Scotland Edinburgh
Arden Guest House, Craigmillar Castle Edinburgh
Independent pet-friendly review by Four Legged Guests · updated August 2026 · paw rating built from 2 verified guest reviews mentioning pets
Bring your dog if
- You want a whole-property rental - no shared lobbies or corridors to navigate with your dog
- You're basing yourself in Edinburgh / the Scotland and want a pet-friendly anchor for day trips
- Pet-mentioning reviewers spoke positively about the dog-friendly setup
Worth knowing
- Paw rating is based on 2 reviews - limited sample, treat as directional
- No pet fee - the property doesn't charge for dogs; research-verified, confirm at booking
- Shared corridors and common areas mean nervous or vocal dogs may find it harder to settle
How this review was built Evidence, sources, refresh cadence
- Evidence: 2 pet-mention guest reviews sourced from major booking platforms - guests who explicitly mentioned travelling with a dog. Each review is screened for pet-relevance, then judged for sentiment to compute the paw rating.
- Not a personal visit. We don't stay at every hotel we cover - we summarise patterns from real guest reviews, paraphrased and never quoted verbatim. Full standard on our editorial policy page.
- Wider context: The property has 405 guest reviews overall across booking platforms, averaging 6.8/10 - the paw rating reflects only the pet-mentioning subset.
- Last refreshed: August 2026. Policies and pricing drift; we re-check on a rolling basis. Confirm specifics with the property at the moment you book.
- How the paw rating works: Full detail on the methodology page, including the three verification gates and known limitations.
Pet policy at a glance
- No pet fee - dogs stay free of charge.
- Well-behaved dogs are welcome, and dogs are specifically listed as allowed.
- Fully enclosed back garden, so a dog can be let out off the lead.
- Parkland directly opposite the property for walks.
- Ten en-suite rooms, several on the ground floor - ask for a pet-friendly room when you book.
- Some third-party listing sites still show this property as not accepting dogs. Ring the guest house on 0131 664 3985 to confirm before booking through any platform.
- The house trades under a franchise brand but sets its dog policy locally.
Pet-friendly summary
Arden Guest House is a small guest house on Old Dalkeith Road in Craigmillar, about two and a half miles south-east of Edinburgh city centre. It trades under a franchise brand but keeps its own staff and its own house rules, and for dog owners the two that matter are that dogs stay free of charge and that there is a fully enclosed garden at the back.
That garden is the practical draw. It is secure enough to let a dog off the lead for a toilet break without stepping out onto the street, which is unusual for a city guest house at this price, and there is parkland directly opposite for a proper walk. Rooms are en suite and several sit on the ground floor, worth asking for if your dog is old or stiff on stairs. A bus stop sits at the front door and there is private parking behind the building, so you can drive in, walk the dog across the road, and take the bus into town without moving the car again.
One booking warning is genuinely worth acting on. Several third-party listing sites still show this property as not accepting dogs, while the house's own arrangements and its guest reviews say the opposite. The mismatch looks like a franchise-level default rather than the local policy, but a listing site that believes dogs are barred can refuse the reservation regardless. Ring the guest house on 0131 664 3985 and confirm before booking anywhere.
Set expectations on the rest. This is a budget guest house and the wider guest verdict is mixed rather than glowing: bathrooms are on the small side and rooms are functional rather than smart. A continental breakfast is included, a cooked option costs a few pounds more and is well thought of, and the breakfast room looks out over the garden. Nothing is published about dog size limits, breeds, or how many dogs a room will take, so settle that on the phone at the same time as the booking.
It suits dog owners on a budget who want a free-of-charge dog welcome, a secure garden and green space over the road, and who are content to bus or drive into Edinburgh rather than walk in from the door. Two guests travelling with a dog have reviewed the house and both were positive about the welcome.
Highlights from pet-mentioning reviews
What reviewers travelling with dogs consistently noted about staying here.
- No pet fee, dogs stay free of charge
- Fully enclosed garden behind the house
- Parkland directly across the road
- Ground-floor en-suite rooms available
- Listing sites disagree on the dog policy
- Bus stop at the door, parking behind
About this hotel
Arden Guest House is a small budget guest house on Old Dalkeith Road in Craigmillar, around two and a half miles south-east of Edinburgh city centre. Rooms are en suite with ground-floor options, a continental breakfast is included, and there is a fully enclosed garden behind the house along with private parking and a bus stop at the door.
Hotel facts
Photos
Location
126 Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4SD
