Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
St Andrews is a must-visit destination: from being a Scottish setting for Royal romance, to its famous West Sands beach which was immortalized in the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire, it's Cathedral, aquarium and boutiques. Oh, and did we mention golf? Rusacks St Andrews is within a sand wedge of the 18th hole of the world-famous Old Course. Stylishly remodeled on a golfing theme, Rusacks St Andrews offers luxurious accommodation occupied by some of the great names in the game's history. Unquestionably Scotland's greatest golfing hotel, we even have a dedicated Golf Concierge so you won't miss a thing. The Bridge is a family-friendly dining experience, with views over the infamous St Andrews' Swilcan Bridge and the Old Course. Enjoy a range of British and European dishes here. Eighteen is a destination rooftop restaurant and bar with unrivalled views across St Andrews' Old Course and West Sands Beach.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Green
Classic
Languages Spoken
English, Polish
Location
Pilmour Links, St. Andrews KY16 9JQ Scotland
Rusacks St Andrews
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Rusacks St Andrews is often celebrated for its cleanliness and prime location, with guests consistently impressed by the immaculate rooms and the hotel's proximity to St Andrews' attractions. While the rooftop bar and beautiful views are popular among travelers, opinions on value are mixed; some find the hotel's prices steep relative to the dining experience and room quality.
Service and room experiences vary, with reports of both attentive staff and comfortable rooms alongside criticisms of noise and disorganization. The atmosphere, a blend of charm and elegance, is frequently noted to enhance special stays.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Cramped
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Top-notch
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My wife and I decided to go away for a weekend to St Andrews as it was my birthday. We decided after a disastrous previous stay at the Fairmont to try Rusacks. We booked a king room on a B and B basis . We also booked dinner on the first night in the 18 rooftop restaurant. We arrived early in St Andrews and spent the day in the town itself and checked into the hotel around 4 pm. The one downside about the hotel is the lack of parking. We had to circle around the area a few times and then to our luck got a space right outside the hotel. The hotel charges £35 per night to park the car which seems very expensive however in the height of summer it may be the only option. Everything else however went very well. Check in was swift and courteous . The hotel staff showed us to the appropriate lift to access our room. The room was a decent size ,well laid out with a comfy bed and all the usual extras you would expect from a hotel of this stature such as nespresso machine and mini bar. Our ensuite had a sizeable shower and two WHB and was well kitted with gels soaps towels etc. We changed and later on went up to the 18 restaurant for drinks and then dinner. Service again was excellent as was our meal. The only disappointment was the lack of view due to the time of year. The following morning breakfast was served in the Bridge restaurant. Again service was attentive and polite. There is no buffet and food is ordered and brought to the table. We managed to get a table looking out over the 18th which made it even more enjoyable. The one thing that I felt was missing was a fish dish like haddock or kippers however smoked salmon is offered with Scrambled eggs. On the second day breakfast was slow however the staff did come and apologise and explained what the problem was. This I felt was taking ownership of the problem and communicating the issue. I accept problems do arise but its how it is dealt with and in this case well done to the staff. St Andrews is a great place and we certainly will come back to this hotel. Our experience also has made me want to try the other hotels in the Marine and Lawn chain such as Dornoch but that is for another time. Well done to the staff who helped make this an enjoyable stay
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded 2 weeks ago
Dear Coldholiday, Thank you for your positive 5 star review & high rating which my team and i very much appreciate. I was delighted to learn that you had a most pleasant experience with us and that you felt that our team members helped make this an enjoyable stay and your room allocated was spacious with comfy bed. We do hope we get the opportunity to welcome you back in the near future. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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We had a delightful stay at this lovely hotel, which offered warm hospitality in an excellent location. Our visit was part of a package which included bed and breakfast along with dinner at the Bridge restaurant.
Traveling with our dog was a breeze, as he was warmly welcomed by the staff. While there was a small supplement for bringing him, the thoughtful touches made it worth it. Upon arrival, our dog was provided with his own tartan bed, towel, biscuits and water bowl in the room. He was even treated to his own breakfast sausage in the Gallery during breakfast, which was a charming touch.
Parking was hassle-free. We arrived around 8 pm and found plenty of free parking spaces on The Links, conveniently located just behind the hotel.
