Edinburgh, Scotland

I heart Scotland.
I heart not knowing what people are saying even though they are speaking the same language.
I heart old men wearing kilts in the dead of winter.

We were so happy to discover that this hotel was right in the middle of the old town in Edinburgh. We arrived when there was still some light, so we were able to see some of the quaint town on the drive from the airport.
The hotel lobby was super traditional and cozy with lots of dark wood and tartan plaid and fireplace, so I got in the Scottish mood. We were greeted by an awesome General Manager who made us feel like VIP, which was great because we were getting quite tired after being on the road for a couple weeks already.
We were given a tour of the "Club Floor", which is where our lounge was located. And incidentally, that floor had just undergone a complete renovation. It was the nicest decor I experienced in any of the hotels over the four months, so I was feeling like a good little inspired stylist. It was also completely the opposite of the rest of the hotel.... lots of cool colors, super modern. But still comfortable. Turns out our rooms are on these nice, modern floors, too, so I am really happy. BTW, I am so spoiled by the amazing hotel bathrooms I've had!

Our meals were REALLY GOOD in Scotland. My favorite was a fish pie at a local's pub/restaurant called The Shore which was located on the (shore) waterfront , but I also liked our desert the last night which was called sticky toffee pudding. It was kind of like a super-moist ginger cake covered with caramel. Did I mention I've been going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week? Need it, since we basically eat like we're on vacation on this job.

The shoot days were short because it's the heart of winter and the light exists only from 9:30am until 4pm, so we had two days to shoot what we would normally do in one. The Club Lounge was difficult to shoot for structural reasons, but the hotel closed the lounge to guests so we were able to move furniture around and completely destroy it while we worked.... it made life much easier not having to work around the guests.

After our last shoot day, I had to take some things out to be shipped. It was nice to walk around in the daytime, and I stumbled upon some important-looking landmarks. There's the castle at the top of the hill!

As a thank-you, the client and Art Director treated us to massages at the hotel's fancy spa. It was hilarious meeting my team in the spa, where we were all wearing white spa robes and listening to waterfall music and sipping herbal tea. Totally the opposite of our usual m.o.!

This is our last location and although I am ready to go home and nest a bit, I will miss my crew! We formed a nice bond and worked really well together. I am sad our travels to Thailand and Malaysia are cancelled next month, but it has been a great adventure. I am very lucky and grateful to have had this job.