The Student Room Group
Student at University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh

Sugarhouse close / IQ Fountainbridge / Gateway Apartments

Hi everyone, I hope someone can help me:
I will start my postgraduate studies in September at the University of Edinburgh and am currently trying to decide between three accommodations:

1) Sugarhouse Close

This seems to be the closest to the University and I would pick a studio. I'm a bit worried because it looked a bit..orange...in the pictures online, and also I've heard the area is noisy. Also I cannot seem to find any reviews of the place anywhere on the internet. Weird.

2) IQ Fountainbridge

Beautiful rooms, but the location seems a bit odd, nothing much around there? Is the area good, are there pubs around? It's also not as close to the University as Sugarhouse.

3) Gateway Apartments

Of the three, this is the most far away from the University and also too expensive for me to afford a studio (so I'd have to pick a 2-bed apartment and they seem very small). I like the building very much though and the staff has been very friendly so far. Is Leith Walk a good area? I feel like I've heard about it (which might not be a good sign).

Can anyone tell me anything about these? I'm postgrad from the EU, so applying for University accommodation wouldn't make sense and I'd prefer to have my own space, since I'm used to it (having lived in my own apartment for the last few years). Mostly I want to live in a good, safe area with shops and stores and everything I would need in close distance. I'm also worried about noise, so I hope these student halls aren't too noisy.
Original post by katway
Hi everyone, I hope someone can help me:
I will start my postgraduate studies in September at the University of Edinburgh and am currently trying to decide between three accommodations:

1) Sugarhouse Close

This seems to be the closest to the University and I would pick a studio. I'm a bit worried because it looked a bit..orange...in the pictures online, and also I've heard the area is noisy. Also I cannot seem to find any reviews of the place anywhere on the internet. Weird.

2) IQ Fountainbridge

Beautiful rooms, but the location seems a bit odd, nothing much around there? Is the area good, are there pubs around? It's also not as close to the University as Sugarhouse.

3) Gateway Apartments

Of the three, this is the most far away from the University and also too expensive for me to afford a studio (so I'd have to pick a 2-bed apartment and they seem very small). I like the building very much though and the staff has been very friendly so far. Is Leith Walk a good area? I feel like I've heard about it (which might not be a good sign).

Can anyone tell me anything about these? I'm postgrad from the EU, so applying for University accommodation wouldn't make sense and I'd prefer to have my own space, since I'm used to it (having lived in my own apartment for the last few years). Mostly I want to live in a good, safe area with shops and stores and everything I would need in close distance. I'm also worried about noise, so I hope these student halls aren't too noisy.


Hi,

I can really only tell you about the areas where these accommodations are....

Sugarhouse close is in a nice part of the city,close to the scottish parliament and holyrood palace.Its probably about a 5 min walk to the uni and its near the royal mile which is very good for bars and restaurants.This area has been completely rejuvinated and rebuilt,the only downside is there is an area of flats nearby which house alot of not so nice people...

The fountainbridge area is quite nice and has a large student population,its very close to lothian road for bars and shops.Its probably about 10/15 mins walk to the uni....

Gateway appartments is on elm row,which is the top end of leith walk.Its close to the omni centre for bars/restaurants/cinema and a few minutes walk to princes street for shops,which is the heart of the city.The downside or upside is it is very busy and noisy in the evening with people going to the clubs etc.Leith walk is very multicultural,in my opinion its not the best part of the city and you will see alot of drug addicts etc on leith walk...

Hope this helps and feel free to ask for any more info...good luck
Student at University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
Reply 2
Original post by rotterdamhibs
Hi,

I can really only tell you about the areas where these accommodations are....

Sugarhouse close is in a nice part of the city,close to the scottish parliament and holyrood palace.Its probably about a 5 min walk to the uni and its near the royal mile which is very good for bars and restaurants.This area has been completely rejuvinated and rebuilt,the only downside is there is an area of flats nearby which house alot of not so nice people...

The fountainbridge area is quite nice and has a large student population,its very close to lothian road for bars and shops.Its probably about 10/15 mins walk to the uni....

Gateway appartments is on elm row,which is the top end of leith walk.Its close to the omni centre for bars/restaurants/cinema and a few minutes walk to princes street for shops,which is the heart of the city.The downside or upside is it is very busy and noisy in the evening with people going to the clubs etc.Leith walk is very multicultural,in my opinion its not the best part of the city and you will see alot of drug addicts etc on leith walk...

Hope this helps and feel free to ask for any more info...good luck


Thanks for that! I think IQ fountainbridge is right next to that leisure park complex, google tells me it's like 25 minutes to the university, but maybe it's wrong about that? I think Sugarhouse close is probably closest to the University, but the rooms are the least pretty from the three I've looked at, so it's a tough choice. Anybody got experience with them?
Yeah it possibly is about 25 minutes walk,but its nice easy walk through the city.There is also a couple of buses that travel that route and the bus prices in edinburgh are very cheap.Hopefully someone that has lived in any of these accommodations can give you better information,although sugarhouse close is in the best area of the city.
Original post by katway
1) Sugarhouse Close


Good location. There are no reviews because it's only been around for 1 year and spent the last year on lease to the university. It's going to be on lease to the university again this year - the only thing available privately are the studios.

Original post by katway
2) IQ Fountainbridge


It's not that far from the university (15-20 min walk depending on your speed), but while it's an area with students it's not in the middle of an area where much happens. You definitely need to walk 5-10 mins to get anywhere more interesting. I wouldn't live there (at that price anyway).

