Incredibly disappointing. A total rip off at £120 per room. Owners need to visit a city hotel to understand what standards should be - even for a 3 star hotel. The place is run for staff - not guests, This is highlighted by having to take breakfast before 9am and check out by ten - even on Sundays! None of the staff are trained and it seem s to be ok for them to dress in ill-fitting sports / tracksuit attire- not what i expect at this price. Choose somewhere else to stay!!

When I said to the Hotel Manager that we were a group of 20 forty-something male golfers visiting St Andrews who drank a lot of Guinness I was worried that we might prove too large a group for this well positioned 19 bedroom hotel to manage. This was not the case at all and the flexibility he showed throughout our four night visit was much appreciated.

Less than five minutes from the first tee on the Old Course this hotel is ideally placed for anyone who wants to walk to one of the six courses in this renowned seaside town.

The catering could not be faulted, twenty blokes ordering twenty different breakfast combinations would vex most waitresses but not here. Full marks for delivering my full Scottish with black pudding but no beans and with a lightly poached egg correctly every morning! The two meals we ate there were of a good standard, particularly the haggis, a special request not normally on the menu. No danger of going hungry either.

The restaurant is small but friendly and all the residents seemed to be enjoying themselves. Being a large party we were a bit concerned that our noise might upset other residents, far from it! The overall ambience of the place precluded that.

The rooms were more than adequate for our needs (bed, lavatory and good - by UK standards - shower) although I suspect any female visitors might want a room with a bath. Plenty of storage space for clubs too.

The Bar Manager did an excellent job of looking after us despite having to replace his entire Guinness stock on two successive nights! There is an excellent choice of whiskys not to mention the St Andrews and Belhaven ales. Note to any Americans reading this: please don't just drink the lager.

St. Andrews was our next to last stop while visiting Scotland. We checked in with the Scottish Information agency, they can be found in
most cities, for a hotel to stay at. They recommended the Ardgowan Hotel which was just down the street located in central St. Andrews. The manager, Jim Aikman, was so very nice and was most accomodating for our party of 5. Our room was facing the street but it was quiet and comfortable. We could park our car in front of the hotel until 9 AM the next morning, that was very helpful since parking can be tight. The room was clean and neat, the bathroom was also clean and very functional. We had a full Scottish breakfast the next morning which was first rate. The reason for our trip was to track down some family history and Jim was most helpful in pointing out that there were several listing in the local phone book with our same surname. We would stay there again.

If you are just looking for a place to sleep while in St. Andrews, the Ardgowan will do fine. The rooms are small but clean, the shower hot (if you can figure out how to work the contraption), the breakfast was good, the location right on North St. around the corner from the Old Course. Plus the price was one of the lower offered. Unfortunately (fortunately?) we were in town during the Dunhill Tourney and the town was fairly busy.

The Ardgowan staff was missing most of the time and not particularly helpful when present. Look for them downstairs in the pub, which they obviously run also. There is no bell staff or anything like that.

This place is more like a large B&B rather than a small hotel. The furnishings are old but functional. The room decor is well outmoded but don't look for that to change anytime soon.

St Andrews is a small town and you can walk everywhere. Parking is a problem but try the street behind the hotel. Try the Dunvegan Hotel on the corner for its authentic golf pub (and grub) and pleasant atmosphere.