Although the boiler broke down on our last morning, leaving us without hot water, the reception staff handled the situation gracefully. They extended breakfast hours and offered us a later checkout to accommodate our plans, even adjusting the bill to reflect the inconvenience.
Overall, the hotel’s excellent service and warm, dog-friendly atmosphere won us over. We will certainly stay here again.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Parking available on The Links. Dogs can join you for breakfast in the Gallery but not dinner in...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Jan 27, 2025
Dear Callum K, Thank you for your positive 5 star reveiw & high rating which my team and i very much appreciate. I was delighted to learn that you had a most memorable experience and in particular our dog friendly amenities on arrival and hospitality/service in gallery for breakfast. We do hope we have the opportunity to welcome your back in the near future. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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It is an older, classy hotel with a few weak points. Let's start with the positive. The location is extraordinary, the service is very attentive and you feel a certain respect for the building. We were in the old part and had a spacious room overlooking the golf course. This is hard to beat! We only enjoyed breakfast once! The coffee is simply a disaster! There is no buffet, you can only order. What you get is partly a matter of luck! The shower function is, quite simply, "very English". In some parts, the outdated building would have deserved a little more care! The price/performance ratio is not right at all!!
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Date of stay: August 2023
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had a 3 night stay at Rusacks and was a little disappointed with our overall experience. It was quite expensive but we were prepared to treat ourselves for these 3 nights due to the location which was fantastic. I regretted not paying extra for a golf view room and upon check in asked again if there were any golf view rooms available. I was told there was not but if there was I would be informed and I was prepared to move rooms. We didn’t hear anything further. Our room was stuffy and hot and the bed was quite uncomfortable. We had to run the shower 10 minutes before showering to enable the hot water to come on. When we asked about this on our first day, we were told the pipes are old and thats how long we had to wait each time we showered. Customer service throughout the hotel was mediocre with a lot of new staff. I wasn’t aware of what the parking was like around the hotel and had originally booked parking for £35 per day but upon arrival asked for this to be taken off as we would go find a park on the street (which we did very easily). When I went to pay the bill on check out parking was added. Little touches of a 5 star hotel were missing. I’m in two minds if I would stay here again due to the high price and lack of customer service. I cannot fault the location though, it is great looking out from the rooftop bar 18, watching the golfers tee off on the 1st hole and come in on the 18th
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Try parking up on the hill behind the hotel.
Pay extra for a golf view room.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Sep 25, 2023
Dear JillyB33, Thank you for your genuine & informative review which my team and i very much appreciate. Having reviewed the matter in full, I was most disappointed that your overall stay was not a pleasant one and i wish to convey my sincere apologies for our shortcomings on this occasion. I have shared the relevant points with our management team and i can assure you that those points have been readdressed to ensure such scenarios do not reoccur in the future. We do hope we get the opportunity to welcome you back and show you a much more pleasant experience. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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I have stayed in the Rusacks before so had high expectations for our afternoon tea. First of all, when the food and drink was brought over, there was no description of any of the food items at all, it was just plonked on our table. I had thought that obviously the Rusacks therefore didn't tell their customers what they were being served as standard. However, 10 minutes later a waiter was going through all the cakes and sandwiches etc with another table. We also weren't given tea strainers and had to try and find someone to ask for them.
Our table was quite full as we had a lot of items on the table. When my friend asked if we could put some of our items on the table next to us, the waitress said it had been booked, but we could use it for some of our stuff as long as we 'didn't make a mess'. (No one used the table in the hour and a half we were there).
