Self-Catering In Edinburgh

Self-catering in Edinburgh is what we’re all about at Dickins, but we’re also about so much more.

The world of self-catering has changed beyond recognition since we started letting for the Edinburgh Festival back in 1998. Then, the phrase self-catering probably conjured up the sense of a damp, old fashioned cottage. But rest assured, those days are over, and it’s never been cooler to stay in a home.

Airbnb has revolutionised the idea of choosing a home over a hotel when you travel and in fact these days, they’re almost synonymous. But there are all kinds of drawbacks to Airbnb and in Edinburgh at least, you can make better self-catering choices.

Make your home from home in Edinburgh your dream home

At Dickins we’re about quality homes and our portfolio has been hand picked by our Managing Director, Louise Dickins, who sees every new home we take on. Home means different things to different people and we understand that people have different tastes and budgets. So, we have a range of homes to suit everyone.

From simple one-bedrooms to lavish townhouses, all our homes feel homely, so that you’ll feel relaxed as soon as you arrive. And don’t worry, you won’t find piles of papers or loads of little jobs that need attending to, like there are in most people’s homes! These homes are ready for you; they’re calm, clutter-free environments, designed to feel like your home from home.

Booking a home to stay in is a brilliant opportunity to dream big and stay in a home which is actually better than your real life home! Homes in Edinburgh are amongst the most beautiful in the world and often have high ceilings and lots of architectural features. Luckily we look after lots of luxury dream-homes. You can find them here.

It’s the little things that make a big difference

Getting a great night’s sleep is so important and sometimes being in a new environment can make that difficult. So, we like our homes to have certain touches like great quality linens, giving you the best chance of sleeping well. You’ll also find good knives and decent pans in the kitchens so that cooking feels like pleasure and not a chore. And we give you details of where to shop locally so that you can find and make the most of Edinburgh’s fabulous independent food shops. Cleanliness always matters, too, so your Dickins home will be immaculately clean and well presented. It’s not always true, but regularly when we’ve seen homes let through Airbnb, they’re just not clean.

The right choice for you

At Dickins, we want you to stay somewhere which is going to be perfect for YOU. On websites where you’re in direct contact with the owners, they often care more about themselves than their guests. Different people have different needs and priorities and Dickins have homes to suit everyone. We can help you make the perfect choice as our team know our homes well.

If you are bringing your dog, then we have great dog-friendly homes. Self-catering in Edinburgh is perfect for families. You won’t be cooped up in one room, having to go to sleep when the kids do. They’ll have their own room and so you can put them to bed and reach for the corkscrew! And if you’ve forgotten to buy wine, Drinkly can deliver within the hour! Our family-friendly accommodation often comes with travel cots, high chairs and children’s crockery. We have great homes with parking too. So get in contact and let us know what matters to you and we’ll do the rest. We love matchmaking!

Stay longer, pay less

Many of the guests who stay with us book for several months at a time and we reward longer stays. So, when you book with Dickins for between four and ten weeks, you’ll get a 20% discount and if you stay for more then ten weeks, you’ll get 25% off. By contrast, Airbnb are focused on very short stays, so booking with them for a longer period can become very expensive. Longer stays are much more popular with neighbours too, especially in communal stairwells.

The personal touch

We’re a small family business who’ve been doing what we do for over 20 years. Our team of lovely people know our homes, our owners and our guests well. You’ll get a speak to real people, who care about your experience. You’ll be in safe hands so that if anything goes wrong during your stay (and sometimes it does) we have teams of trusted tradespeople who are on hand to help. In fact, we’re known for being great problem solvers. We also have a portfolio of homes to rehouse you, in the worst case scenario. That won’t happen if you book an Airbnb.

Concierge at Dickins

We want you to have everything you need when you stay with us. That might mean you need housekeeping services, or someone to look after your children so you can dine out. Perhaps it’s having someone deliver meals to you, so the fridge is full when you arrive, or a lovely car to collect you from the airport. We found the best people in Edinburgh to help and created our Concierge at Dickins Service.

Share in our insider knowledge of Edinburgh

It’s not just our homes, owners, and guests – we love Edinburgh too! There are so many amazing things going on in Edinburgh every month but it can be very hard to find out what they are – even if you live here and know the city. To help our guests know often more than the locals do, we write a great blog What the Dickins: A Tale of Edinburgh City. There you’ll find out all sort of brilliant details about Edinburgh – the highlights of various areas and where to eat drink and shop, what’s on each month, etc. Our Dickins Edinburgh Instagram feed is basically a love letter to Edinburgh and the wonderful homes we look after, and we post regularly on Facebook too.

Flexibility

Our Edinburgh self-catering homes are available to book from three nights to as long as you need them for. One of the advantages of booking with Dickins is that you’re able to plan ahead and book in advance. Plus, you’ll be able to extend your stay if you need to, as long as the home you’re staying in is available. So please get in touch if you’re looking for self-catering in Edinburgh. We’d love to help you find the perfect Edinburgh home from home.