Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

My fiancé and I knew the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa in St. Andrews from the Leading Hotels of the World catalogue and always wanted to stay there. Since a few months it is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Legend Collection.

Until recently the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa had been on our back burner somewhat, but decided the time was right to go in September 2016 for two nights. 

We figured out how to best reach St. Andrews from Glasgow by public transport. 

We took the Stage Coach Bus from Buchanan Street Bus Station to St. Andrews Bus Station. The journey took approximately 2 hours 45 minutes and was scenic. 

The cost was 18 GBP return per person, ca. 20.45 Euro or ca. 22.75 USD.

The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa is situated at the outskirts of St. Andrews, which isn’t a problem since the town itself is small, but famous for its university, golf and Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The walk to the Old Course Hotel took ca. 10 minutes from the main bus station.

On the way golf history already started with plaques related to it, including Old Tom Morris’s home (a golfer, club and ball maker, greenskeeper, instructor and course designer) and the New Golf Club and the Swilcan Bridge at the 18th hole of the Old Course. 

The hotel felt overall very romantic with lots of flowers and other plants around the main entrance, in the lobby, on the floors and room. 

We were greeted warmly by Tam, who wore a kilt, and was the doorman. He is an asset to the hotel, because he had generally time for a chat, for example about our Harrods bag with a West Highland White Terrier on it. He owns two of the breed, called Terry and Toby. He gave us also the tip to go to the West Deck, a viewing terrace on the 4th floor for spectacular views from the hotel. He is also on the hotel’s own video.

Tam took our luggage and brought us to reception. Check in was done quickly and friendly. We were offered Prosecco and ginger beer as welcome drinks. Normally there would be Champagne too, but it had run out and hadn’t been replaced yet we had been informed.

Beside our keys we received a resort/surroundings map, which was appreciated.

We were accompanied to our Old Course Room with a view, which was on the second floor. Each room is named after a famous golf player and ours was the Henry Cotton Room, who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Originally we had been in contact with the hotel via email to book our table at the Sands Grill and to request if possible a room with a balcony.

Unfortunately this time we didn’t have a balcony. On the other side we were very happy, because it was a large corner room with great views over the 17th hole, the sea and St. Andrews.

The layout was a bit unusual with large panorama bay windows, which could be opened.

Color scheme was mostly brown, red and beige, everything felt natural to the location and of high quality in a traditional way and setting.

The carpet was golf themed too with crossed clubs.

The king sized bed was large with six pillows and a heavy duvet. Even if it was only September the nights could be a bit cool and it kept us warm and comfortable.

There was a seating area for two with a coffee table and St. George’s and Welcome to the Kingdom of Fife Magazines.

On the large, classic writing desk was a telephone. It didn’t work though. There was a second one on one of the night stands, so it didn’t bother us, but we mentioned it at check out. The receptionist was grateful and promised it would be taken care of.

A mirror above the writing desk and across one wall enhanced the feeling of having a large room.

We also found the Directory, Connoisseur Scotland, information about the Duke’s Course and in room dining and the Kohler Waters Spa menu. The hotel is owned by the American plumbing products manufacturer Kohler, so all the appliances and bath room products were by them.

Kohler Waters Spa treatments range in price from 30 GBP (ca. 34.20 Euro / ca. 39.10 USD) to 290 GBP (ca. 330.60 Euro / ca. 377.75 USD). 

The artwork was paintings of Loch Lommond, Loch Summit, St. Andrews, the ruins of St. Andrews’ Castle and the Links was beautiful arranged in our room throughout.

The large flat screen TV had 146 local and international channels including all Sky Sports, BBC World, CNBC and Bloomberg among many others.

There was a credenza and a minibar, which contained Fentimen’s Ginger Beer and Rose Lemonade, Tonic water, Coca Cola, Peroni and Bellhaven Beer, Highland Spring water and spirits. Costs for the soft drinks ranged between 2 GBP to 3.50 GBP (ca. 2.30 Euro / ca. 2.60 USD to ca. 4 Euro / ca. 4.55 USD), beer from 4 GBP (ca. 4.60 Euro / ca. 5.20 USD) and spirits from 6.50 GBP (ca. 7.40 Euro / ca. 8.45 USD).

Tea and coffee making facilities were available too and the tea was provided by Twinnings.

The wardrobe was good sized and allowed the storage of some items suitable for longer stays.

Romantic touches were the fan and the Orchid on the writing desk. 

