This hotel is absolutely the best hotel we've stayed in. The spacious room was so comfortable. The…read moreview was beautiful. The staff were so helpful and friendly. The food was *chef kiss* so delicious and fresh. We came with a group of golf friends and had a wonderful time. Would highly recommend! A nice walk from the Golf Museum and other bars and restaurants.

From the moment we walked in the door until we left, this hotel hit the mark every step of the way…read more An elegant, modern hotel with outstanding rooms. The staff is both warm and professional. The views of the Old Course from the 4th floor bar and restaurant are terrific. The restaurant was the best place we ate in Scotland.

Wish we would have planned better to go during the day to take advantage of the view. But the food…read moreand atmosphere was amazing! Finding the place was difficult. The car GPS took us behind the building and we had to walk around. We had a huge lunch so we weren't too hungry by the time our reservation came but we had amazing appetizers and some of the best drinks of our Scotland trip. The servers were great even though we didn't end up wanting main courses and just kept ordering drinks.

18 St. Andrews is located on the top floor of the Rusacks Hotel overlooking the 18th green…read more Absolutely stunning views of The Old Course, the bridge, the ocean where Chariots of Fire opening scene was shot. Service was good. We had a server who had just graduated from the University of St. Andrews. She was friendly and welcoming which was a nice change having just spent 2 nights in Edinburg. The wine list was not very impressive and my date ended up ordering a bottle of wine that resembled Capri-sun. I couldn't even drink it. We started with the oyster pair (HUGE oysters, very creamy), deer tartare - couldn't get through one bite of it and Pig's Head on Toast. Appetizers were not a good sign for the rest of the dinner. However the tomahawk steak was pretty good, lobster was overcooked. Soufflé was pretty good. Would give it a higher rating if not for the food. I think you really come here for the views, the putting green overlooking the 18th on the balcony, some gorgeous views vs. the food.

This pub/restaurant is a perfect place to enjoy good food and company! It's close to the Old…read moreCourse, very "golfy," which is why we were in town - so we loved it. It seems very popular with students, locals, and golf tourists alike. The vibe was energetic and fun. We had the dinner shown, and it was fantastic. Service was attentive. The beer was very smooth, food fresh, hot, and tasty - couldn't ask for anything more.

Very tasty lunch spot near the old course. Ordered a Caesar wrap and it was delicious. Service was…read morea bit slow, especially if you order a burger, so beware if you are in a rush.

Incredible variety, great quality food, and super service! Lobster, steak, duck, chicken, salmon,…read moreand pork options for main dishes. A wonderful wine list and bar menu specials. The desserts were wonderful too!