We were left with no one checking on us, and we had to hunt someone down to ask for the bill and a box for two of the cakes at the end. The worst part for me was the absolute indignation of the waitress (Evelyn) who eventually presented me with the card machine, shoving it in my face. I said to her that we would like to pay half each, and she sighed and shouted at us 'well I'll need to go back to the till now!' Now we had not been asked how we wanted to pay the bill, and it is unacceptable that we should be treated like this simply because we wanted to split the bill. Then she came back and after I tapped my card, she again grumbled, telling us she had to go back to the till again to get the receipt. The whole payment process at the end really dampened what was very good food and drink, and it's a shame that we felt as if we were an annoyance to the waitress. Especially as a service charge was automatically added to the bill with no questioning of whether we wanted to pay this or not (I certainly would not have paid this had it been optional). I did email the hotel with my feedback but received no response.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Aug 12, 2023
Dear Hope G, Thank you for your genuine & informative review which my team and i very much appreciate. I was so disappointed to learn of your experience in 18 and i wish to convey my sincere apologies for our shortcomings on this occassion. I greatly value feedback from all our valued patrons and i can assure all of your points have been shared and discussed with our senior management team to ensure such scenarios do not reoccur in the future. As a gesture of goodwill, please contact myself directly at scoen@rusacksstanmdrews.co.uk and i will extend a voucher for lunch in our Bridge restaurant for two with our compliments. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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These rooms are beautiful, but for $800, and a view of the trash bins, the value wasn't really worth the price. Also, the service at the Bridge restaurant was so poor! We visited twice, once for dinner, and once for breakfast, and both times, it's almost like the staff was so concerned with rolling their silverware in their napkins that they forgot there were people dining. It was actually quite interesting, that for such an iconic hotel and restaurant, the service was ... really poor.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Jul 16, 2024
Dear amberjwick, Thank you for your genuine & informative review which my team and i very much appreciate. I greatly value feedback from all our guests and please accept my sincere apologies for our shortcomings on this occasion. I do hope we get the opportunity to welcome you back in the neat future and showcase the true Rusacks hospitality & service. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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I really wanted to like this place. The redeveloped building, the location, et cetera et cetera is all lined up to smash it out of the park. In reality, I have never been more disappointed by a dinner out.
Even low expectations would have been dashed. Considering the price-point, a few pointers: take coats at the door of the restaurant, don’t allow kids into the top floor bar, don’t feign the bar being full on arrival when it clearly isn’t, dim the lights. The list could go on and on and we haven’t even sat down for dinner yet. It feels as if it was being run by amateurs, not proper hoteliers, let alone restaurateurs (and let let alone hoteliers charging that much!).
The food was fine, the menu lacking but adequate and the staff were all perfectly pleasant, but that was about it. The lowest point was when we ordered two separate (different) glasses of red, which were each delivered to the wrong person. The waiter, upon being notified of this, told us each to ‘drink the one we prefer’. Come on. Even a restaurant half worth its salt would have immediately whisked them away and checked.
Perhaps none of this matters - the floods of American golfers open the chequebook regardless. In future, I will look wistfully upwards at what could have been, on my walk down the Links to the Old Course; for a proper dinner.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Feb 18, 2024
Dear Voyager57651609280, Thank you for your genuine & informative review which my team and i very much appreciate. I was truly disappointed to learn that your experience with us at 18 was not a memorable one and i wish to convey my sincere apologues for our shortcomings on this occasion. I have shared your feedback with our senior Food & Beverage Management team to ensure we learn from this situation to ensure such scenarios do not reoccur in the future for any of our loyal patrons. We do hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back and showcase a much more positive light. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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Stayed in St Andrew's loads of times, it's a beautiful place and well worth a visit. This is the first time we have tried the Rusacks Hotel. It's in a prime location overlooking the 18th fairway.
Booked a suite for the stay, Room 114, a very disjointed suite and it felt like they found a way of putting three odd rooms together just to charge the higher rate. Imagine our surprise when we opened the door to find the bedroom does not actually have a window in it - therefore a very dark space indeed.
Some quite bizarre practices that you should check before you book.
1. Parking. Not much in the area, regardless of whether you are staying at the hotel you still need to book a space in their car park beforehand.
2. The hotel has three eating and drinking areas. Two of the areas were booked out to private parties and the third (a fine dining resturant) was fully booked so there was no place in the hotel to eat or drink once you got there. No place. I have never stayed at a hotel where there are no eating or drinking possibilities available to the guests.
3. Turndown. Non-existent. Folded over two corners of the duvet and left the smallest piece of shortbread you've ever seen in your life.
4. You have to book a breakfast slot, dont assume because you are paying for a room there with breakfast included that this means you can wander in without booking a time.
5. We booked and still had to stand in a 20 minute question to get in and get a seat. It was difficult to get someone's attention - the staff were doing that fast walking thing and making sure they were not catching anyone's eye who was trying to get their attention. When the food did turn up they brought mines and forgot to put the order in for my wife's so she watched me eat, then I finished, we waited then her's arrived 15 mins after and I watched her eat.
