You can't predict the weather but great food and pampering at Fairmont St Andrews are guaranteed
WITH a weekend at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews booked and the great escape from the brood cunningly negotiated, my wife Gill and I were determined to enjoy every second of the experience come rain or shine. Unfortunately, it was relentlessly t
he former, but hey, it was summer in Scotland, and who were we to demand a glimmer of sunshine?
Despite arriving in a monsoon, we were mesmerised by the sheer beauty of the setting of the modern 209-bedroom hotel, perched as it is on a cliff-top overlooking St Andrews Bay at the end of a long, sweeping driveway which dissects the two immaculate golf courses contained within a 520-acre estate.
Duty manager Scott Masterson showed us to our spacious suite then kindly gave us the full guided tour of the recently refurbished hotel. One or two wedding parties were already in full swing – there's an impressive range of function rooms available for parties big and small. Scott pointed out that many of these had recently been packed with students and proud families following the latest crop of graduations from St Andrews University and it was obvious that the hotel plays an important role by immersing itself within the local community.
During the tour we had been given a sneak preview of where we would be dining that evening, and we were filled with anticipation about our forthcoming meal at the Mediterranean-inspired Esperante restaurant.
The menu provided the pleasant dilemma of having almost too many options to choose from. Mediterranean dishes dominated, of course, but all used the finest, local Scottish ingredients, while the wine list also offers something for every taste. Our main dishes of roast Scottish beef fillet were very filling, but we managed to squeeze in a gorgeous sorbet dessert.
Next stop was the recently opened sports-themed bar The Rock and Spindle, which had a great atmosphere, perhaps on account of guests seeking their fix of sport having seen their efforts at golfing cruelly washed away during the day.
Of course, you don't have to be a sports nut to enjoy a bar which is buzzing with life, although a pool table and dart board are at hand if those cravings need to be satisfied.
I could not resist racking them up on the pool table, although the sheer fear of losing to my wife made it an uncomfortable match. It would be unfair to reveal the result, but Gill didn't win!
After a very peaceful night's shuteye, with none of those piercing 3am shouts from the kids, that often reduce you to a sleep-deprived wreck, to worry about, a new morning broke, but wildly optimistic notions that the weather might pick-up were dashed the moment we drew the curtains and stared out at the good old-fashioned Fife haar.
Remarkably, the golf course and clubhouse were still awash – no pun intended – with activity, some hardy souls deciding that this town is the Home of Golf, and if rain is part of the deal, then so be it.
In common with the entire town of St Andrews, golf is the Fairmont's main selling point, and while I would have been willing to give the facilities a whirl, I suspect the greenkeepers would not share my enthusiasm, given that the last respectable round I carded was as a lad after sneaking onto the pitch and putt course at Inverleith Park in Stockbridge. I suppose, if I am being honest, the rain kind of helped me wimp out too.
With thoughts of em-barrassingly hacking my way round one of two award-winning golf courses left safely dormant, I could only admire from afar the resort's two courses, snaking their way dramatically round the rugged and beautiful coastline of St Andrews Bay.
The Torrance Course, designed by the late Gene Sarazen and winning Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, is currently closed for remediation work and is due to reopen next spring. It has been selected as a qualifying course for the 2010 Open championship. However, the manicured Kittocks Course, formerly The Devlin, also of championship standard, remains open as normal and it was there that we saw the waterproofed warriors carting their bags around in the mist and rain in the name of sport.
My sympathy for them soon gave way to the need for breakfast, and besides, I was a bag of nerves as the clock was creeping towards my first ever spa treatment.
Having openly sneered at some of David Beckham's fashions and fads and patently paranoid that some of my more rough and ready mates might get wind of my belated attempt to get in touch with my feminine side, I adopted a Kevin the Teenager gait and mooched on down to the spa, much to Gill's glee.
The staff, however, proved to be wonderful, and the discomfort I felt at sashaying around in a white robe and slippers towards the Quiet Room to sip herbal tea by the fireplace soon evaporated when I got my first real taste of pampering.
The rubs I am usually accustomed to involve Deep Heat from a physio in a changing room of loud and lairy footballers, so the head to toe massage I received in one of the spa's 12 treatment rooms against a backdrop of gently piped music and scented candles was heavenly and it left me so reinvigorated that even the weather couldn't get me down.
To complement the spa, the Fairmont also recently refurbished its Health Club, which includes the latest gym equipment with televisions, a 16-metre pool, steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and yoga studio.
For our evening meal we opted for the relaxing surroundings of the Kittocks Den lobby bar, and gorged on a Fife favourite – fish and chips. Time for a namecheck, also – my cousin Neil, a recent St Andrews graduate, was in command for the night, and was the perfect host, and I am not just saying that for fear of reprisals from his mother.
The Fairmont St Andrews has a lofty reputation around the world, and it is well deserved. The beaming faces of the guests we encountered on a horribly dreich weekend proved that the hotel and resort really is a haven for all seasons. smFactfile St Andrews
How to get there The hotel is two miles outside St Andrews on the A917. The nearest train station is Leuchers.
Where to stayFairmont St Andrews (tel: 01334 837000 or visit www.fairmont.com/standrews).
King-size rooms start from £189 a night, although special offers are available, along with golf, spa and discovery packages.
And there's moreA round of golf on The Kittocks is £40 in winter (8 Nov-30 April).
Scotsman Reader Holidays offer various trips in Scotland. Visit www.holidays.scotsman.com
The full article contains 1153 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