http://impromptufridaynights.com/father-and-son-reunion/Father and Son Reunion…read more Many of you might have noticed that I have gone dark over the last few weeks. No, I haven't gone to that great big supper club in the sky. Rather, I have been on a golfing trip to Scotland with my son. Every father's dream is to share a passion with his son. To spend 7 days together with just Brian and myself was a rare treat. To get to play 10 rounds of golf together with him at the home of golf was...PRICELESS. We had a blast We played 10 rounds of golf on 9 courses in 7 days walking 92 miles in the process of playing (Please note that in golf, the shortest distance between two points isn't always a straight line.) Prestwick North Berwick Muirfield Kingsbarn Old Course Carnoustie Lundin Links Crail New Course Old Course If you tell someone that you went to play golf in Scotland, the first thing they ask is: Did you get to play the Old Course? The Old is truly the home of golf. It is where Old Tom Morris shaped the game and the real champions of the game from Bobby Jones to Tiger Woods have proven their merit by winning the Open Championship. But, it isn't easy to get a tee time to play it. I am lucky enough to have played it years ago. When I was planning the trip I went to great lengths to make sure that my son had the same experience. Back in the 1990's I was in London on business. My boss and I planned a weekend trip to St. Andrews for a round of golf at the Old Course. A friend said he knew the Captain at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club that could get us on. We kept asking and asking but our friend was unable to come up with a coveted tee time. Three days before we were leaving London we told a Sri Lankan friend about our quandary. He knew somebody that knew somebody and we placed our hopes in him. When we arrived at the hotel at St Andrews we got the news that we had a 9 am tee time in the morning at the Old Course. I was like a kid at Christmas. So as we planned the trip with my son, I tried everything I could to replicate the experience. We entered the "Ballot" a lottery for tee times where they offer random tee times to the thousands of golf pilgrims that show up on St Andrews shores to play The Old. I even tried to stay in the same hotel as I did in 1995 to bring us good luck. Unfortunately when we got to the hotel we found out that we were not one of the lucky ones. Michael at the Russel Hotel was great. He told us about the "Dark Times" and how to improve your chances. To be honest we went to bed that first night thinking our chances of playing the Old Course were very slim. The following morning I reconfigured all our plans and at 6 am headed to the Old Course. I found 15 guys that had been sleeping there all night to get their names on a list to fill in for cancelations. A sorry group to say the least. The list also makes you eligible to be given a "Dark Time" which is a tee time between 1:30 and 2:30 pm. Starting times so late that you most likely will finish that last few holes in the "Dark". Brian and I went off and played Kingsbarn another great course outside of town. Late in the round I said to Brian lets go back to the Old Course and see if we can get a "Dark Time". Sure enough we did. It was the beautiful weather of the trip. The sun was shining and the golf gods were gracious as father and son got to play those fabulous links together. As fate would have it, on our last day we got lucky again and played the Old Course second time. This time, Brian who had been playing well all week had the round of his life. He birdied two holes on the back 9 with the most impressive on the iconic par 5 14th. He crushed his second shot over the dreaded "He'll Bunker" and got it up and down for a sweet birdie 4. An amazing close to a glorious week. More than golf it was a special time for father and son. In planning the trip I recalled to Brian how I had played golf with my dad at Pebble Beach in California and on the day he died that is what we talked about. To which Brian replied: Dad you aren't dying on me our you? I certainly plan to be around for awhile, but my guess is that when my time comes I will remember the magical week with my son in Scotland.

The hotel is located few hundred yards from St. Andrew Old Course. The view from front of the hotel…read moreis great for golfers. But, this is an old hotel that has lost its mystique and certainly passed up by modern amenities. Pros: 1. Location, location. Location. 2. Friendliness of staff willing to go beyond. Cons: 1. Entrance is tiny and difficult for patrons lugging personal belongings. 2. The elevator has to be the world's smallest. 3. Compartmentalized configuration. Reminded me of Winchester mystery mansion. 4. Room furnishing is out dated (varnish peeling, style is probably from 1600s, not very functional) 5. Small rooms. Our Jr. Suite is no larger than a courtyard room in US. 6. Shower / bath tub is tiny so even turning around can be a challenge. 7. View of roof tops is not too appealing. This hotel standard is below most hotels of equal value in US. If you like nostalgia, this might be for you. But, great location for golfers.

Terrific location but no internet service...I got a connection for perhaps 5 minutes over a 5-day…read morestay. Staff claimed several times it was a new issue and they were working on it. On our last night, they told some new guests that it was a new problem since just the day before (though we had been told that five days earlier). Really frustrating to not have service, especially as an Americans without local data plans. Breakfast was decent although only one day did they get the order correct. Dinner was just awful. On the plus side, the beer in the bar was quite good.

After BRAVING the wind and rain for 18 holes of golf on the OLD COURSE... Fiancé and I were…read moreinstructed that it's a NECESSITY to refuel here at 1 Golf Place... I was expecting it to just be a bar with crappy nibbles so as to make sure those imbibing didn't get completely PISSED DRUNK... But I was mistaken, for there is a restaurant upstairs, and the grub offered there can also be served to bar patrons. SCORE because I was HUNGRY! I got the chicken salad, doctored but of course... And as you can see from my photo, it was a pleasantly simple, yet fresh salad... And SUPER TASTY! The chicken was VERY well done and I loved the lettuce boats because I used them as vehicles for the chicken. The bell pepper addition to the salad was also spot on as they were incredibly sweet and juicy! Fiancé got a CLUB SANDWICH and I almost broke my water glass from shock, when I heard him say multiple times to our server: THIS IS THE BEST CLUB SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD. Say what?! AND he only had a 1/2 a beer at that point so the BOOZE wasn't doing the talking! Ha Ha. The club sandwich was a double decker, one layer of chicken and cheese and the other filled with lettuce, tomato, mayo and bacon... And then of course, it came with French Fries, which he also wolfed down without even blinking. We left this place fueled enough to play another 18-holes, except I KNEW that wasn't going to happen when Fiancé almost fell face first onto the pavement when exiting the restaurant... I mean, when at a Scottish bar, right?

