Really lovely place to stay in Edinburgh
Helen's house is really great for a short stay in Edinburgh. We had our own entrance and our own bathroom which seems difficult to find in the city if you don't want to stay in a hotel.
It is very clean and has a charming little garden for the guests. The room is bright and modern. We had hair products in the bathroom, towels, a hair dryer, basic facilities for a small meal, tea, coffee, and sugar. Helen also had put some milk, yogurt, juice, and fresh raspberries in the fridge for us. You cannot cook unless you call heating something in the microwave cooking :)
Although 5 km from the city center might seem inconvenient, it's not! The location is actually very, very good. Edinburgh has a nice public transport, including night buses stopping very close to Helen's house with connection to the airport bus. The day buses actually stop almost in front of the house. And being on one of those double-deckers is the real hop-on hop-off experience as you see off-the-tourist path neighborhoods of Edinburgh.
You also have a shopping center with a supermarket - very convenient if you don't want to have meals in the city center. We actually didn't notice any pubs or restaurants in the residential areas unless they are very close to the center.
And everywhere you look, it's green and lovely. In the vicinity there are parks, one of them with a castle where Mary, Queen of Scots, once lived, and a great view of Arthur's seat and the sea.
We definitely recommend Helen's house and we hope that we can be once again her guests when we go back to Edinburgh as it's absolutely worth it!