I complained and was immediately offered a 50% discount on my room. The staff and duty manager there were doing their best in what was obviously a situation not of their making were clearly overwhelmed as the hotel management had taken two wedding bookings without considering the impact this would have on the regular guests and the staff trying hard to hold it all together.
I'm not normally a complainer and accept that stuff happens from time to time but it was obvious that there is something wrong with the way this hotel is managed.
The Old Course Hotel is a couple of hundred yards away, we have stayed there before and I regretted booking the Rusacks the minute I stepped into our room, they make a big deal about a refurbishment, but to be fair it's difficult to see where the cash was spent from the guest experience we had.
I wont be back!
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Check they have not booked out all the dining and drinking areas that you'd expect to use as part...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Nov 2, 2023
Dear Cb1971, Thank you for your genuine & informative review which my team and i very much appreciate. I was most disappointed to learn that your stay with us was not a pleasant one and i wish to convey my sincere apologies for our shortcomings on this occasion. I can fully understand your frustrations and i agree that there were too many functions were on at the same time during your stay with us and i have discussed your points at length with my senior managment team to ensure such scenarios are not repeated for any of our loyal patrons. Once again, please accept my sincere apologies and thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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Afternoon tea at The Rusacks yesterday afternoon was extremely disappointing. A table was hurriedly put together, even though we had booked. The table was far too small to hold all the items and our view of the West Sands was obscured by a table of four enjoying the view and having tea. Service was fair. The infusion was far too weak and the sandwiches had been in the fridge. Paper napkins and large knives and forks made the experience feel like a picnic. At £32,50 a head this was an experience that we shall not be repeating or recommending. What a shame.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Jul 17, 2023
Dear misu46, Thank you for your genuine & informative review which my team and i very much appreciate. I was disappointed to learn that your afternoon tea experience did not meet or exceed your expectations and i wish to convey our sincere apologies for our shortcomings on this occasion. I have raised all points raised with our Director of Food & Beverage to ensure such scenarios do not reoccur in the future for any of our loyal patrons, Please contact myself direct on the next occasion you are in St. Andrews and i will personally ensure you have a most enjoyable experience with us. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager scoen@rusacksstandrews.co.uk
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Incredibly disappointing visit to somewhere I was very looking forward to going. On arrival for our champagne cream tea, I had asked for the afternoon tea which was different. After waiting forty minutes for our server to return, we were advised that they had left to attend a staff meeting and the server did not know what else to say. Dirty linen with questionable stains on it ( body fluids and crusted food.) Black bin bags left at the fire exit right outside our door and remained there despite us being away for some time. Poor booking service and communication. What was quoted on our evening menu was not actually what was served on both dinner reservations. We were advised that the chef was aware that we were missing items from our main meals but instead offered us a bottle of wine on the house to compensate as they just hadn't made them. Even small things like our spy hole, the chipboard and wood was exposed in the door and the spy hole loose. We did not have a green tassel to ask room service to not disturb us. I was gifted lovely champagne bowls as a Christmas present which I used. They had gold band around the lip of the glass and very different from what their own glassware was. Housekeeping took them and I didn't get them back until later in the evening. Small things that just did not match the price tag at all.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Seamus Coen, General Manager at Rusacks St Andrews
Responded Jan 7, 2025
Dear Nicola L, Thank you for your genuine and informative reveiw which my team and i very much appreciate. I was truly disappointed to learn that we did not meet or exceed your expectations and i wish to convey my sincere apologies for our shortcomings on this occasion. I have shared your valued feedback with my senior management team to ensure we learn from this and ensure such scenarios do not reoccur in the future. We do hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back and showcase a much more positive experience for you. Best wishes Seamus Coen General Manager
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Hello!
At the 25. July I needed the room at the hotel and asked for it at the reception.
Unfortunately I was wondering about denying.
It was at the morning and there are plenty of free rooms.
I think it is not a friendly gesture for the people from this kind of hotel.
I will never again come to your hotel because this is just rudeness and disgrace.
There are more places to choose from in the St. Andrews area.
PRICE RANGE
C$443 - C$737 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
macdonald rusacks st andrews, hotel macdonald rusacks, rusacks hotel
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandFifeSt. Andrews
NUMBER OF ROOMS
123
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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