – we try a crisp white Italian white: spot-on. The red wine choice, a 2006 Serafini & Vidotto Phigaia, far outdoes my surprisingly ordinary lamb dish. The former is well worth £11 a glass, but £17 for the latter? Not sure. My partner’s sea bream is very good, but his desert – a Tiramisu – is disappointing, and so, while Cucina is particularly strong on seafood, it is a little hit and miss.
We happen to be staying during the T in the Park festival, so along with the mix of cosmopolitan diners (ranging from late 20s to 60s), we have celebrities in our midst: US songstress Lady Gaga arrives with something of fanfare, loudly welcoming her table of guests (all men, possibly road crew) and holding court for the rest of the evening. We’re told Snow Patrol are also staying, and spot the members of Jane’s Addiction returning to their rooms later in the evening. A mystery guest has even ordered canisters of oxygen to be taken to their room.
In what may or may not be a coincidence, the fire alarm goes off at 0100. Muttering about people smoking, we all file down the fire escape onto the street, where drunken revellers are amused and confused at the sight of hundreds of people in stripy Missoni dressing gowns and slippers (not everyone parties late here, it seems). The fire brigade come, declare it a false alarm and we get back to our rooms, slightly disappointed at the lack of dishevelled celebs on the pavement of George IV Bridge (do they have a special emergency area for VIPs?).
After a small lie-in to compensate for the interruption, we head down to breakfast at a rather civilised 1000. The buffet offers fresh juices and a cruelly tempting array of doughnuts, pastries and cakes, along with the usual muesli, yoghurt and fruit. We opt for a cooked breakfast: a decent Full Scottish and an utterly delicious Eggs Benedict.
The Sunday papers help make breakfast at Missoni a relaxed affair and prepare us for our walk up (OK, half up) the famous Arthur’s Seat the next day. It’s pouring with rain, but there’s one comfort: the loan of a huge, stylish Missoni umbrella. And in Edinburgh, that’s a very useful extra.
Hotel Missoni
1 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1AD, UK
Tel: (0131) 220 6666.
Website: www.hotelmissoni.com
