The hotel, which has 102 rooms and 32 suites, used to be an old railway station. You can still see some of the original stone walls in the ground floor hallways.
We had rooms facing the world famous old course along the 17th fairway (the infamous road hole) with a bonus view of West Sands beach and the Fife. Up the course, we could also see Swilken Bridge, Granny Clark's Wind and the 18th hole. Beyond, was the Royal & Ancient clubhouse, which was especially lovely at sunset.
Rooms are clean, fresh and well appointed. Soft yellow and green were the predominate colors. Suites are resplendant with leather furniture, heavy wood (think old men's club)and fireplaces.
Room rate includes: complimentary use of facilities in the spa (including indoor lap pool), full Scottish breakfast and 17.5% VAT.
The breakfast is definitely worth getting up for!
The only drawback I experienced is the walls being a bit on the thin side as we could hear family members in the next room.
The hotel was full during our stay as it coincided with the annual meeting of the R & A. Lots of celebrities around, including Sean Connery! Golf has been played here since 1400. The golfers in our party had tee times arranged far in advance of our arrival. Otherwise, they were hard to come by. There is a small putting course called the Himalayas, which once served as the ladies course in times past, since women were not permitted on the Old Course.
If you are at the hotel on Sunday, there is no golf that day, in keeping with the age-old tradition of no golf on the Sabbath. Instead, there is another tradition on the Old Course - that of people walking and playing with their dogs on the links.
Great food at both of the hotel restaurants (see Road Hole Grill and the Conservatory restaurant entries). Old-fashioned tea time is held daily. The Jigger Inn, which was once the station master's house, is now the site of a bar.
Definitely worth at least a once-in-a-lifetime stay for the incredible experience!
For more information, visit their web site at http://www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk/