Why St Andrews should be your next wellness break
Windswept walks, sea and sky as far as the eye can see, soaring seabirds, historic architecture, luxury accommodation, the freshest local food… the perfect combination for a wonderful weekend away. A trip to Fairmont St Andrews hotel on Fife’s east coast certainly ticks all these boxes, especially if you’re looking for a wellness break to boot.
With more than 200 comfortable rooms, the hotel is certainly spacious but manages to have a more personal feel, with top-notch service and locally sourced dishes, plus country features such as reading nooks, beehives and a vegetable garden supplying its kitchen.
The menus on offer here are exceptional, with many different dining options serving locally sourced, seasonal food including the freshest fish of the day.
In order to set you up for a day filled with activities or relaxing in laidback leisure time, breakfast at Fairmont St Andrews is a big deal – whatever you could possibly want is served, from traditional porridge to fresh fruit and pastries and freshly cooked omelettes.
Later in the day, you can also make time for afternoon tea, with a vast array of delectable sandwiches and the prettiest cakes beautifully presented.
Explore the Fife Coastal Path
Eventually you’ll have to tear yourself away – maybe for a Pilates or yoga class in the spa, or, if you feel more energetic, a walk along the Fife Coastal Path – there are 113 miles to discover, but as it’s split up into sections it’s not quite so daunting.
At St Andrews, you’re on the Cambo Sands to Leuchars section, so you could choose to go in either direction from the hotel – towards St Andrews itself and past the Castle or up towards Guardridge, passing the geographical feature Buddo Rock. Whichever way you walk, you’ll experience wonderful views and spectacular scenery.
A wellbeing stay at Fairmont St Andrews is naturally all about its sense of place – the sea and its bountiful harvest – which is particularly significant when it comes to vigour and vitality.
Scottish nature-inspired spa treatments
The coastline here is a plentiful source of seaweed, which is renowned for its valuable health properties. Unique to the hotel is the 'Escape to the Hebrides' spa treatment, a detoxifying and nourishing 90-minute full-body ritual that uses Ishga (Gaelic for water) seaweed-based skincare products.
After a body exfoliation, you’ll get a warm marine mud mask, a herbal poultice massage and then a scalp massage – absolute bliss. Ishga is based in the Hebrides, a pure, natural environment where the waters are mineral-rich and abundant with seaweed. Hand-cut varieties are harvested and harnessed in a jar – all their incredible properties are extremely nurturing to our skin. The wonderful Ishga products use only natural ingredients packed with antioxidants that have major scientific benefits to skin, locking in moisture and repairing well, too.
To learn more about the organic miracles of seaweed while you’re here, sign up for a fun and informative workshop with Jayson Byles from East Neuk Seaweed. Jayson is originally from New Zealand, where he developed his passion for the ocean and the wonders of foraging for seaweed, which he now passes on to others on his popular classes along the local coastline.
After showing attendees which varieties of seaweed you can hand-harvest (red lava was surprisingly delicious cut from a rock!), he does a spot of wild cooking, serving up warming dashi broth with kelp, mushrooms and ginger, delicious lava muffins with sun-dried tomatoes, and carrageen pudding and fruit – all full of taste and natural nutrients.
Visit the shoreside sauna
To reap the advantages of seaweed even further, try some cold-water therapy at nearby Kingsbarns Beach on a sunrise swim followed by a shoreside sauna with Jayne and Jamie from Wild Scottish Sauna.
Even if you’re not a natural swimmer and are averse to taking a dip in cold water, you’ll be amazed by the buzz your body gets from slowly immersing yourself while the sun is rising, plus the warming sauna afterwards warms the cockles – the whole experience makes you feel totally alive.
And finally... get your golf on
Whether you’re a fan or not, you can’t visit St Andrews without acknowledging how important golf is here – with many courses in the area and further afield, it’s a huge draw for those in the know. Fancy having a go yourself?
Sign up for a lesson with a PGA pro at the world-class Torrance or Kittocks courses at Fairmont St Andrews, which are surrounded by beautiful scenery, and see how your swing improves at the driving range using an 8 club and a driver…
Whatever you choose to do while you’re here, it’s guaranteed that you’ll leave feeling revitalised and refreshed.
For more details on staying at visit Fairmont St Andrews.
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A Highland cow
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The coastal town of Oban
A popular tourist destination, the coastal town of Oban is in Argyll
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The ruins of Crichton Castle in Midlothian perch in a dramatic setting.
The Old Man of Storr
The Old Man of Storr is the highest rocky needle on the Isle of Skye. The flat area in front of the Old Man is known as the Sanctuary.
The ruins of Crichton Castle
The ruins of Crichton Castle in Midlothian perch in a dramatic setting.
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Ness Bank church
Welcome to Inverness and the snow-covered Ness Bank church.
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The Wallace Monument
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