Rusacks St. Andrews

Character and identity

Set right on the first and eighteenth fairways of the Old Course, this 119-room Victorian property has been in the golf hospitality business since 1877 and emerged from a 42,000-square-foot redesign in 2021 looking sharper than ever. The mood is Scottish maximalism done with restraint: tartan carpets, velvet and leather, suede armchairs, embroidered cushions, heated bathroom tiles. Three dining venues anchor the experience: rooftop 18 with its Robata grill and sea-and-course views, the lighter Mediterranean-leaning Bridge for breakfast, and cellar pub One Under Bar. Service is warm and clubby, with a crackling lobby fireplace setting the tone.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The proposition here is location and provenance fused together: you are literally on the Old Course, in the world's first purpose-built golf hotel, with a kitchen under Bobby Boyter that holds its own against the setting. Book a course-and-sea-facing room on a higher floor for the view that justifies the rate, and families or groups should price the four-bedroom Links Townhouse next door.