A luxury break in St Andrews: Rufflets Hotel Woodland Suites

We recently enjoyed a luxury break in St Andrews, where we stayed at the fabulous Rufflets Hotel. In September 2023, the four-star hotel launched their exquisite new Woodland Suites. We were lucky enough to stay in one of them. 

The four individually decorated suites are double shepherds huts, joined by a glass walkway. They sit beside a woodland stream in the hotel grounds. Each has a large deck and pretty woodland view. They’re the ultimate in romantic, escapism – and pet friendly too. 

If you’re going to consider booking a luxury break in St Andrews, you’ll want to know what there is to see and do there – so read on and find out. 

A Luxury Break in St Andrews: Day One

We arrived in St Andrews late morning, parked beside the harbour and headed straight to the beach. 

It was a lovely, sunny morning – almost springlike for February. The boy had a wonderful time paddling in the sea and running on the beach. Once he’d worn himself out, we wandered along to the beach towards The Cheesy Toast Shack for lunch. 

The Cheesy Toast Shack, St Andrews 

The Cheesy Toast Shack is a hip beachside takeaway, popular with the town’s student population. It wouldn’t look out of place Down Under. 

As you might expect, the menu consists of hot cheesy sandwiches. Elvis would have loved the place. If you’re someone who shirks away from carbs, The Cheesy Toast Shack will be your idea of hell. If you live by the ‘everything in moderation’ rule, you’ll love the place.

We ordered one of their legendary macaroni cheese toasties each, then ate them on the beach. We were watched by an opportunist seagull. He was toying with the idea of mugging us for our carb laden pieces (Scots sandwich). This was our first al fresco lunch of 2024 and it was a belter. 

Jannettas Gelateria, St Andrews 

After devouring a week’s worth of carbs in one cheesy toasted sandwich, we walked into St Andrews town centre for a sweet treat. Jannettas Gelateria is legendary and for that reason, there’s always a queue when you visit the shop. As the saying goes though ‘good things come to those who wait’. Jannettas ice cream is definitely worth waiting for. The shop sells a vast array of ice cream flavours – made using quality, locally sourced ingredients. 

Luckily, we didn’t have to queue for too long and were soon clutching a whopping cone each. I chose two ice cream flavours – coconut and mint choc chip. Mr G picked raspberry ripple and tiramisu. All four flavours were delicious.

The rest of our afternoon was spent pottering around the lovely Fife town. 

A luxury break in St Andrews: Rufflets Hotel

At 3pm we arrived at Rufflets Hotel to check in. Now our luxury break in St Andrews was about to start in earnest. 

Rufflets Hotel sits in ten acres of gorgeous grounds on the outskirts of St Andrews. The grounds consist of woodland, formal walled garden and a kitchen garden which grows organic ingredients for the hotel kitchen.

We were given a lovely warm welcome when we arrived to check in. From that point on, every member of the Rufflets team we met were outstanding and a real credit to the hotel. 

Once we’d completed our check in paperwork, we were driven to our Woodland Suite in a golf buggy. Talk about arriving in style. 

Swallow: Woodland Suite, Rufflets Hotel St Andrews 

Travelling as frequently as I do for my blog, I get to stay at some amazing places. So when I tell you, I was blown away by our suite, it should give you an idea of how fabulous it was. It was an enchanting little woodland abode. Like something a hobbit (not looking for adventure) would spend happy, carefree days. 

Inside, the scene had been set perfectly for our arrival. The fire was lit and Classic FM was playing on the radio. Ambient lighting gave the place a warm, cosy glow. It was perfect. 

There were quality fixtures and fitting throughout the suite, and the interior design had a cool vintage vibe. The hotel’s four Woodland Suites were hand-crafted in Somerset and took over 500 hours to finish. It showed – there were so many cool little touches. The dining table doubled as a games board and the kitchen sink could be covered to create a workspace for preparing food. 

In the first section of the suite we had a seating area, table, wood-burning stove, kitchenette and shower room. 

The bedroom was reached via a little glass walkway. It had a stargazing skylight above the bed, a wall mounted TV and a door leading to the outside deck.

There was a huge copper bathtub on a raised platform too and robes, slippers and sumptuous organic toiletries from Ishga were supplied. 

Relaxing before dinner

After unpacking, Mr G popped to the bar for drinks – wine for me and beer for him.

