St. Andrews

Celebrate National Tartan Day By Booking A Golf Getaway

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Today is National Tartan Day, the day to celebrate Americans of Scottish descent. Over 11 million Americans claim Scottish and Scotch-Irish roots making them the eighth largest ethnic group in the United States. These people and accomplishments that are honored on National Tartan Day, April 6th.

Should the homeland be calling you you can join the action at St. Andrews, Scotland for the 150th British Open from July 11-19. Tour operator PerryGolf is offering British Open packages that offer ways of exploring Scotland both on and off the fairways. Scotland is the home of golf and has over 550 golf courses to explore from iconic courses of St Andrews and the coastal links of Aberdeenshire (where Donald Trump is setting up shop) to the challenging fairways of Dalmahoy and Gleneagles. Click through after the jump for details on specific packages.

Tags: british open, golf, national tartan day, perry golf, scotland, St. Andrews

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The new Scottish Re-Formation: Hamilton Hall, St. Andrews and Herbert Kohler

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: By Design

Religious pilgrims were the first to come to St. Andrews in the 10th century, to view to relics of St. Andrew himself, St. Peter's brother. In more recent times, golfing pilgrims have consistently flocked to St. Andrews to pay homage and play on a stretch of weather-beaten land on the edge of the North Sea, where the game was invented over 600 years ago. When contemporary pilgrims set off down the first fairway of the Old Course into the prevailing wind, and it is always prevailing, they walk headlong into history. There is no place like it. It is no wonder then, that over the years many hotel developers have seen the most lucrative of possibilities here, not knowing that the town of St. Andrews also plays a huge part in the history and formidability of any project's success.

St. Andrews is a small Scottish town, that stresses the Scottish traits of humility, distrust of pretense and artifice, and frugality. The hallowed St. Andrews course is an unadorned links course that lies on public ground, where golf is forbidden on Sundays so families can picnic, or just walk on the fairways. Community is crucial, and as it is in any small town, outsiders ususally have to prove themselves.

Imagine, then, in 2006 ,what the local people thought and felt when they discovered the fate of one of their historic landmarks -- Hamilton Hall, a building on the 18th hole of the St. Andrews course. This building was, for over 60 years a University of St. Andrews dormitory, and prior to that a Royal Scottish Army living quarters, and prior to that, the iconic Grand Hotel, opened in 1895. It was discovered that Wasserman Real Estate Capital, based in Providence, R.I., had purchased the building, and was planning on major renovations, so they could sell fractionalized residences for between $1.3 and $3.3Million per fraction, in a project called the St. Andrews Grand.

Tags: Golf, Hamilton Hall, Herb Kohler, History of St. Andrews, Kohler Company, KohlerCompany, Old Course Hotel, St. Andrews, St.Andrews, The American Club, TheAmericanClub

Continue reading “The new Scottish Re-Formation: Hamilton Hall, St. Andrews and Herbert Kohler”

Epicurean Golf Tours by PerryGolf

by Paul Rogers (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

It's hard to imagine a more enticing golf vacation than one that includes rounds on world-class courses, but add singular epicurean adventures to the mix and you've fully entered the realm of fantasy. The established tour operator PerryGolf has drawn up a dozen such itineraries for 2009. Each combines visits to unforgettable courses like New Zealand's Cape Kidnappers (above) with indulgences such as cooking classes and private, chef-prepared meals in gastronomic capitals around the globe. The destinations range from Provence to Tuscany to the wine lands of Australia and New Zealand.

Here's a small taste of what's on offer. You can cruise the Rhône on Le Phenicien, an 18-passenger luxury barge, stopping at the Seve Ballesteros–designed Pont Royal Golf Club, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery and the cheese-making village of Epoisses. Or you can fly to Edinburgh and play such classic links as Carnoustie and the Old Course at St. Andrews and dine at Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, the only restaurant in Scotland to have earned two Michelin stars. For more information, visit perrygolf.com.

Gallery: Epicurean Golf Tours by PerryGolf

Tags: Australia, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, golf, New Zealand, PerryGolf, Provence, Scotland, St. Andrews, Tuscany

The Ultimate $500,000 Scottish Sojourn

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Sports

The other day my colleague Deidre Woollard reported on Chivas Regal's luxurious Father's Day travel package, which costs $117,000. If you prefer single malt Scotch and you're looking for something a little more over-the-top - and you have $500,000 to spend on dear old dad - Scotland's preeminent luxury travel agency Dream Escape has partnered with Classic Malts Selection, the prestigious portfolio of single malts, to create the Ultimate Scotland Experience.

The six-day journey for five guests begins with a private jet trip to the exclusive Myres Castle in Fife, followed by a lavish dinner featuring select single malt whiskies from the Classic Malts Selection, like Talisker, Oban, Cragganmore and Dalwhinnie. Day two kicks off with golf at the famed St. Andrews. Day three includes a helicopter ride to Islay, home of our favorite smoky single malts. Day four features a trip to the Isle of Skye. Day five finds you at the magnificent Corrour Lodge nestled in the Scottish Highlands. Day six kicks off with a drive through the dramatic landscape in your choice of a Ferrari, Aston Martin or Lamborghini (as pictured above).

The festivities culminate in the ultimate food and whisky pairing dinner prepared by three of the country's best chefs. Then it's back home via private jet. Contact Dream Escape's David Tobin at ultimatescotland@dreamescape.co.uk for booking info.

Gallery: Ultimate Scotland Trip