Despite living less than an hour away from Scotland's capital my entire life (or only 45 minutes if you take the Express train), I have ashamedly never visited Edinburgh at Christmas.
That all changed this year as me and my Mum headed through to check out the recently opened rides, attractions and Christmas markets.
So here's what we got up to on a 24 hour stay in Edinburgh in the run up to Christmas this year;
Starting our Christmas shopping
Other than truly getting into the Christmas spirit, one of our main reasons for making the trip through from Glasgow was to visit the first DECIEM store north of the border. I've been dying to try basically all of The Ordinary and NIOD for quite some time now. And it was great to have it all under one roof in the new William Street store. And since my Mum's favourite foundation of all time is The Ordinary's Serum Foundation, she was looking forward to trying more from the brand.
We did previously have a little stand in Glasgow's House Of Fraser. But after all the uncertainty that came with shopping at House Of Fraser, the stock quickly dwindled down to nothing and closed.
I can't wait to show you what I brought home with me in a dedicated blog post probably in about a month's time. That way I can give it all a proper chance to work on my skin.
Grabbing a bite to eat
Again, Glasgow lost its Byron at the start of 2018, so we were more than happy to head there after our little shopping spree at DECIEM. The Lothian Road branch also wasn't too far a walk away.
We were tempted to try out some bits from the new festive menu but went with our faves. As a big chicken burger fan, their Clucky burger gets a huge thumbs up from me every time. And their french fries are always a hit too.
Chill/warm up at the hotel
We then headed to our hotel to drop our bags and warm up a little. Since we loved our stay at Apex Waterloo Place so much back in June, we simply had to stay there again on this trip. I mean, the swimming pool, sauna and steam room are worth the price of a stay there alone.
We booked through the hotel's site directly, which I always recommend doing if you can. And because of this we were given a £10 voucher to spend on food, drinks or treatments during our stay. We enjoyed our complimentary hot chocolates the next morning so much that I totally forgot to photograph them. #bloggerfail
Checking out the Christmas markets
After drying off after our swim, we got wrapped up once again and headed out to explore the Christmas markets. I've always enjoyed Glasgow's Christmas markets. You will have seen this in my two blog posts from 2018 and 2016. But honestly, Edinburgh's put the ones back home in Glasgow to shame.
The whole of Princes Street Gardens had been transformed into a Winter wonderland with stalls, rides and attractions aplenty.
Places like the Christmas Tree Maze (how cool does it look from above?!) or the Johnnie Walker Bothy Bar really do take what you might think of as a traditional Christmas market to a whole different level.
Sadly we were there a bit too early to take part in the Jingle!: Silent Adventures, which is a silent disco through the market but it is open now. And I am seriously tempted to go back again soon just to get my silent disco on!
Take to the sky or feel like a big kid on the rides
We weren't quite brave enough to take on the Star Flyer. Honestly, just looking up at it spinning made me feel quite queasy. But we did go on the Forth 1 Big Wheel, where you'll get incredible views of the markets below and the city all lit up.
The Santa Train was also so much fun and takes you right round the markets. It would be great for little ones. And then you've got classic rides like the bumper cars and waltzers.
And we could not stop laughing on the Double Carousel. As you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram and saw my Stories.
Treating our tired feet at NOW by One Spa
After checking out of the hotel the following morning we headed to NOW by One Spa, located within the grounds of Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa. Like most times when you're travelling, you don't realise quite how far you've been walking until you stop. So we could not have been more grateful to the NOW by One Spa team who arranged for us both to have a foot treatment and pedicure*.
The treatment includes exfoliation, a mask and moisturiser, all which leave your feet feeling baby soft. And then they get to work on your cuticles and nails. This is great if you've been neglecting your tootsies now that they're always in socks and boots, like I have.
I was really tempted to go for a Christmasy glittery shade but I couldn't resist this beautiful pastel lilac shade. My Mum, on the other hand, went for a gorgeous pearl metallic, which looked beautiful as well.
And then it was time to head back home to Glasgow.
If you've never visited Edinburgh in the run up to Christmas, you really are missing out. We had another great 24 hours in the city.
Is Edinburgh on your list of cities to visit at Christmas? Will you be visiting a Christmas market this year? And are you in the Christmas spirit yet?
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