Scots spa of the year overlooks world-famous golf course and has unique feature

THE best spa in Scotland has been revealed – and it has a massive swimming pool and one-of-a-kind feature while overlooking a world-famous golf course.

Experts at The Times have compiled a list of the top 50 retreats across the UK for the latest best spas guide.

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They travelled the length and breadth of the country, from the Scottish Highlands to the coasts of Cornwall, to discover the nation’s top stays.

Each spa was analysed against several criteria – including its range of treatments, knowledgeable therapists and results-driven skincare range.

Experts also considered the hotel where the spa is located, its design, the available facilities and whether there are any health-focused cuisines.

The team made it their mission to “find the best stays for every taste, budget and location that offer something a bit special.”

And the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, Fife, was named as the best spa of the year across Scotland.

This incredible spa topped the list and impressed the travel experts with its beautiful design and scenic location.

Perched on the St Andrews shoreline overlooking one of the world’s most famous golf courses, this spa is anything but under par

Experts at The Times

It was singled out for its indulgent KLAFS Espuro Experience as well as its magnificent range of facilities it has for guests.

The experts gave it a score of 9 out of 10 and said that the whole spa experience was made better by the fact that the hotel overlooks one of the most highly regarded golf courses in the world.

They said: “Perched on the St Andrews shoreline overlooking one of the world’s most famous golf courses, this spa is anything but under par.

“It has just undergone a significant renovation: the blush-pink changing rooms now feel like a chichi beauty salon, with Dyson hair appliances and designer furniture, while the year-round roster of events (cold water retreats, anyone?) anchor it to its coastal location.

“On top of the 20m pool, an icy plunge pool, brand new sauna and plant-focused café is the KLAFS Espuro Experience — the only one in the UK — in which mountains of nourishing foam pour from the ceiling of a converted steam room, ready to be scooped up and smoothed over the skin (or made into a Santa beard).”

They added that the cost of a room-only doubles starts from £250, mains meals from £15, and a 50-minute treatment from £165.

While a spa day pass from £90.

Even though the Old Course Hotel was named the best in Scotland, it wasn’t the only Scottish spa that made the list of the top 50 spas across the UK.

Schloss Roxburghe Hotel in Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, also made it onto the prestigious list.

And the experts said it was “a seriously high-end pretender to Gleneagles’ crown as Scotland’s best destination hotel”.

They were impressed by its ultra-modern new wing which includes a gym, bistro and 58 guest rooms.

Experts said it “added a slick 21st-century vibe that marries well with the castle’s quiet, country-house grandeur.”

BEST SPA WINNERS AT A GLANCE

HERE is a round up of the winners in this year’s The Times and Sunday Times 50 Best UK Spas.

• Overall winner and southeast England spa of the year – Lime Wood Hotel, Hampshire
• Central England spa of the year – Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire 
• Northern Ireland spa of the year – Galgorm, Co Antrim
• London spa of the year – Raffles London at the OWO
• Northwest England spa of the year – Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool 
• Scotland spa of the year – Old Course Hotel, Fife 
• North and northeast England spa of the year – Middleton Lodge Estate, North Yorkshire
• East England spa of the year – The Norfolk Mead, Norfolk
• Wales spa of the year – The Dreaming Retreat, Powys 
• Southwest England spa of the year – Yeotown, Devon

The spa at Cameron House at Loch Lomond, West Dunbartonshire, was also mentioned on the list.

Experts said: “It’s all about the outdoors at this gorgeous gabled and turreted lakeside hotel, surrounded by oak forest; rooms (including the spa) look out over the loch.”

They added: “This is a Scottish retreat almost to the point of parody — expect bagpipers at the entrance, staff decked out in Johnstons of Elgin tartan, dark wooden decor with checked carpets and Highland Games experiences.

“As a result it is loved by Americans and big tour groups, who are ferried about in the hotel’s fleet of Audis.”

The last Scottish spa to make the top 50 list is located at Archerfield House in East Lothian.

It was praised for being a “playful, bursting-with-colour spa that really shines in this 550-acre coastal estate near North Berwick”.