Original post by katway
3) Gateway Apartments


New kids on the block. The design looks good (I agree) and thus far the official rep on TSR has been behaving themself.

I know university halls aren't an option - but have you considered joining an existing flatshare or finding flatmates online? It works fairly well in Edinburgh and you'll probably end up living somewhere much nicer for an equivalent or lower cost?
Reply 5
Original post by nearlyheadlessian
Good location. There are no reviews because it's only been around for 1 year and spent the last year on lease to the university. It's going to be on lease to the university again this year - the only thing available privately are the studios.



It's not that far from the university (15-20 min walk depending on your speed), but while it's an area with students it's not in the middle of an area where much happens. You definitely need to walk 5-10 mins to get anywhere more interesting. I wouldn't live there (at that price anyway).



New kids on the block. The design looks good (I agree) and thus far the official rep on TSR has been behaving themself.

I know university halls aren't an option - but have you considered joining an existing flatshare or finding flatmates online? It works fairly well in Edinburgh and you'll probably end up living somewhere much nicer for an equivalent or lower cost?


Thank you! Yes, I've thought about flatshare too, it's just that I've had some bad experiences with it. It can work out beautifully, but it also can suck if you don't get along for some reason and I already spent the first two years of my undergraduate study holed up in my tiny room because my roommate occupied the living room and I just don't want that. I've also had great flatmates and it's a tough decision, but I'm only in Edinburgh for one year and I want to make the most of it.

I hope that I can meet lots of people in student halls while still having my private room where I can relax and study.

I love the design of Gateway Apartments, but it is pretty far away from university. I wouldn't mind sharing the apartment with a roommate (since the studios are way too expensive there), but the rooms in the shared apartments are really, really small.
So it would probably be Fountainbridge or Sugarhouse Close, where I can only book studios anyways.

Do you know how acoustics are in student halls? I stayed in Pollock Halls one summer and I nearly went crazy because I could hear everything the students above me and next to me were doing, wandering around, skyping, when I was trying to sleep.
Original post by katway
I love the design of Gateway Apartments, but it is pretty far away from university. I wouldn't mind sharing the apartment with a roommate (since the studios are way too expensive there), but the rooms in the shared apartments are really, really small.
So it would probably be Fountainbridge or Sugarhouse Close, where I can only book studios anyways.


Gateway and Fountainbridge are about the same distance from George Square (~1.2-1.4 miles on foot depending which route you take) - while Gateway involves crossing Princes Street (busy main road), Fountainbridge involves crossing Lothian Rd (another big main road) - so I'd say there's not much in it. Sugarhouse is far closer in that respect.

Original post by katway
Do you know how acoustics are in student halls? I stayed in Pollock Halls one summer and I nearly went crazy because I could hear everything the students above me and next to me were doing, wandering around, skyping, when I was trying to sleep.


Honestly don't know - I've lived in university self-catered accommodation and in Pollock, but not in any of the private stuff (except for Smart City Hostel on Blackfriars Street used by the university). Modern buildings have pretty tough regs about sound through walls and floors - I know that the biggest problem in John Burnett (newest building in Pollock) was the doors - they weren't thick enough!
Reply 7
Thanks! It's really tough, finding accommodation over the internet. I have to say, the IQ Fountainbridge room in the Gateway Apartments building in the Sugarhouse Close location would probably be perfect.
Reply 8
Hello!

I had exactly the same problem, as I wanted to choose among these 3 options. After careful consideration, online searching, lots of emails and phone calls, I finally booked a studio in Gateway Apartments.
The rooms are very nice, bright with large windows and the location is perfect too. Elm Row may be busy generally, but if you look at the map, the apartments are situated in a block at Montgomery street, where you can definitely avoid the noice and the traffic. Thus, you can combine silence for studying and walks-socializing at Leith Walk and the bars around.

Sugarhouse does have a better location, in the historic part of the city, but in my opinion, when you live in a city (not visiting it as a tourist) you enjoy more the local bars/restaurants/shops/amenities than the walks in the historic center. Visiting the Castle and the souvenir shops can be boring!
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 9
Ah, I forgot to tell you'll only need 10-15 min walk in order to reach George Square from Gateway Apartments. Finally, in case you don't want to get tired :P you can go to the bus stop in less than one minute. I hope this helped!
Reply 10
Ah, I already booked a room at Sugarhouse Close. I do quietly mourn the pretty, pretty rooms at Gateway Apartments though. I just figured I'd prefer a studio, and the studios at Gateway were too expensive for me. But congrats on your booking of a studio there! The building does look amazing, I'm sure living there will be great! :smile:
I am currently trying to locate some reviews of Sugarhouse close in order to determine what other students thought of it...Am I right in saying that it has only been operational for a year or so?
Original post by MarkAnthony87
I am currently trying to locate some reviews of Sugarhouse close in order to determine what other students thought of it...Am I right in saying that it has only been operational for a year or so?


It only opened last September and was leased to the university for the whole year - so only one year of people have lived there and they had the university as their landlord.
Hi Kat,

My name is Kerri I work at Gateway Apartments. We have recently offered a cashback scheme with our studios so they may be a bit more affordable now. We are situated at the top of leith walk hidden inside a circle of tenements so even though we are city centre the site itself is actually quite quiet. We also have double glazing so once you're on site it's like a little hidden oasis with tree's and grass.

If your in the city feel free to pop in and see us! :smile:

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