We were invited to join Preferred Hotels and Resorts for a look around around the stunning St Andrews Old Course Hotel. Not only is it one of the most famous and historical resorts on the planet. But there is more to experience her than just the golf (which is pretty special!)
Here's what our own Dave Page - Senior Corporate & Luxury Experience Manager found out across the trip.
A little known fact about travelling to St Andrews. Most fly into Edinburgh and travel up from there. It's not too much of a trip, but the quickest route is via Dundee. A direct flight to Dundee airport from Heathrow only takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. Considering it was a small plane with propellers, it was an exceptionally smooth flight.
Due to Dundee airport being small and efficiently run, we arrived at the Old Course Hotel for a champagne reception just 45 minutes from disembarking from the plane. You'd be lucky to be too far from Edinburgh airport on that time..!
St Andrews Old Course Hotel (Part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts)
The hotel is obviously very traditional and classy and has a huge amount of prestige and history attached to it, which is shown in the art throughout the hotel. The Road Hole Restaurant is the main dinning place for the hotel. It is well lit with a large glass front with the views of the course.
The Swilcan Loft restaurant is a lovely, more intimate setting, again with lovely views of the course and St Andrews.
The rooms are spacious and very well equipped and have a perfect balance with the traditional décor and the modern amenities. With the hotel ownership being Kohler, its not surprising that the bathrooms are magnificent in design.
The Penthouse is simply outstanding! On two floors and with a lift, it comes with a balcony that overlooks the course, a bar area, dining area and lounge, and a bath with a view.
The hotel has a boardroom overlooking the course, which can be used for lunch/dinner for a small group. It’s a lovely room overlooking the golf course and has hosted multiple previous American presidents that have also dinned for lunch/dinner.
The Kohler Water spa is a great place to relax and unwind with its huge pool-size jacuzzi, ice treatment area, Sauna, steam room and plunge pool. It’s a large area with a swimming pool next door, so it never felt busy or crowded. There are also various spa treatments available on request.
Old Course Hotel Whiskey Tasting - How can you come to St Andrews and not try the whiskey?
With so many to chose from, the best idea is to have a professional explain the differences. I personally have never been into whiskey (after a bad experience in my youth), but I found one that I really enjoyed through the private tasting event.
Offsite options:
Teassers Estate - For more adventurous people looking for some activities, only 15 minutes away is the Teassers estate. A privately owned estate that has indoor and outdoor areas for events and dining, and even a large firepit area for the evening.
They provide the very best in team building and team development activities on site such as highland game events for all, target shooting, clay pigeon shooting, farm tours and many various other activities upon request. The coats, hats, wellies, and socks were all also provided for, which was a great touch.
Transfers to the estate can be done via Land rovers, which is a nice touch when in convoy, or for a larger group, coaches can be supplied.
Lindores Distillery - Another great addition to the area is Lindores distillery. It comes with a lot of history and is well presented with a real passion for keeping things local, using materials, builders and craftsmen from close by.
It was a great tour of the working distillery and got to sample some of the whiskey they produce. For me it was very strong, but enjoyable nonetheless.
**A great addition to the distillery was The Hide, a small shack in the hills that can accommodate a small group for a lunch with a view.
Summary:
Whether you are into golf or not, this is such a great place to stay. It has all the glamour and prestige without being imperious. The whole place feels so relaxed, inviting and inclusive.
The food was amazing throughout, beautiful in both presentation and taste. There was not a dish I didn’t enjoy. The service was outstanding, which for me is THE most important feature of a hotel. The fact that so many of the staff have been there for so long and they want to stay, says a lot about the place and management.
A Huge thank you to Mark Andreas Beverlo and Preferred Hotels and Resorts for inviting me. To Holly Duncan and Alan Whitelock for your amazing hospitality, and to all the partners involved that made this such a special visit.
If you or your team would like an incentive trip with a difference. Get in touch with the team and let's start planning!
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