Maxine Gordon discovers a corner of Scotland that has got relaxation off to a tee.

NO photograph could do justice to the view from our hotel room in St Andrews.

The windows opened on to a narrow balcony affording a 180-degree vista over the Old Course - arguably the most famous square mile of mown grass in the world - the gentle dunes of the West Sands and the rugged coastline of Fife.

To our right was the iconic profile of the Old Course's Swilken Bridge, which has carried every great golfer who has ever lived, and the historic university town of St Andrews, alma mater of Prince William.

The Open is held here every five years and when the golf tournament comes to town, Tiger and co take over the Old Course Hotel, making it their home from home.

The five-star hotel is rated as one of the top five in the UK, but prides itself on offering a relaxed sort of luxury. Service is with a smile rather than being sycophantic and guests are encouraged to slow down and savour all that the hotel and its unrivalled setting has to offer.

A good place to start is in the fourth-floor Road Hole Bar which, with its wooden interior, leather sofas and wall of windows overlooking the Old Course, is the perfect spot to have a pre-dinner drink. Alternatively, with the addition of some gentle tea-light candles, it's a hell of a place for a nightcap. It boasts some 200 malts - one from every distillery in Scotland. But we warned: check the price list first. While most are priced at £8 for 50ml, some of the rarer ones cost up to £220 a nip.

The hotel has three eateries: the Road Hole Grill (with three AA Rosettes), perfect for a la carte dining; Sands Restaurant, a less formal brasserie with an emphasis on seafood, and the Jigger Inn, a pub with hearty food served by an open fire.

If that isn't enough, St Andrews town is a short ten-minute stroll away and boasts an impressive range of options, with something for all palates and purses, including more than a dozen dining spots with two or three AA rosettes.

Despite spending a weekend at the 'Home of Golf', as the town likes to call itself, we had other leisure pursuits in mind.

The hotel had just opened a new spa, and we were keen to try it out. While my husband, Nick, made straight for the yacht-sized Jacuzzi, I unwound with a hot-stone massage in one of the treatment rooms.

The treatment was 60 minutes of heaven as my masseuse spread warm oil all over my back, then rolled the heated stone over my skin to iron out the knots. Then I joined Nick in the spa, working my way methodically between the jet pool, sauna, steam room and ice plunge.

Feeling totally revived, and ravenous (there's nothing like doing nothing to work up a hunger), we popped into the Jigger Inn for a late lunch and enjoyed a sandwich and a pint (although Nick didn't enjoy the £26 bill).

A five-star stay at the Old Course Hotel doesn't come cheap, but with short-break offers available it is affordable, particularly if you are looking for somewhere to go to mark a special occasion. A 'Breakaway To The Resort' weekend costs £210 per person and includes a two-night stay, breakfast each morning, dinner for one evening in the restaurant of your choice and free use of the spa and leisure facilities.

From June, a roof-top, eight-seater hot-tub will be open and the spa complex boasts a swimming pool and gymnasium too.

The hotel has its own beautiful course, the Dukes, and, as you would expect, short breaks can be arranged around playing golf too.

The town itself has many pleasures and is a browsers' paradise. The cobbled streets, lined with stone houses, bristle with independent shops, cafes and pubs, plus those restaurants.

History buffs will love to wander in the ruins of St Andrews cathedral which, when built in the 12th and 13th centuries, was the largest building in Scotland.

No visitor should leave without having a leisurely walk on the golden West Sands, where scenes from Chariots Of Fire were filmed.

Sitting proudly on the north east coast of Fife, St Andrews feels like another world. However, it's easily reachable by car or train. The nearest station is four miles away at Leuchars, which is linked to the town by a good bus and taxi service, and a stop on GNER's service from York to Aberdeen.

Alternatively, St Andrews is a five-hour drive from York. Edinburgh sits 60 minutes due south and Glasgow 90 minutes to the west.

During our visit, we called at the picturesque village of Falkland and visited Falkland Palace, holiday home to the Tudors and the site of Britain's first tennis court. Inside was a reconstruction of Mary Queen of Scots' bedroom, complete with a cast of her head (taken after her death) mounted on the wall above her head.

For scenery, good food, and fantastic hospitality, a visit to Scotland is a must and a stay at the Old Course Hotel a luxury worth indulging.

Fact file

For more information about the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, Golf Resort & Spa, or to make a reservation, telephone 01334 474371 or visit www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk

Updated: 16:42 Friday, May 12, 2006