Having taken over the home of Scotland's leading newspaper, The Scotsman hotel is writing another chapter in Edinburgh's history, Peta King pay it a visit.

IN the days of the Press barons, the headquarters of The Scotsman thundered its importance across Edinburgh from its towering edifice in the heart of the city. Today, this baronial pile is the enclave of what is perhaps an equally influential class - the well-heeled tourist and the 21st Century businessman.

A remarkable hotel by any standards, situated on North Bridge between the Royal Mile and Princes Street, and only minutes from Waverley train station, its name honours the newspaper that was published here for a century, before new technology took it to more modern buildings near Holyroodhouse.

Its style is eclectic, fusing the opulence of the turn of the century building with edgy design. Sheet glass and steel girders sit alongside walnut panelling, stained glass windows and the magnificent marble staircase which, in the building's newspaper days, was off limits to everyone but the highest echelons of management - although every November the staff were allowed to ascend the grandiose display of wealth on Remembrance Day. Today, everyone can use it.

Perhaps a little predictably, some of the hotel's 69 guest rooms are named after the inky trade, as in the Editor's room and Publisher's suite. But all, from the Study rooms to the Penthouse Suite - with its own private lift, dining room, sauna and rooftop terrace - are decorated with specially-created tweeds, all have state of the art bathrooms with drench showers (in some you can take a bath while enjoying views over the Old Town skyline) and all have sensible things like proper sized ironing boards and irons. Not that you can imagine the guests here doing their own ironing.

In fact, they're more likely to be impressed with The Scotsman's clever two-way room service hatch, which means your laundry can be picked up unnoticed, or your breakfast delivered without the need for you to get dressed to answer the door.

But for all the indulgence of having your meals delivered to your private sitting room, the hotel's two restaurants are too good an experience to miss.

We ate in the North Bridge Brasserie - informal in style with a galleried upper floor giving plenty of opportunity for people watching, the cuisine is classy but unpretentious. We tried a new take on haggis, neeps and tatties, and scallops with Stornoway pudding (a black pudding by any other name?) from a menu that featured a good choice of fish and game.

The intimate Vermilion - once the features department - is, by contrast, hushed and hallowed. A three-course dinner here is £35 per person.

For those who don't want to relax, the hotel's Escape health club has a 16ft stainless steel swimming pool and a 60-station air conditioned gym; for those who do, the Cowshed Spa offers some very upmarket pampering.

And for those who yearn for some high octane retail therapy, Edinburgh offers a shopping experience like no other city - from the exclusive Harvey Nichols, to weird independents specialising in everything from cashmere to comics, to some of the best vintage shops around.

The city centre, epitomised by Princes Street, is renowned for high street franchises such as Warehouse, Kookai, Zara and Monsoon and, of course, the Harrods of the North, Jenners, Edinburgh's original department store that's anything but conventional. Multrees Walk is the city's designer boulevard with luxury names like Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein, DAKS and G-Star.

The Old Town, just a short walk from the city centre, is a world away from Princes Street. The cobbled streets and lanes are packed with every experience from vintage shops to cool outlets with one-off creations.

Among the souvenir shops on The Royal Mile you'll find Ness, which specialises in Vivienne Westwood-esque twists on tartan and knitwear, while trendy guys will love 21st Century Kilts, a hit with celebs, including Robbie Williams.

And if your plastic hasn't melted yet, there are the 'Villages', quirky parts of the city set apart with unusual independent retailers and boutiques. Head off here for boho chic, bespoke jewellery, art galleries and fabulous cafes, where you can catch up with the day's news - in The Scotsman, of course.

TRAVEL FACTS

The Scotsman, North Bridge Street, Edinburgh. 0131-556-5565 www.thescotsmanhotel. co.uk.

Peta and her partner travelled to Edinburgh by train with GNER. Advance purchase return fares between Darlington and Edinburgh start at £18 Standard Class or £40 First Class. To book, visit www.gner.co.uk, call 08457-225225 or visit any staffed railway station.