Rusacks St Andrews

Worth getting out of bed for

This is an eminently loungeable hotel where lunch at the Bridge, an afternoon in One Under and dinner at 18 would represent a day well spent. But it would be remiss of us not to mention the world famous Old Course right outside the window; the very birthplace of golf itself. You'll need some golfing prowess to play on it (a maximum handicap of 36) but a public ballot means securing a tee time is easier than you may think. Full details are online, but there'll need to be two of you and you'll need to enter your names before 2pm two days before you want to play (although the course is closed on Sundays, so there's no Friday ballot). Results are announced at 4.30pm that same day. Failing that, the hotel will happily arrange tee times at a number of other renowned local courses. But there's more to St Andrews than 18 holes, and there's no better way to get your bearings than to follow the Fife coastal path along the length of the town. You'll pass the ruins of the castle (birthplace of a king, fought over with the English, site of some intense religious squabbles) and the cathedral (ransacked, abandoned and left to ruin in the Reformation) which give good glimpses into the town's (and indeed Scotland's) past, before finding the lobster-pot-dotted harbour. Take a detour inland and you can stroll through the picturesque university cloisters. If you're feeling a little more energetic, follow the path along the cliffs and past the Fairmont Hotel – the views are spectacular and there are a few secluded beaches along the way. Talking of beaches, you'll find East Sands beach just beyond the harbour (good for watersports) and the sweeping West Sands beach just beyond the golf course outside the hotel (good for a bracing morning stroll). For more cultural pursuits, there's the bijou 1930s-built New Picture House cinema and the brilliant Topping & Company bookshop which regularly hosts billboard names from literature and academia for enlightening talks. Further afield, Dundee's riverside V&A museum is about 25 minutes away by car and a stop-off en route for a walk through Tentsmuir Forest showcases Scottish nature at its best. 

Local restaurants

Since opening in 2013, Cromars has been named the best fish 'n' chip shop in Scotland twice so if you see a queue forming on Market Street, that'll be why. Sustainably caught fish are delivered daily and served at their battered best from 11:30am til 9pm every day (or if you need to stave off the chills try Scottish favourite cullen skink). You'll find plenty of fish on the menu at Scandi-accented the Räv, an industrial-chic loft-style space with a terrace, although the likes of venison carpaccio, Swedish meatballs and honeyed duck breast will satisfy meat-eaters. Its sister restaurant, Lupo's, meanwhile, is a love-letter to all things Italian – seafood tagliarini, cannolis, Limoncello martinis… A few minutes out of town is Balgove Larder, an inviting estate that's part butcher, part farm shop, part café, part pizzeria and, perhaps most invitingly, part steak barn, where 28-day-aged steaks, handmade sausages and first-class burgers are grilled to perfection on a wood-fired barbecue. They don't take bookings, but even if you have to wait in line a little, there's no way you'll leave hungry. 

Local bars

Just beyond the historic West Port gate is Rogue, an invitingly low-lit cocktail bar with its own gin still. As such, gin features prominently on the menu, in combinations both classic and curious – all pair nicely with the fresh oysters and St Andrews Bay lobster that headline the snack menu. The Adamson, on South Street, is another lauded cocktail stop which serves til midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and has a terrace perfect for sunny afternoons. Keep things low-key and local at the needs-no-explanation St Andrews Brewing Co or sample some drams at source at Kingsbarns distillery, a wee bit further down the coast. Golf pilgrims will want to sink a drink or two at the memorabilia-rich Jigger Inn: 'the most famous 19th hole' in the game.