St. Andrews Cathedral St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

While in St. Andrews in September 2016 my fiancé and I visited the St. Andrews Cathedral.

The entrance to St. Andrews Cathedral is 5 GBP (ca. 5.70 Euro or ca. 6.45 USD), but the graveyard and ruins can be explored free of charge. Tickets can be bought online.

The cathedral was a major place for worship, pilgrimage and religious learning. It all started with the legend that St. Rules (St. Regulus) was ship wrecked off the Scottish coast. He fled Greece, because he had heard rumors emperor Constantine wanted to steal St. Andrew's relics.

The construction of the cathedral started ca. 1160 and continued for more than 150 years. The cathedral was finally dedicated in 1318 in the presence of Robert The Bruce.

St. Andrews Cathedral fell into ruin due to the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century.

Even if there are only ruins left the descriptions leave a clear picture what the building must have looked like and 

what the specific part was used for.

In the graveyard we found the gravesites of Allen Robertson, Tom and Tommy Morris, but there are many professors, writers and other famous people resting there too as we found out during our visit.

We enjoyed the location, we could learn/explore a lot and the atmosphere is fascinating and would return again.

Of note, the University of St. Andrews and St. Andrews Castle are pretty much nearby too.

 

 

©2017

British Golf Museum St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

During our September 2016 two night/3 day stay in St. Andrews my fiancé and I visited the British Golf Museum. 

St. Andrews, the home of Golf, was where the first ever game was played, so a museum about the Scottish sport was fitting. 

The museum is a must visit for golf fans or all other visitors who want to learn about the sport and glimpse some fascinating insights from the world of Golf in the heart of St. Andrews.

The location is near the sea and romantic.

Entrance was 8 GBP (ca. 9.10 Euro / ca. 10.40 USD) and valid for two days.

There is no option to purchase tickets online, at least at the time, but this might change in the future.

The museum is fairly large and depending how interested you are in golf history and how much time you want to spend there, it’s a good idea to split the visit up.

The different sections were dealing with the beginning of golf, the history, the development of golf clubs, balls and courses, the first professional players, how the rules and 18 holes came about, clothing throughout the centuries, the royal’s influence, the spread of golf around the world, the different trophies and club houses from around the globe from a bygone era. It was fascinating to see what an American club house looked like compared to one in South Africa or India.

It was engaging and educational. There was an interactive quiz and the possibility to design your own golf club. More hands on experiences were playing with two historical (feather and gutty) and a modern golf ball. You could try on typical clothing from the past as well.

The gift shop was a mix between practical, whimsical, local and education. We bought luxury soaps, hand-made in Scotland and would have loved to buy chocolate golf balls, but didn’t because the price sign was stuck over the expiry date. It would be nice if the label would be placed somewhere else.

Having spent nearly three hours there we were hungry and thirsty. The British Golf Museum got that covered too.

The café is located on the top of the museum with magnificent views over the beach and sea. There is outdoor seating as well as indoor seating.

We chose a table indoors, overlooking the sea.

The menu had a small selection of cakes, sandwiches, soups, burgers and fish cakes.

If you want to have afternoon tea it has to be pre-ordered.

Soon we were offered a menu by the friendly waitress. We chose one Fentiman’s Ginger Beer, one Irn Bru, two hot chocolates and two bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber, a classic and the quality was good.

The bill came in at 25.90 GBP or ca. 29.30 Euro or 33.40 USD. 

We enjoyed our visit, felt we had learned a lot and were overall happy the museum itself as with the food quality in the café, but the menu might needs an update, as does the actual setting of the cafe. We would visit again when we hopefully find ourselves in St. Andrews in our future again.

©2017

The Sands Grill @ The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

On our second evening of our three day stay at the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa (please see review) my fiancé and I had dinner at the Sands Grill.

The restaurant was located on the ground floor and had a clubby upscale atmosphere with dark furniture and green upholstery.

The staff was warm and efficient.

Fellow diners were international and of all age groups.

The Market Menu, which is available in lots of Scottish upscale restaurants, was good value at 35 GBP per person (ca. 40 Euro / ca. 45.30 USD) and we liked the choice of dishes, so we decided to go for this and not for a la carte.

The cuisine can be described as light and classic with some experimental touches.

Our drinks were a large bottle of still Highland Spring water, one Tia Maria and two hot chocolates.

