Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa

I have stayed at this hotel before on a work conference and so knew it was pretty special - the hotel is 5 star luxury for wealthy (mostly american) golfers at the home of golf - but the setting was really what i went for, and in fact, my partner who hadnt stayed there before - or been to st andrews - felt that there was no seaside like it or as good in the UK. We had interconnecting rooms for our family of 5 and they were large rooms with amazing bath tubs, my only slight disappointment was that we hadnt paid extra to be on the 'right' side of the hotel with the view of the sea! We should have done that but were only there 1 night. Also, we were with children and that was highly unusual there, we saw a few children in the pool as we were leaving but it is mostly American golfers, which we loved! The pool was nice, although I think that the better pool was closed for a refurb which is a bit disappointing, and there were workmen outside our window as we were on the first floor overlooking the roof. Breakfast was lovely and the roadhole bar very chic and intimate at night with the best view! Staff were generally great, and my only disappointment was dinner - even though we booked a week before there was no room at any of the 3 restaurants within the grounds of the actual hotel, there was only space at their sister restaurant up the road at the Hams hame - i booked with the hotel and so didnt know what to expect when i arrived but you are in a sub - basement so no view which was disappointing enough but then our kids starters arrived and their mains, which they had finished by the hour later that our steaks took, i did mention to the waitress when she asked how our food was that we werent happy about the length of time that our steaks took but she didnt offer anything off our bill or a drink as some sort of apology and just said 'yeah sorry' which is a bit poor as my appetite had actually gone by the time my steak arrived and i couldnt eat my chips and forced myself to eat the actual steak, which i guess left a slightly sour impression of an otherwise amazing place!

I have stayed in hotels all over the world. This hotel clicks every box from the moment we walked up to registration until we left. Impeccable service, beautiful public areas and rooms, this is as good as it gets. The 4th floor bar overlooks the Old Course as does the restaurant, which is excellent by the way. The staff is friendly and accommodating. It is a fifteen minute walk into the city of St. Andrews.

A Great experience from the moment we arrived. This hotel understands service and they delivered. Dining was a pleasure. The bar /lounge over looking the greens was spectacular. Rooms are spacious and well appointed. Walking to town is easy and the history was interesting to hear about on our talking tour.

⸻ Really disappointed – not what you’d expect from a 5-star hotel I was really excited to try this place as the pictures looked amazing and the idea of dining in a pod sounded like a fun experience. Unfortunately, the reality was incredibly disappointing. The food was awful – we ordered a charcuterie board, which turned out to be a few bits of meat and cheese thrown onto a plain white dinner plate. There was zero presentation, and it honestly looked like something you’d get at a budget café, not a luxury hotel. The cocktails were just as bad – they tasted like they hadn’t been made properly, with no balance or care. We ended up sending them back. Inside the pod, we were hoping for a cosy and private vibe, but instead had to deal with cigarette smoke drifting in from outside, which completely ruined the atmosphere. Service was also poor. Our waitress was grumpy and clearly not interested. She didn’t bring side plates for our food at first, then came back with the wrong number, not even bothering to check how many people were at the table. To top it off, there’s no view at all from inside the pod, which made the whole experience feel even more pointless. Next time, I’d skip the pod entirely – maybe just grab a drink at the bar to enjoy the view (but definitely not a cocktail). For a place attached to a 5-star hotel, this was unbelievably bad.

Enjoyed the Road Hole bar with a lovely table overlooking the Old Course. The Bar Menu was disappointing choice ,,,limited ...but we enjoyed what was ordered. Staff very attentive friendly and professional. Comfortable furnishings and facilities as expected for an AA 5-star Hotel. Look forward to our return again