The real beauty of this accommodation was that we had the best of both worlds – the privacy of self-catering with four-star hotel amenities. 

We sat outside with our drinks, enjoying the calming sound of the stream and birds singing. After a while, we moved indoors to sit by the fire and listen to Classic FM. The suite had such a calming ambience. It made the outside world feel like it was a million miles away.

Dinner – Rufflets Hotel, St Andrews

A couple of blissful hours later, we got ready for dinner and headed to the hotel bar to eat.

Guests at Rufflets can dine in the hotel’s a la carte restaurant or bar. The bar is dog friendly, so if you dine with a doggy you can eat from the bar or a la carte menu. 

The restaurant at Rufflets Hotel has a well-deserved reputation for excellence. Head chef Scott Cameron and his team, are artists who craft culinary masterpieces that look and taste divine. Dishes use the finest, locally sourced ingredients (some from the hotel’s own kitchen garden). 

We ate from the a la carte menu and what a treat it was. Everything on the menu sounded incredible. It was difficult to choose between one incredible sounding dish and another. We eventually managed to choose and ordered starters, main courses and a bottle of South African sparkling wine.

Mr G and I had haggled over the choice of wine – he wanted to order a bottle of French fizz, while I wanted to try the more affordable Stellenbosch version. Thankfully my choice was a winner. It was light, citrusy and every bit as good as champagne. 

Let the fine dining commence

Food wise, I started with germinated lentils, seaweed, apple, goat’s curd and bramble vinegar. I don’t like cooked lentils (unless they’re in soup) and don’t get me started on cooked apples. This dish was the exception though. It was so wholesome, tasty and delicious.

Mr G started with St Andrews Bay lobster & prawn dumplings, ginger, chicken fat, fungi and ramen stock. He loved his starter and was soon waxing lyrical about the quality of the food. 

For my main course, I had butternut & truffle lasagne, cep duxelle, foraged mushrooms and parmesan. It was another superb dish, full of flavour and I loved the fact that the mushrooms had been foraged locally. I prefer eating farm to fork food with a low carbon footprint. 

Mr G’s main course was stone bass, violette potato & crab stovies, kale, pak choi, drizzled with vanilla and caviar butter sauce. It looked amazing and apparently tasted amazing too. The crab stovies were a beautiful lilac colour and like nothing I’ve ever seen on a plate before. 

I finished with iced heather honey parfait, pistachio sponge and pistachio ice cream – because you can never eat too much ice cream in a day. The sponge was as light as a feather and melted in the mouth. It was a hat trick of fantastic courses for me.

Mr G’s dessert was an enigma until it arrived. He ordered the assiette of cherry, which translates as a plate of cherries. What arrived was a plate of manna from heaven – a trio of cherry based mini desserts, each one exquisite. 

This was hands down one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten – cooked using fresh, clean ingredients and served in a lovely, relaxing setting. 

And so to sleep 

That night we drifted gently off to sleep listening to the sound of the woodland stream outside, and gazing at the night sky through the skylight above our bed. It was the ultimate bedtime Zen experience.

A Luxury Break in St Andrews: Day Two

Breakfast at Rufflets St Andrews 

When we woke the next morning, we were looking forward to breakfast after our superb dining experience the night before. 

We decided to eat in the hotel restaurant, so left the boy tucking into his own breakfast and headed up to the hotel. We were seated at a lovely, light table with a pretty view of the hotel’s formal garden.

Breakfast at Rufflets Hotel consisted of a self-service Continental buffet selection and hot items cooked to order from a menu. 

I had a cooked Scottish breakfast – sausage, bacon, haggis, black pudding, mushroom, egg (fresh from the hotel’s own chickens), tomato and tattie scone. It was fab – not too big a portion and grilled, not fried, so some of the guilt was taken out of it. 

Mr G had porridge with honey and a breakfast roll filled with bacon and egg. 

It was the perfect way to start the day. 

After breakfast, we collected the boy from our suite and headed out to explore St Andrews. 

Mr G and I decided to visit a St Andrews attraction each, while the other spent time on the beach with the boy. 

St Andrews Aquarium

I chose first, and picked an underwater adventure at St Andrews Aquarium. 

It was a fun and educational experience that let me dive into the world’s oceans, rivers and lochs (lakes) to meet the incredible creatures who call those watery habitats home. It wasn’t all about water dwellers either – there were blue poisonous frogs, snoozing iguanas and adorable meerkats.