Our starters were roasted pigeon breast, chocolate, parsnip, passion fruit. It caused some debate between us. We liked the dish and the slightly unusual combination. He thought the passion fruit was too few. I thought the amount was just right. We are a bit different in that regards.

His main course was gnocchi with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella. Mine was sea bass fillet with shrimp and mussel sauce and potatoes.

Normally gnocchi dishes are too large and heavy. This one was just right.

The shrimps and mussels were very generous and the dish was tasty.

Our desserts included raspberry panna cotta with vanilla ice cream and plum crumble with custard and vanilla cream.

The bill was 89.90 GBP, ca. 102.50 Euro, ca. 116.30 USD

Overall we had a very pleasant evening and would have a meal at the Sands Grill again, when staying at the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa in St. Andrews.

©2017

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

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

During our stay at the Hotel Indigo Glasgow - please see review - my fiance and I had also dinner at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar and Grill.

We have previous positive experiences with our Marco Pierre White restaurant visits in Dublin, Ireland so we knew it would be busy and booked a table in advance. We also forwarded them during the reservation our dietary requirements.

The restaurant was glamorous with lots of pink and silver and photographs of Marco Pierre White himself.

It had high ceilings too like the lobby of the Indigo and kept some classical elements with modern touches.

The restaurant was already busy. We were greeted by the Maître d' and brought to our table.

Our fellow diners were families and older couples.

We were brought tap water and the menu. The staff was aware of our allergies, which was positive. It had happened at other restaurants that we had sent our dietary requirements, but they had been overlooked and we had to repeat them.

We ordered two pear mojito, smoked Scottish salmon, brandade of smoked mackerel and as main courses two seared yellow fin tuna steaks with panzanella salad.

All was tasty and colorful. The smoked salmon looked especially appetizing and was very thinly cut.

The tuna and panzanella salad were the perfect combination and the textures complimented each other.

Of course our sweet tooth had to be satisfied too. Our desserts were Mr. White's rice pudding with hot apricot compote and Cambridge Burnt Cream.

My fiance enjoyed his rice pudding. The apricot compote was really hot and my fiance impatient, so he burned himself once.

The burnt cream was more like a Crème Bruelee. 

All portions were generous and tasty.

The bill was 73.80 GBP (ca. 84.25 Euro / ca. 94.35 USD).

The staff was attentive, friendly and efficient. 

We would return due to the relaxing and convivial atmosphere, the great staff and the good food.

©2017

Hotel Indigo Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

September 2016, Our 1 night/2 days stay experience

When planning our trip to Scotland in September 2016 we thought long and hard which hotels to book in Glasgow. One of our choices was the Indigo Glasgow, because it was unusual in regards to its history and design.

Originally the building was the first power station in Glasgow, supplying the surrounding houses with electricity.

Indigo is part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group and their boutique offering, which means the Indigo brand within the IHG Group offers a more individual design and heritage as let’s say their Holiday Inn properties. 

This particular stay was our first experience with the brand during our one night stay.

The hotel is not far from the Main Train Station and the Hilton Glasgow [in which we stayed a few yeas ago] and housed in a Georgian building. There are steps leading up to the entrance with a revolving door.

The lobby was small, but full of character and original details with the reception to the left and the restaurant and bar by Marco Pierre White to the right. There was a seating area for two with complimentary local newspapers offered near the elevators.

We liked the high ceilings and stucco walls.

Check in was done quickly and Fraser, the receptionist, chatted with us about his trip to Berlin.

We were soon on the way to our Standard King Room on the 4th floor.

It was larger than we expected with very high ceilings and windows.

Our views were over the courtyard and surrounding houses.

The room had a feminine feel with red tones and flower printed wall paper. The flower theme continued throughout our room incl. the golden curtains and the carpet. There was also a wooden floor.

Another color used was white to give a contrast against the reds used.

We loved the room and its romantic feel. It was enhanced by a photograph of a Glasgow landmark and by a part of the wallpaper incorporating another local landmark.

The bed was comfortable and large. The headboard was made of leather and accentuated the theme of the room by having red buttons added.

On one nightstand was a modern but 50s inspired radio and IPod docking station. It was cool and we liked it. 

The writing desk had the “Sunday Times Travel Magazine” and “This is Glasgow” and “Welcome to the neighborhood” brochure including other Indigo hotels, for example Duesseldorf, Tel Aviv and Edinburgh. 

A small mirror was also a welcome addition by the writing desk.

The free Wi-Fi internet was blazing fast at all times when we used it.

