As we made our way slowly towards the hotel perched on the clifftop in the distance, taking in the spectacular views of the sea, I knew we were heading somewhere special.

Welcome to the Fairmont St Andrews

From the roaring fire as we entered reception to the jaw-dropping artwork ‘floating’ on the ceiling of the atrium, first impressions of the hotel were rather special. The warm and friendly welcome from the team on reception topped this off and as we made our way to the room we were rather excited for our little ‘staycation’ in St Andrews.

We were celebrating our ten-year anniversary and wanted to have a little night away, not too far from home, you know, just in case bubba decided to enter the world early! St Andrew’s is famous for being the home of golf but it’s also a fantastic wee town with great café’s, shops and a beautiful white sandy beach. The Fairmont is nestled just outside the town, around a five minute drive away, sitting proudly on the clifftop overlooking the North Sea and St Andrews itself. As you would expect in a town known as the ‘home of golf’ there are two Championship Golf Courses on site, both with stunning views. I know absolutely nothing about golf but I imagine they’re some of the most beautiful courses location wise!

A room with a view

The first thing I noticed about the room was the view. It truly was picture-perfect with views over St Andrews and the water! The late afternoon sunshine was shining on the town making it look rather magical – a little bit like something out of Harry Potter is how I described it to my other half. I think because we were celebrating we had maybe got a lovely wee upgrade because both the room and the views were gorgeous. It was so cosy and welcoming, and as ever the beds were super-duper comfortable!

Aside from the view, the other real highlight of the room was the bathroom. Just wow. For starters it was huge with both a large bath and waterfall shower. And it was so beautifully done. Fairmont really do know how to do a good bathroom! The deep bath was perfect for me and my feelingly humongous bump to chill out and relax for a while. I don’t know why hotel bathrooms are just so exciting. Perhaps it’s the thought of actually having time to relax and not rush.  

Let’s take a dip

So here’s a theme – pregnant me in the water! Being 32 weeks pregnant I much preferred being submerged in water than being on dry land. It’s just so much more comfortable! After the obligatory cup of tea in the room, and enjoying our beautiful treats, we headed for the swimming pool and spa. The pool was lovely, with a lane for proper swimming, plenty of space to leisurely float around and all surrounded by lots of loungers. You could easily spend a large chunk of time relaxing here. As I sat and relaxed I could eye up the people going into the hot tub, sauna and steam room with jealousy. I absolutely love a steam room so I stuck my head in just to get a feel and it seemed lovely! I’ll just have to go back.

Rise and shine

After an amazing night’s sleep it was time for my favourite part of the day – breakfast! Situated on the ground floor in the stunning atrium, the area set up for breakfast was beautiful. And the selection on offer at the breakfast buffet was incredible! Never have I ever been so delighted to obviously be eating for two, and boy was I going to make the most of it. There were several ‘stations’ set up with hot foods, breads, cereals, fruits, juices and then my favourite part… the station with the chef constantly making fresh pancakes. And with plenty of maple syrup waiting to be drizzled/ generously poured over said pancakes plus a trip to the fruit bar to load on some strawberries and it really was heaven on a plate. I lost count of the number of times I went up for more…let’s call that pregnancy brain!

When it was time to leave, I had a particularly hard time dragging myself out of the amazingly comfortable bed. I’m already thinking about when we can return!

Getting there

The drive from Glasgow is just under two hours, but with a big bump which made travelling in the car not all that comfy, we stopped off after an hour at Loch Leven’s Larder to stretch out. Well what a brilliant excuse to stop and enjoy their fantastic scones! This farm shop and café had a lot of amazing goodies to choose from, and all accompanied by a beautiful view of Loch Leven.