Fairmont St Andrews

I was on a golf trip to St Andrews and although I would have liked to have stayed in town, parking a large passenger van was an issue. So the Fairmont solved the big problem and our group thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. It was also very convenient to the Castle course. I only wish I had more time since I wanted to play the two onsite golf courses, but I did manage to use the driving range. The rooms at the Fairmont aren't large, but the beds are comfortable. The staff at the hotel, from the shuttle driver to the restaurant servers, were all genuinely nice people and eager to help. The breakfast was good and there is a someone to cook eggs and omelettes. Overall, it was a pleasant stay and would stay here again.

My mother and I visited the Fairmont - St Andrews for our annual golf trip. Perhaps, this was the best hotel I have ever stayed in. The service, quality and atmosphere are all five star. Incredible staff, wonderful facilities, beautiful comfortable and spacious rooms, and a delicious breakfast. It is worth checking out the Sports Bar too, great fun. We played the Torrance and Kittocks courses which are on the resort, and both were great. The Torrance is more challenging, with the Kittocks having more holes along the coastline and some shorter and quirky par 3s. It was our first experience of golf in Scotland, and a perfect introduction to links golf.

We stayed here for one night on a DBB 'deal'. Truthfully we didn't think the 'deal' was worth it, certainly not good value considering the 5* status and expectations. When we arrived at 3pm our room, a Fairmont View room wasn't ready, but to be fair I had mis-read check in time which is quite late I think and is 4pm. Our room was ready around 345pm. I did get a pre arrival call which was a nice touch and they booked in our meal at that time which was great. Our room was a good size, however smelled slightly musty, I though it had a faint smell of cigarettes. We stayed in 2092 and it had a view of the front of the hotel and sea which was unexpected and nice. Like others have said recently, I would agree it was a bit tired and could do with a refresh. The bathroom was very nice and spacious but tiles on the floor needed attention and were wobbly. We stayed here 10 years ago and everything was the same back then. We noted there was no body wash in the dispenser which was annoying as we hadn't brought any, also annoying as recently other reviewers have complained re this so a quick win to get right if mgt actually read the reviews. Nevertheless not the end of the world. We had 2 bottles of water in the room, one was half empty and had clearly been used by a previous guest which was off putting. The room was very clean though so to he honest, that was the main thing for us. Our 'deal' included a 3 course meal at La Cucina. We were looking forward to this, however neither of us were particularly impressed. The restaurant wasnt that nice decor wise and again, tired. The bathrooms were horible and in desperate need of renovation. If you are going to do Italian in a 5* hotel you should get it right, it's not that difficult. Our starters were mediocre but fine, the mains were awful. I had Tagliatelle ai Funghi and it was so bland, no amount of parmesan & salt would brighten it up. The portion size was good but sauce was just mushrooms which seemed like mixed with water...a good chef would have noticed this at a taste test! My hubby had a steak and pesto spaghetti dish and the pasta was cold and steak so rare, he wasn't asked how would like it and maybe should have said he assumed it wouldn't be raw but it wasn't edible to him, the pesto lacked flavour too. We weren't asked how our meals were until the end, and service was slow or we would have said. The staff saw our plates (unfinished) at the end, we did give feedback but it was really just shrugged off. Desert was the only enjoyable bit, the lemon tart was amazing. We were going to order a bottle of prosecco with our meal but felt the £50 price tag wasn't justified to the £8 supermarket equivalent bottle on offer so we decided to have a small glass each. There really wasn't any wine options below £50. I don't mind spending this on a decent bottle but they weren't. I expect a price hike in hotels but this was overinflated considering the offering. It's a shame and the hotel lost out on our money as a result. Whilst there we used the gym and the spa area and liked both, the gym had plenty of equipment and the spa which consisted of a pool, sauna and steam room was nice enough. The changing rooms were clean. We had a drink in Kittocks bar and it was fine, quite cosy, we found our server, Joshua very pleasant. Again drinks highly priced so wouldn't have more than one or two. Not because we can't afford it but felt the prices were unjustifiable The grounds were lovely and well manicured, the chess and football area and outdoor seating very nice. We decided to walk along the coastal path to St. Andrews. This was a highlight, not for anyone with mobility issues but it was beautiful and we were lucky the sun was shining. We met a couple of Highlands cows on the way too which was unexpected. Ken from the clubhouse gave us directions and was knowledgeable and friendly. Breakfast was again mediocre. It's frustrating that previous reviews commented on cold eggs and buffet food. Mgt acknowledge this so why not fix it. My husband's cooked breakfast was lukewarm and not enjoyable as a result, he didnt eat it and mentioned to staff when they cleared the plates buf again shrugged off. Cold food is not acceptable and a health hazard, its not good enough that this issue is not being rectified. I has eggs Royale, cooked fresh however had a long black hair in the middle which put me off, v. Small portion too, if it weren't for the hair I would've been fine with it. The rest of the offering, pastries etc were standard and fine, but not a 5* experience. What I would say is that all of the staff we met were very pleasant and couldn't help enough. If I had paid half the price and this had been badged as a 3.5 or even 4* resort I would have been less critical and my expectations would have been less. No way did we get a 'deal' and overall I was disappointed. I certainly wouldn't eat here again and I think there is far better accommodations in the area for the price. We saw a lot of people leaving in the evening, I suspect they were eating & drinking in town and I don't blame them. The setting of the hotel is beautiful and staff were lovely but that's all that's going for it at the minute.

Arrived at Kittock's Den looking for a snack in early evening. It wasn't particularly busy with lots of staff wandering around looking vaguely busy. We were asked to sit by a member of staff (male) who then proceeded to ignore us. When the order was placed at bar he suddenly was interested...... Snack was delivered by a very polite young lady. Not the best experience of what purports to be a high end hotel

Stayed here for our anniversary as we had stayed several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Sadly that experience was not repeated as things seem to have gone down hill. As with numerous reviews breakfasts used to be the highlight of our stay and now receive many negative reviews so you would think that they would have addressed these comments. Dried out sausages bacon and although the plates were in a warmer they were piled too high to be heated. As for dinner there is now no fine dining restaurant only La Cucina Italian and the clubhouse. We opted for La Cucina and for £30 I received a bowl of pasta with a watered down sauce with a dried out chicken breast on top, would have had a better meal in Pizza Express. We were upgraded to a sea view room which was lovely apart from the fact that the shower gel was empty and a ridge along the carpet which was overdue replacement. To crown it all there were two dogs left unattended in the room next door that barked constantly. Sorry until the reviews start to consistently improve we will not be back.