There was of course air condition too which worked well.

The free WIFI was fast at all times.

Turn down was offered every night and included two bottles of Highland Spring Water.

The bathroom was medium sized with a bath tub/rain fall shower combination, which was very deep. 

The sink was a bit unusual due to it being rippled. Bathroom amenities were by Kohler Water Spa Hollyhock. We loved them and would have liked to buy the soap at the Spa Shop. Unfortunately they weren’t available there.

Materials used were marble, granite and wood.

Water pressure was good and no problems with temperature changes.

On our first evening we made use of the 24 hour in room dining.

We ordered a large bottle of Highland Spring still water, one hot chocolate, one traditional smoked salmon, the Isle of Mull Cheddar and Vine Tomato Sandwich, plus the Old Course Sandwich selection, which included Scottish Smoked Salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, honey glazed ham and chutney, free range egg and cress, again Isle of Mull Cheddar and Vine Tomato and prawn, dill and lemon. Our desserts were the coconut panna cotta with pineapple Carpaccio and summer berry infusion with lemon sorbet. Everything was very good and fair value at 55.25 GBP (ca. 63 Euro / ca. 72 USD).

The room was comfortable and we liked looking out of the windows to enjoy the views or spending time at the seating area, talking for hours.

Breakfast was included in our rate and was served at the Road Hole Restaurant, which is the fine dining venue in beautiful and traditional surroundings.

The Road Hole was located on the same floor as the viewing terrace. It had floor to ceiling windows, overlooking the golf course. The maître d’ brought us each morning to our table. All cold items were available at the buffet and hot dishes, tea and coffee could be ordered from the waiting staff. A luxurious touch was that the a la carte items were unlimited.

The buffet offered one of the largest selections during our trip to Scotland in Sep. 2016 and included different types of bread, cold cuts, fruits and fruit salads, haggis, yogurt, jams, vegetables, cereals and much more. The only item I couldn’t find was cheese for some reason.

The A la carte pancakes and Eggs Benedict were very tasty too.

Other restaurant and bars on and off the premises were the Road Hole Bar, Sands Grill (where we had dinner), the Jigger Inn (a traditional pub) and Hams Hame.

There were also shops in the hotel and the Golfino Store in a quaint little house on the grounds.

We went to the Old Course Golf Shop and bought a few items. We could undisturbed browse until we made our choice. We chatted with the sales person for a bit and when she found out it was our first time in St. Andrews she proactively offered us a map and suggested to leave our purchases with her – charging them to the room account was no problem at all. She would make sure they were delivered to our room. The map came in handy and the goods were on our room when we returned.

On a side note St. Andrews is unsuitable for late risers. Most shops and the sights, like the castle or cathedral, close early at ca. 17.00/17.30 hours.

Check out approached very fast – as usual and was done by a trainee. There was only one small hiccup. 

We had prepaid our stay and booked via hotels.com, but for some reason the overnight rate was shown on the bill as still outstanding. With help from a colleague the issue was solved within minutes and we were on our way.

We loved St. Andrews and the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa. Both are romantic and a good place to relax by the sea including a visit to the British Golf Museum which we equally very much enjoyed. 

Service standards were high as was the food quality and everyone encountered was friendly. We would return again, because we missed a few sights and found a gelateria we would like to try and would love to experience the Old Course Hotel again in our future.

©2017

Villa Samadhi Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

When studying the Relais & Chateaux catalogue from 2012 we saw the Villa Samadhi and thought this would be a unique property worth staying at. Of course we knew by 2013 most Asian Relais & Chateaux properties had left and joined Secret Retreats, local competition to Relais & Chateaux. Villa Samadhi was not an exception. We were still interested, though, and booked it for one night via Hotels.com.

Secret Retreat could be the right name for this property. We took a taxi from the Grand Hyatt (see also review). Our driver had a general idea where the hotel was located, but had difficulties finding it. We had to ask for directions. Finally we arrived after ten minutes searching. Lesson learned. My advice would be to go to the website and print out the directions to avoid any problems.

Samadhi is Sanskrit and means journey. We definitely entered a different world. The compound was completely walled in and had a high gate with a discreet Secret Retreats plaque. There was a security hut with a guard. The guard had a list of guests and only those on it were allowed into the sanctum. Having established we were rightfully there, the gate opened.

