THE HOTEL: Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SP, Scotland. The five-star property is located alongside one of the most famous holes in golf: the 17th, or Road Hole, on the Old Course, home of several British Opens. Owned by Kohler Co. since 2004, it completed a three-year refurb in 2006. The hotel is an hour’s drive from Edinburgh.
THE CHECK-IN: We were met in the hotel’s car park by two porters who unloaded our luggage and dispatched it to the Concierge desk. Our keys were waiting for us and we were shown to our second-floor suite.
THE ROOM: Most of the hotel’s 144 rooms and 35 suites have been extensively refurbished. I stayed in a 'Fairway’ suite, which was elegant and contemporary, with a lounge and dining area, and a separate bedroom featuring a king-size bed and en-suite bathroom with a whirlpool bath and body spray water-tile system shower. Fairway suites have private balconies with views across the old links to the Fife coastline beyond.
THE BUSINESS: High-speed wireless internet in all rooms and public areas. The resort has 12 meeting and private dining facilities and boardrooms that can be hired by the hour.
THE FACILITIES: There’s an exceptional choice of restaurants and bars. Top of the billing is the fine-dining restaurant, the Road Hole Grill, which has three AA Rosettes. The restaurant’s piece de resistance is an eight-course 'Scottish' tasting menu. The Road Hole Bar has malt whiskies from over 200 Scottish distilleries. The Jigger Inn has a range of home-cooked food while for the quick-grab option there is the Duke’s Bar and Grill.
The Kohler Waters Spa is one of the most advanced health facilities in Scotland. It includes a 20-metre pool (with a waterfall), a hydrotherapy pool and 11 treatment rooms. Then there’s the golf! The hotel owns the St Andrews Duke’s Course on the edge of town, and can organise golf and transfers.
THE VERDICT: One of the best places to stay in East Scotland, even for those without the faintest interest in golf. This is an ultra-modern, luxurious hotel whose unique setting is celebrated through plenty of fascinating memorabilia throughout.
THE DETAILS: Rates from £600 a night for a Fairway Suite; £380 for an Eden Superior (double room). Tel: 01334 474371; see www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk Steve Hartridge
