Fairmont St Andrews Hotel

The massage was the best part of the stay, along with some of the spa experience. The wet sauna looked as if its tiles and grout hadn’t had a proper deep clean or steam in years, and it showed where people had been sitting or rubbing their backs. The hotel has potential, but the stay itself was a huge disappointment. We’d arranged a Valentine’s visit for my partner, yet I didn’t see a single sign of it around the hotel. We arrived at 3:45, but our room wasn’t ready until 4:50, even though we had a 5:00 spa treatment booked. Everything felt rushed and disorganized. The room was gorgeous, though we had the second-best room, so that was expected. At the bar, drinks took 15-20 minutes. When I went up alone, I was told to wait at the table. Later, when I got a staff member’s attention, they seemed unhappy to help. At dinner in the Italian restaurant, the food was takeaway quality. We asked to move to an available balcony table and were told yes, then five minutes later told it was booked. Nobody was sitting there, so it felt like a lie. The staff didn’t seem bothered. We also waited 10-15 minutes for the wine. The waiter didn’t ask who should taste it and handed it to me by mistake, though my female partner was the one checking it. Awkward. He’d also taken the cork away without showing it, so I had to ask for it. We thought we’d play pool and try the golf simulator, which I was excited about despite not being a golf person, but it was closed after 10:30 on Saturday. Back at the bar, drinks were slow again, so we called it a night. At breakfast, there was a large queue. After getting a table and menu, I had to get someone’s attention after 10 minutes just to order. The breakfast was better at Holiday Inn. When we were leaving, after arranging to have the car brought round, a staff member put someone else’s bags into our car just before we left. My partner had to point it out and ask them to remove them. Really? When paying the bill, nobody even asked how the stay had been. Other guests nearby looked like they’d had the same experience. The hotel needs a new menu and chef, and the staff’s constant “SORRY FOR YOUR WAIT” isn’t enough. Saying this was a disappointment feels like an understatement. Shame.