The taxi parked right in front of the entrance. The hotel was stunning and completely different of anything we've ever seen in a city location. The building was completely made out of bamboo, salvaged timber and dried grass for the roofs. The hotel states on their website it's modern Asian design, I thought it was Chinese inspired, while my better half thought Thai.

The security guy was adamant he needed to take our backpacks and suitcase. Amused we humoured him. Inside we were greeted by the manager Cherrie. She is very capable, making sure guests are well taken care of.

We were invited inside. which meant using a few steps up. Underneath them was flowing water, leading to a small pool with Koi. There were also large vases as decoration at the side of the steps. Cherrie didn't ask us to sit down at reception, but brought us to the outdoor terrace, where we had beautiful views over the stunning pool scape, cabanas, loungers and the Mandi Mandi, the restaurant.

There were magazines on the salas waiting for us and soon Cherrie served us cold ginger tea as welcome drink. We relaxed while she took care of the check in formalities. She also brought us to our room, a Luxe Crib - there are only 21 rooms in total. Cherrie explained how to lock the door from the outside and inside (There are real keys, a lock and a key card for the air conditioning), how to use the TV, which drinks and snacks were for free and which ones weren't. She showed us the Jacuzzi on our large balcony and advised that we could use the bath salt in the Jacuzzi if we wanted to, but not the shampoo or the liquid soap/shower gel. If using them it would foam like mad and cause chaos, so it's understandable not to put any of those in the bubbling water. After having explained all the features, she left us alone.

The room was huge. There was a throne bed, a rocking chair, a very large wardrobe (suitable to move in permanently), a TV on a credenza in front of the bed, a mini bar and a safe. All the furniture was antique or second hand and made from dark wood.

There was a remote control for the air conditioning, another one for the TV and one for the receiver. There was a lot of zapping involved to find a program and it was only a small selection of channels but it was sufficient.

There were some holistic magazines, but no telephone.

The mini bar wasn't filled with your usual things. It was stocked with organic soft drinks and snacks. They were very good.

There were also dried fruits, bottled water and biscuits for free.

The bed was super comfy and we had a restful sleep.

The bath room was as large as our room with toilet, bidet, the largest shower ever - I would say there fit in four people easily - with a huge rain forest shower head and double sinks.

The amenities were made in house and were ginger based. We liked the smell and that it didn't dry out the skin.

Our balcony was long and narrow. We could overlook the upscale residential area and an embassy.

Access was possible through the bedroom and the bathroom.

We had two seating areas; one was a bench, the other two chairs with a coffee table.

After we had settled an employee knocked on our door to deliver an afternoon snack. It was sticky rice and tasty. It was a surprise and not expected.

Of course we used the Jacuzzi and enjoyed it tremendously.

We also went to explore the grounds.

While exploring we met the gardener, who noticed we were interested in the sign at one of the ponds with a warning not to put in hands or feet, because a snapper turtle lived in the pond. He asked if we wanted to see T-Rex as the turtle is named. Naturally we wanted, so he stuck his hands in the murky water and soon he was struggling with T-Rex, who had reacted to the movement. We were surprised how big and aggressive the turtle was. He had his mouth wide open, made hissing noises and tried to bite. We thanked the gardener, and T-Rex was released again.

We loved strolling along the pool and spying into Madi Madi, which means dip in Malay.

We encountered our favourite security guy again. I told him I liked watching the Koi, so he offered to show us what they eat. He went into the security hut and returned moments later with fish food.

Later we went down for dinner. A new employee was at reception and suggested: "Why don't you go up to the top floor to our bar Bumbung? We serve complimentary drinks... I'll also let the restaurant know you are on your way." We followed her advice.

We went up the stairs, since there weren't any elevators. The property might not be suitable for fellow travellers with walking difficulties or breathing problems.

The hotel also recommends to bring children from 12 years. I personally believe it is best for adults only as it is more of a retreat - very peaceful and quiet - and doesn't offer any amenities children might be interested in.

Staying here with small children could also pose a danger to them, like drowning, since some rooms have direct pool access and nearly all have a Jacuzzi.

During our stay we encountered only couples (One was same sex.) of different ages and nationalities.

The climb up was worth it. The Bumbung bar is directly under a grass roof and offers stunning views over KL and the Petronas Twin Towers. The Villa Samadhi is on the one side very secluded but on the other hand not too far from the action. Taxis can be easily arranged.

The space was open air, made of wood and offered a small bar with bar stools in the centre and a seating area along the walls.

