FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS
Fife, Scotland | www.fairmont.com
When you don’t have a small fortune to spend at the Old Course Hotel or Rusacks, Fairmont St Andrews is the next best thing. The sprawling, 520-acre estate is far enough away from the madding crowds that populate the Auld Grey Toon, but close enough to the surrounding golf courses that there are 10 within a five-mile radius. Two of them – the Kittocks and Torrance – are practically on the doorstep of the 5-star hotel, which is where we set up camp just before the Asian Tour visited in August.
Accommodation
Imagine country-style elegance with contemporary designs, vast open spaces and impeccable service. The Americanised vibe here is one of relaxed comfort with a side order of self-indulgence. All 212 rooms and suites are furnished with period-style windows, luxe touches and white marble bathrooms with heated floors and a separate walk-in shower and bathtub.
Downstairs, the wow factor is reserved for the vast, glass-sided atrium, where a brilliant breakfast buffet is served each morning. For £40, you can also enjoy afternoon tea here on Sundays and box up any leftovers to take back to your room.
Food and drink
In the evening, the two-aa Rosette St Andrews Bay Clubhouse & Grill is the place to go for lobster, steak and wraparound views of the courses and St Andrews Bay. There are two cheaper, casualdining restaurants back at base, including a sensational Italian called La Cucina, though we’d highly recommend taking a trip to the Jahangir Balti & Tandoor Restaurant in the town centre which serves the biggest naan breads you’ve ever seen.
You can then end the evening by sampling single malts and/or signature cocktails in the Kittocks Den, which is an extension of Fairmont’s grand lobby.
On the course
Unlike the more traditional links courses in town, the Kittocks and Torrance sit perched on bluffs, high above the North Sea. The coastal views are hard to beat but the exposed location often means a stiff breeze must be navigated alongside the many infinity greens, bunkers and burns, some of which are fed by two incongruous lakes on the Kittocks.
The Torrance plays more like a traditional links in that regard, working its way up and around the hotel on the outward nine, before tumbling back down to reveal a number of craggy mounds which isolate the holes and add character to others.
The Torrance has always been the favourite child among tour bosses, but we’d argue that its sister is the more demanding (and
spectacular) of the two, with greater variety and gnarly rough.
Its most dramatic holes dance close to the cliff’s edge, most notably the par-4 17th, where a large bite has been taken out of the entrance to the green. There are now plans to convert all 36 holes into one championship venue, so you better get in quick before it’s too late.
Off the course
After dropping your bag off with the tartan-clad doorman, you can park the kids in a dedicated games room and cinema during the school holidays and head downstairs to the lavish health club and spa, which has its own relaxation lounge. There, you can book a personalised treatment or unwind in the 16-metre heated pool, hot tub, sauna and steam room.
We had intended to hire a bike for free and follow the Fife coastal path, but poor visibility meant most of our time (and money) was spent in the Zephyr Sports Bar playing snooker, darts and the Old Course on a Full Swing simulator. An hour’s session costs £50.
Things to see and do
St Andrews is as close to a golfer’s heaven as it gets. The hotel’s complimentary shuttle bus transports guests to and from the university town, which is a browser’s paradise of independent shops, historic hotspots and golf-obsessed pubs.
On Sundays, you can walk the Old Course for free and nip across to play the Himalayas putting course, which sits just a few hundred yards from West Sands Beach of Chariots of Fire fame.
When the weather is less favourable, you can take a tour of the castle, the cathedral and the World Golf Museum, before retreating to the Dunvegan Pub – the most famous 19th hole in the world – where the walls and ceilings are adorned with pictures of every notable golfer that’s ever paid a visit.