We booked a three night stay at Peri's flat in Portobello.

Having mentioned that it was my partners birthday, Peri kindly asked if I would like some flowers or wine as an offering upon our arrival. I said that flowers would be lovely and Peri very graciously left both wine and flowers.

We travlled by car from the northwest of England and the scenic, four hour drive past the Lake District and then up in to Scotland itself made the trip all that more special. Historic villages such as Biggar were a particular delight! A great start to our trip! Awe-inspiring!

On arrival, Peri was waiting for us and kindly asked if we needed any help with our luggage. Peri then showed us around and offered us any further help that we needed during our stay. We genuinely could not have asked for more from our host.

The flat itself is beautiful. Bright and spacious, as well as perfectly proportioned, we both thoroughly enjoyed spending time there, particularly after coming home from a long day. We both looked forward to it, in fact! I can pay no higher compliment than to say that it felt as though we were coming 'home'.

The living space is comfortable and inviting. The kitchen is perfect for whatever level of cooking you might wish to undertake. Every utensil and amenity that we required was available and Peri had kindly told us that we were free to use everything and anything.

On the day of our arrival we decided remain in Portobello and we enjoyed a stroll along the beach, which was no more than a 5-10 minute walk from the flat. With it being the end of October, it was, shall we say, starting to get a little fresh, but I can imagine wanting to spend a lot more time exploring during the warmer months!

At the end of the road where the flat is situated, there is a bus stop from which it takes 10-15 minutes to travel in to the heart of the city of Edinburgh.

I probably don't need to spend much time describing Edinburgh as it will be familiar to so many, but I will say that as a city stay, it was fantastic. The history and architecture is stunning. The journey in to the city centre — with Arthur's Seat suddenly appearing in to view in the distance — wonderful.

During our stay, we visited the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, as well as the Museum of Scotland. If that's your kind of thing, I would recommend all three. If not, there is no doubt so much more to discover.

All in all, we had a fantastic three days in Edinburgh, and I would recommend Peri's flat and indeed Peri as a host to anybody. We will no doubt return at some point and would love to stay there again. Thanks, Peri!