We were handed a menu by Cherrie and advised we could order as many drinks as we liked. My better half had an alcoholic cocktail. I choose an alcohol free, because I took medicine against my cold. Both were very good.

We then moved on to dinner at Mandi Mandi. There was a selection of three or four starters, main courses and one dessert.

The decor was minimal and the tables were widely spaced, so it was very private even though everyone was visible.

We had fillet steak in cream sauce and chicken fricassee. Both were extremely delicious.

We shared the cake as only dessert available on the menu. It was very large and satisfying. The restaurant and bar are not open to the public.

The staff was very attentive, ready to give advice and interested in the guests.

There was no bill to sign. The dessert was free, so we had to pay only for our drinks and the main  courses, which came in at 150 MYR (ca. 33 Euro or 45 USD).

After a good night’s rest we went to breakfast at the Mandi Mandi. It was included in our rate.

All cold items, tea and coffee were served buffet style, while hot items were made to order. Nothing was signed, so it was a bit difficult to make out what was coffee and what was tea. Both were in the same pots and had the same colour. We wanted coffee but ended up with tea. It wasn't a big problem since we like both and this one was really strong black tea.

There was a wide selection of fresh fruit, cheese, pastries, yogurt and others.

We choose French Toast and omelette from the a la carte menu. It was delivered promptly, hot and with a smile.


Soon it was time to check out. The check out was pleasant and Cherrie and I chatted about how we found out about the hotel and other guests. It seems to be rare that first timers of Kuala Lumpur are staying at the Villa Samadhi and most stay only for a few days. Cherrie recommended that we should stay next time at the sister property Japamala. She also encouraged us to write a trip advisor review. She was very personal and friendly. This was our third visit to Kuala LUmpur.

Our taxi arrived on time as ordered and brought us to KL Sentral, where we took the KLIA Ekspress to the airport and checked into our last hotel the Sama Sama KLIA, which was known in an earlier time as the Pan Pacific KLIA.

The stay at the Villa Samadhi left us relaxed and calm.

We loved that every employee had time for us and was responsive to what we told them, i.e. showing us T-Rex or feeding the fish, recommending hot ginger tea for my cold and other things.

We also like that it was totally different from anything else we had ever experienced in a city location, the good food and the comfort of the room, plus the overall resort setting.

Next time we are going to stay one or two nights longer.


©2014

Miri Marriott Resort & Spa, Miri Sarawak, Malaysia

It was always our dream to stay at the most exotic Marriott. When we planned our Malaysia trip, we saw the time was right to go to Miri.  We used Marriott Rewards points for our stay.

Everyone we have spoken to in Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu was surprised about our choice and couldn't believe we hadn't anything to do with the oil industry and wanted to spend three nights in Miri, located on the island of Borneo and the State of Sarawak. "It's not nice; it’s boring and just an oil town." was what we heard quite often.

Intrigued we went to KK airport for our flight. A delay of an hour was announced. We used the time to explore the facilities. The Malaysia Airlines ATR turbo prop plane arrived earlier than thought, so we were boarding half an hour after we should have left. The flight was smooth and enjoyable.

As always we bought a taxi voucher at the arrivals hall. Again it cost 30 MYR (ca. 6.95 Euro or ca. 9.40 USD).

At the hotel the taxi's doors were opened for us; our luggage was taken and we received a warm welcome from the door man and bell captain.

The lobby was partly open air and had a tropical flair like the whole resort. We liked the natural air conditioning, the fans and the fountain in the middle. There were also a lot of seating spaces, the business center, the Lush Bar, a tour operator and the Borneo Baking Company.

On the lower ground floor were the Zest Restaurant and the Mandara Spa. There was also an exit to the pool and gardens with the Matahari Pool Bar.

The lobby also offered stunning views over the pool scape and the South China Sea.

At check in we received a welcome drink. The staff was friendly and the check-in process was quick.

The bell captain brought us to our room. There were two wings the main building called Seahorse Wing and the Hornbill Wing.

We stayed at the Hornbill Wing in the Orchid Section. The location was very quiet and when we opened the door to our terrace we could hear the sea, birds, insects and the wind. It was very romantic.

The room was large and tiled. We received twin beds and had a large TV, comfortable seating area and a writing desk. The colors were held in brown tones and dark furniture. Our terrace was furbished with two chairs and a coffee table and overlooking the garden.

The TV channel selection was the smallest we had so far in Malaysia, but since we were rarely on the room it didn't matter.

