Fairmont St Andrews - Scotland — Restaurant in Scotland

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...

We've stayed at the Fairmont x2 prior but that was many years ago. But the last visit was memorable as we had pretty good service and a large suite for our week long stay. So this trip got us excited. Except it was anything but...

First off, when we arrived, we were told all rooms were full, given it was graduation week so we couldn't get any larger rooms (which was fine). But we were assigned an accessible room when we did not ask for one; not sure why. So we asked for a different room, one with a bathtub, and was told the hotel was full again. Eventually the gentleman on duty, Edward, found us an alternative, which he said was a lower grade room, although room size was the same but no refund, which we were Ok with so we took it.

Rooms are spacious (sufficient even if you are traveling with golf bags!) and tidy, with a small mini bar (complimentary tea and coffee, which appeared to be one-off, as they never replenished during our week long stay) and two bottles of water. Which we found inadequate so we asked for two more bottles.

After 20 mins of waiting,our luggages still had not arrived in the room and mind you, there were only one other party checking in at that time. We called front desk to find out what's going on, and Edward brought it up himself! Good lad! I had also called later for an additional luggage rack, which again did not come after 30mins so we gave up. Met Edward at reception when we were heading out to dinner and told him about the luggage rack request, and I'm pretty sure he brought it up as it miraculously appeared in the room when we got back from dinner.

And unfortunately everything went downhill from there... We came back to the room after golf the next day and found the room rather untidy, with pillow cases left on the bed and empty bottles (which we places in the bin) on the bathroom vanity. Called for assistance from housekeeping and it went unanswered. Thankfully we met Duty Manager Fergus who was very apologetic when he saw the room, and got housekeeping to tidy up the room while we went to dinner.

The next day, we found our toilet hadn't been washed nor the water replenished. And the bedroom slippers in the middle of the room! It was like that for the next few days... Sad but true.

It seems there were different sets of housekeepers so each of them had different "styles" so every day we would find ourselves either looking for water, or where our slippers (and shoes!) would be. I had to even inform housekeeping that we were out of shampoo... I would have expected Housekeeping to have a simple checklistat least to go through,to ensure everything was in order.

Concierge was another story. On the day we arrived, we asked for some help to confirm some matters at a golf course we were going to play over the weekend, and the staff on duty took note of our request. Two days later, we checked back with the same staff on this matter and he forgot about it; his excuse being they got too busy and forgot about it... For two whole days?!

Breakfast spread was adequate although it sometimes takes forever to be seated. Surprised to see so few fresh fruits.

It was very disappointing to return to the Fairmont in this state. The level of service is definitely not on par with the brand! And given the price of the rooms, I would have definitely expected nothing less of a Fairmont!

I will say that the Italian restaurant is the only thing that has gotten better. When we were last here, the food was forgettable. This time,we enjoyed our dinner so much, we went back twice! Kudos to the chef! Although I think the staff can be a little more attentive.

After we checked out and getting our bags into the car, one gentleman at the door asked how our stay was and as I related our experiences to him, he seemed truly apologetic. Here is someone who truly cares about service and the hotel. Finally! Told him we would be driving back to Edinburgh and he reminded us to drive safely and even offered us a bottle of water, a precious commodity that...

This 5-star hotel fell short of expectations, especially given the cost. While the setting and room amenities were initially impressive, the subpar service and numerous inconveniences created a disappointing experience.

Positives: Beautiful setting with well-appointed rooms featuring Le Labo toiletries and comfortable amenities like underfloor heating. Good range of child-friendly amenities including a playroom, outdoor sports space, and a relaxed sports bar. Excellent Italian restaurant (La Cucina) with a great menu and good portions.

Negatives: Inadequate Service: The staff seemed inexperienced and ill-equipped to handle guest requests. For example, the reception staff were confused about restaurant opening times over the weekend, and the concierge was unsure about pet policies. One waitress struggled to explain what "neeps" were, and another seemed perplexed when we asked for a container for ice cream to take back to our room. This lack of training and knowledge was consistently evident throughout our stay. Misleading Pet Policy: Despite being advertised as pet-friendly, the hotel severely restricts where dogs are allowed, essentially excluding them from all dining areas (apart from the Kittocks Bar). At one restaurant, we were made to feel foolish for even inquiring about dining with our spaniel, while another offered to isolate us in the lounge area. Limited Children's Options: While the "kids eat free" offer is appealing, the children's menu is uninspired and repetitive. Our 5-year-old son tried almost everything, the Fish & Chips option was the most substantial. Poor Value for Money: The high prices are not justified by the quality of the food or service. Our meal at The Squire (£180 for two adults, our son was 'free') was particularly disappointing. Despite the "kids eat free" offer, we still paid £5 for our son's apple juice which I think is pushing it. We requested a simple swap of peppers for tomatoes in our son's starter (vegetables and hummus) but this was not accommodated, the dish just arrived as is with no further comment (forgotten about perhaps). Our son's main course was also forgotten, while my steak was underseasoned and my wifes gnocchi was overcooked on the grill causing it to be dry and chewy. The sauces e.g. my peppercorn were lovely and we got the sense the ingredients are good, the prep is good and it's just poor execution come service time. Room Cleaning Failure: Despite requesting service on our second day, it never arrived. Not a Family Friendly Pool: The pool is not suitable for younger children due to its uniform depth (too deep for our 5-year-old) and lack of adequate seating. Despite booking a slot, there were not enough loungers. The jacuzzi is also off-limits to under-16s.

Overall, this hotel needs significant improvement to justify its 5-star rating and price point. The lack of attention to detail, inconsistent service, and misleading information created an underwhelming and...