The flat screen TV had only regional channels and the most important news channel available was BBC News. No real problem, but a more international selection would have been nice, especially when staying longer at this beautiful boutique hotel.

We enjoyed the chair with ottoman and coffee table.

There was also a wardrobe with mini bar, which was complimentary, and one that was sensible. It included one Schweppes Lemonade, one Diet Coke, two Strathmore still water, two Tunnock’s milk chocolate covered caramel wafer biscuits [More of these please!] and one pack of Real Crisps, hand cooked with sea salt and malt vinegar flavor. We took the wafers, the water and the lemonade. Having not tried Tunnock’s before we are now big fans and buy them regularly, even when not in Scotland.

There was a full size free-standing mirror too.

In room dining was 24 hours available. Some dishes were from Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill. Otherwise there were for example sandwiches, starting from 5.25 GBP (ca. 5.95 Euro / ca. 6.70 USD), soup of the day 6.50 GBP (ca. 7.35 Euro / ca. 8.25 USD), Thai Chicken Curry 12.95 GBP (ca. 14.65 Euro / ca. 16.40 USD) and desserts from 2.95 GBP (ca. 3.35 Euro / ca. 3.75 USD).

Tea/coffee making facilities were available too and the tea was by Brodies of Edinburgh.

The bathroom was medium sized and stylish incl. beautifully printed tiles plus sink, toilet and shower only. There was a rainfall shower head and a hand held one. Amenities were by Aveda, which we like and use at home too.

The staff was responsive to any of our requests, like delivering more shampoo or replacing our hair dryer, when it didn’t work all of a sudden. All these services had been promptly delivered with a smile.

Our rate included breakfast, which was small, but of high quality and sufficient.

One hot item was included per guest and the cold items were served buffet style. There were three types of bread and pastries, two types of cheese and juices, some cold cuts, fresh fruits including watermelon and strawberries, one muesli, cereals, granola, milk, a smoothie, seeds and dried fruits.

The muesli was a bit difficult to get out of the container and I never figured out how the toaster was working.

Special mention has to go to the gluten free section.

We really loved our stay and thought the one night was too short. We would love to return again to this wonderful boutique hotel offering from IHG incl. Glasgow hopefully in our future.


©2017

Balfes @ The Westbury Dublin, Ireland

Since Balfes at the Westbury Hotel in Dublin was always busy, we pre-booked a table for brunch during a weekend in March 2017. There was a time we could simply “pop in” but this isn’t possible anymore due to demand during busy breakfast/lunch/dinner and brunch hours.

 

We were brought to our table and as expected nearly all others were already occupied. Our fellow diners ranged from couples to families, to a birthday party and a business group.

 

The waitress was attentive and offered tap, still or sparkling water. We ordered a large bottle of still Acqua Panna, a Florsheim signature cocktail made with white rum, Vermouth, Crème de Cacao, lime juice and grenadine and two chili hot chocolate.

 

The cocktail was at first creamy and a bit dry and turned later floral and sweet. A beautiful offering.

 

Our chili hot chocolates were very spicy with real red chili peppers, so if you can’t take the heat or don’t like spiciness I wouldn’t recommend you order it, as for us, we enjoyed our beverages.

 

Our starters were Tuna tartare with avocado, Goma Wakame seaweed and Kimuchi sauce. It looked colorful and the sweetness of the seaweed went well with the tangy sauce, the tuna and the creamy avocado.

 

Main courses were the BodyByrne Turkey Burgers topped with guacamole, paprika sweet potato wedges, salsa and healthy coleslaw.

 

The Westbury works closely together with BodyByrne in order to offer nutritious and healthy food.

 

The burgers came without a bun.

 

The coleslaw was Asian inspired and the sweet potato wedges were a delight. The whole combination was very tasty. Some foods can make you tired, but our main courses left us energetic, satisfied and not hungry at all.

 

A meal wouldn’t be complete with dessert, so our indulgences included grilled peppered pineapple with rum sauce, pink pepper and cardamom ice cream and crème brulee. Both desserts weren’t overly sweet.

 

The pineapple’s sweetness went well with the peppery notes, the generous sauce and the spice of the cardamom.

The crème brulee was beautifully presented with ice cream and flowers on top and was not sweet at all due to the Matcha green tea used.

 

We enjoyed our meal. The staff was busy, but attentive and brought our bill quickly. It was ca. 107 Euro (ca. 120 USD).

 

This is a restaurant we visit regular and will do so in the future.

©2017