The bathroom was large with a bath tub/shower combination, a sink, toilet and Aroma Therapy Essentials by Marriott amenities. These should be exchanged by now with Thann Native, a Thai company.

There is also 24 hours room service available.

After making us familiar with the room we went to the lobby to book two tours. Unfortunately the tour operator had already closed, even though it stated they should still have open. While I was on the look out for paper and a pen to write down the phone number and call the agent, my better half met the Operations Manager Gilbert Webber, who called the operator for us and organized the tours we wanted.

He took a few minutes to chat with us and asked if we were going to the Mulu Caves.

The Miri Marriott has three types of guests - business (from the oil industry - we saw for example a meeting of Petronas), tourists, who come to see the natural wonders of Sarawak like the Mulu Caves and Bruneians including expats, staying for a few days.

Mr. Webber told us also a secret. Marriott is going to open a hotel in Mulu at some stage this year.

Mr. Webber is a great asset and a fixer, so if you should have ever problems during your stay go to him.

After having solved this we had coffee, watermelon juice and cheesecake at the Borneo Baking Company. It was delicious and the staff very kind and interested in where we were from. We paid 69 MYR (ca. 16.00 Euro or ca. 21.60 USD).

During our stay we had room service and tried different dishes like Nasi Goreng Kampung, Telur Dada with onion and chili, a Malaysian egg dish served for breakfast, Spaghetti Bolognese and much more. Our in room breakfast cost between 107 MYR and 116 MYR (ca. 24.80 Euro to 26.85 Euro or ca. 33.45 USD to ca. 36.25 USD), while the most expensive dinner was 146 MYR (ca. 33.80 Euro or ca. 45.60 USD). The meals were all scrummy and of high quality. The portions were huge and sometimes it seemed they were made not for one, but two or more people.

On our first full day we went in the morning on the Miri City Tour and returned in the early afternoon. We were hungry and wanted to try Zest. A large group was already in the restaurant and taking part in the buffet. One member of staff told us no a la carte menu was available. We were disappointed and after a short discussion with the staff decided to go to the Borneo Baking Company again.

Enter Gilbert Webber. He had a short chat with us and the Maitre d, not the same person as the one telling us only the buffet was at our disposal and soon we were sitting in Zest and were handed the a la carte menu. We spent a very pleasant time at Zest and enjoyed an Energy Booster, two Natural Beauty cocktails, one Pizza Salami and one Ikan Masak Lemak, mackerel with coconut turmeric sauce.

The spices of the fish dish were well balanced. The pizza was also very good with a lot of cheese. It was yummy. The cost was 142 MYR (ca. 32.90 Euro or 44.35 USD).
 
If Mr. Webber hadn't saved the situation we might have gone away with a negative impression. In this case we would happily return to Zest.

Later in the day we spent time at the free flowing pool. The water was warm, the sun was shining and even though the pool was used by others including kids, it was peaceful and quiet. There were enough loungers available and they were comfortable.

We also used the swim up bar.

On the other full day we went on a day trip to Brunei, which was our second visit to the Sultanate.

When we arrived at around 8 PM back at the Marriott we were told the electricity was out and the bell captain apologized profusely. It seemed it had been gone for most of the day. Unlike at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur it didn't influence the key cards. We could enter our room and it wasn't too dark, because the emergency light was on. The telephone was also functioning. The room was nicely cool, too.

Having had an early start we were tired. I had caught too much sun and felt unwell, so I wasn't hungry, but my better half wanted something small to eat. It proofed difficult, because nearly all his choices were not available. Finally we found a dessert he had always wanted to try, but not managed to order yet.

The electricity was back on even before room service arrived.

Check out was efficient and warm. We received cookies as good bye present. A very nice touch both of us appreciated.

Having experienced Miri by ourselves we can say we like the city. It has a beautiful park. We had the chance to see the Grand Old Lady - the first oil well in Malaysia - and the largest Taoist Temple in South East Asia beside many other things. The city is manicured and very clean. It reminds us a bit about Bandar Seri Begawan.

Before I forget to mention it, the Miri Marriott has also a fitness center and tennis courts and there are daily activities for children and adults as well as film nights.

Should our travels take us to Miri again we will definitely stay again here, because the staff tries really hard to make your stay a memorable one for the right reasons. They are genuinely interested and seem to be proud to work at the Marriott. The resort is exotic and the rooms are in top condition, if not the most modern.


©2014