The highlights of my visit were the comical looking piranhas, mesmerising little seahorses and trying to find the real-life Nemo and his forgetful friend Dory.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to St Andrews Aquarium. It’s a fun attraction for all ages, and a must if you’re looking for things to do in St Andrews.

R & A World Golf Museum, St Andrews 

Now it was Mr G’s turn to choose an attraction. Unsurprisingly, he picked the R&A World Golf Museum next door to the aquarium.

Here’s what he had to say about his visit.

Visiting the R&A World Golf Museum was like visiting Mecca for golf lovers.

Inside, I was greeted with a treasure trove of golf memorabilia (including the original Claret Jug – wow), that really brought the history of golf to life – from its early origins, to becoming the top flight sport it is today. 

The museum had interactive elements too, including virtual golf simulators that let me experience the thrill of playing on some of the world’s best courses. 

I’d definitely recommend visiting the R&A World Golf Museum if you’re in St Andrews. It’s fantastic and will appeal to non-golfers, novices and pros alike.

Lunch – The Nibnick at the R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews

After spending the morning visiting St Andrews attractions, it was time for lunch. 

We discovered The Niblick – a chic brasserie on the top floor of the R&A World Golf Museum was dog friendly, so we decided to eat there.

The restaurant offers uninterrupted views of the town’s famous golf, so it’s heaven for golf lovers. 

We received a cheery welcome on arrival and were shown to a window seat. I let Mr G have the Old Course facing seat. As a golf nut, it was a dream view for him. For me, it was merely a well-manicured field with holes in it. 

After a quick browse of the menu, we were ready to order.

We started with vegetable soup. It didn’t look too exciting when it arrived, but it was absolutely delicious. Soup was followed by sandwiches – mozzarella, tomato and pesto on flatbread for me and smoked salmon for Mr G. Both were tasty. 

I was feeling decadent, so had a cocktail with my lunch, while designated driver Mr G stuck to coffee and water. 

We’d chosen well when it came to lunch venues. The Niblick was stylish, had a fab view, the staff were fab and the food was really good. 

West Sands Beach – and recreating that running scene

After lunch we visited the town’s famous West Sands Beach, where the famous beach scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed. Some simulated slow motion running ensued as we hummed the Chariots of Fire soundtrack. The boy didn’t understand what was going on, but joined in regardless.

Then we heard the music playing. Turning to see where it was coming from, we saw a group of barefoot runners dressed in white racing along the beach towards us. 

When in St Andrews.

A luxury break in St Andrews: Chilling in our beautiful woodland suite

After our fun day out, we headed back to our beautiful Woodland Suite at Rufflets Hotel to spend a second mellow night, relaxing in style.

We sat by the fire and played draughts on the cool multi-purpose table. When I say we played draughts. Mr G played draughts. I’ve no idea what game I was playing. After accusing Mr G of making up the rules/cheating when the game play didn’t go quite how I expected it to – he found a copy of the rules online and read them to me in minute detail.  

Defeated, I retreated to the roll top copper tub with a book to sulk. Bathing in a copper bath is beneficial for both body and mind. The copper releases ions with antibacterial properties into the water, which can help to soothe skin conditions, muscles and relieve stress.

After a thirty minute soak, the sting of defeat had washed away – well almost. 

We whiled away the rest of the night, relaxing by the fire as we listened to Classic FM on the radio. 

A Fabulous luxury break in St Andrews draws to an end

The next morning, we tucked into another awesome breakfast (in the bar this time, so the boy could join us).

Then it was time to leave our beautiful Woodland Suite. Our stay at Rufflets Hotel had been incredible from start to finish. Their Woodland Suites are whimsically wonderful. They’re like something out of a fairytale – perfect for a relaxing getaway, where you can enjoy the quiet, calm of being surrounded by nature as you completely recharge your batteries. 

We couldn’t say goodbye to St Andrews on a Sunday, without taking advantage of the fact that members of the public (and four-legged friends) are allowed to walk on the town’s famous Old Course as golf isn’t played on it on a Sunday. And there on the world’s most famous golf course, our luxury break in St Andrews drew to a fitting close. 

We stayed at Rufflets St Andrews as part of a paid partnership with the hotel, however all opinions are my own.

Until next time …