Great pub to hang out after getting brutalized in the Old Course bunkers…read more Recommended by the caddies, whom we saw there ( THAT is the recommendation- vote with your feet) Had some curry - tasty, but not spicy enough for my tastes - it's gotta burn three times to be hot enough! Was much more chill than the Dunvegan- I would recommend '1 Golf Way' way before the dun - plus the service was better

One if the best pubs in St Andrews. A gathering place for visitors and locals. Always a great time…read moreto share stories and hear some great lies.

This place is the Perfect Location for any visitor. The larger rooms are fantastic…read more The food is average at best, not sure what the management have done to ruin this restaurant, the food used to be fantastic. But this place is so well located, have your breakfast and eat out every night, there is loads of great places to eat within a 5 iron. I could stay anywhere in St Andrews, I would pick this place every time.

I arrived at the hotel on day one and let the staff know my luggage would be delivered soon…read morethereafter by the airline as it had missed my connecting flight, but would be on its way. Cut to four days later I still did not have my luggage or golf clubs delivered and as a result, I had to buy clothing, toiletries, and rent golf clubs to play in that time. It was after I had checked out and then drove to another city when I found out that the airline had delivered my luggage and golf clubs the very next day to the hotel, but no one there ever told me they had arrived and was in their storage. No communication was made on the delivery to me and as a result had to pay extra money on things that were literally in the hotel the whole time and nothing was made to remedy the situation when it was brought to their attention. Better customer service would be appreciated.

This is my second stay at the Macdonald Rusacks hotel in St Andrews while visiting St Andrews…read moreUniversity. The hotel has a beautiful view over the famous old course and many of the rooms and the breakfast and bar have windows looking out on the course. I could sit for hours watching the clouds, ocean and gulf views. The staff at the hotel are very helpful and service is excellent. Although we had a problem with our reservation with American express (i didn't know they were assoc with Expedia) the front desk and manager Robin were very helpful in assisting me. We enjoyed our visit and will be back!

Billing fiasco with MacDonald Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews!…read moreDOUBLE-CHARGED! $3,415.96 for a four night stay. Still in shock. Here's what happened: My travel agent found a deal online. After making the booking, she called their general reservations line add a third person to our room (since I was going to be joined by both my sons). "One room for three people," she told them, "...and since I've already booked online, please make sure I have just one room." Just one room...simple enough. They assured her that's what we had. I checked in. Got my room. No problem there. Two double beds and a great view. The shock came as I went to check out. I asked for a pre-print of my bill. It showed a total charge of 1,701.20 pounds sterling. When I went to pay it, the desk clerk told me disregard it...here was a SECOND BILL--a total charge of 2,678.20 pounds sterling. "YOU HAD TWO ROOMS," she said. What?! My head reeling, I asked for a manager. And waited... Half an hour or so later, the manager finally came. She explained I had two separate reservations in their computer. One I knew about, and one I didn't. The computer apparently showed me leaving one room and taking up residence in the other room, for additional days. How weird! No justification how or why two successive stays would be booked for a single guest. No apology, no solution offered, and she would not reduce the charge. She just tried to put the blame on my travel agent. But, I told her, the agent called in advance to confirm, and MacDonald Rusacks never mentioned they had us double-booked. Nothing to be done, apparently. I gave them my credit card, and assured them my travel agent would follow up... FOUR PHONE CALLS LATER, my travel agent STILL has never been able to speak with a manager. That leaves me no choice but to make this post. $3,415.96 for a four night stay, for one double room. For the price, I could have had a suite. Don't you think the front desk should have mentioned at time of check in, that they had TWO ROOMS reserved for me? Seems like they should have noticed. Seems like they should have spoken up. And though I would not normally complain about such things, this billing problem has me on edge, so I will add that the level of service at this hotel is not what it used to be. The hotel is understaffed. The help is young and untrained. Service in the restaurant and pub excruciatingly slow. Furniture is dusty, the place needs a good vacuum. We noticed a dead fly on the table on the stairway landing, that actually remained for almost three days. My son and I joked about it. We overheard complaints from the staff people themselves that they needed more help. And discussions right there in the hotel parlor, about performance improvement plans for employees. Good grief. So sad. It used to be my favorite place. Not anymore.