Jane
Lasky
on
Elements
of Travel
Illustration: Paul
Jackson
A HIGHLAND FLING AT ST. ANDREWS
By Jane Lasky
May 24, 2008 -- I suppose there's something sacrosanct about not
swinging a club when you visit St. Andrews, the pride of Scotland.
At least that's what most golfers say when they learn I had recently
been to the birthplace of their favorite pastime. In my defense,
I don't even qualify as a duffer, so to me it would have been tremendously
irreverent to try and chase a little white ball around those hallowed
grounds.
What I did qualify for was to soak up the splendor of these environs
by checking into the Old Course Hotel, Golf Course & Spa, a
member of the prestigious Connoisseurs Scotland. There, I was assigned
a delightful room with a bird's-eye view of the 17th hole. So, in
a way, I automatically became a golf participant without embarrassing
myself (or anyone else, for that matter). No dirty divots from me.
Instead, I stood on my balcony, catching sight of the Fife coastline
and, closer in, the landmark Swilkin Bridge, an ancient stone span
previously traversed by golf greats, from Harry Vardon and Bobby
Jones to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. That day and as is tradition,
some less-identifiable players were stopped there, snapping photos
of each other to prove they had completed a round at St. Andrews.
What bucks tradition at St. Andrews in The Old Course property is
the dramatic suite over which most hotel enthusiasts who relish
contemporary luxury would most definitely swoon. While much of the
five-star resort suggests a castle-like experience both inside and
out, the newly resuscitated accommodations do not. Instead, Wisconsin-based
Kohler Company (of top-flight kitchen and bath fixtures fame), the
current owners of this legendary place, have brought their guest
digs into the 21st century with mega-modern infusions such as chromatherapy
tubs and handsome, one-of-a-kind, above-board ceramic basins.
The reinvented bedrooms are none too shabby either. Red-and-white
stripes spiff up wallpaper, privacy curtains and chair upholstery
while magnificent sleigh beds promise a good night's sleep.
So does a trip to the Kohler Spa, a sanctuary of treatments and
regimes based on the theory of thassalotherapy, or, in lay(wo)man's
terms, the therapeutic benefits of water. Nowhere is this more evident
than in the overflowing infinity bath, the open-air pole showers
and the mesmerizing waterfall known as RiverBath.
Treatments run the gamut, up to and including the Kohler's signature
Highland Fling. During this extensive spa experience, takers are
covered in finely ground, mint-scented coffee and then drenched
by spine-tingling Vichy showers that traverse the entire body to
exfoliate and rejuvenate.
As I enjoyed the spa and so much more about The Old Course (particularly
The Conservatory for high tea and the convivial Jigger Inn pub for
a Scotch and some laughs), I fought the urge to partake of the sport
du jour at St. Andrews. Indeed, the entire time I was there I couldn't
stop thinking about golf, so to cure this insanity, I gave in and
made an appointment with the PGA pro.
With that admission I must add that instead of hitting the links,
we hit the Duke's Course Clubhouse restaurant for a change of pace
and some lighthearted chatter (not all of it in golf speak) while
I devoured perhaps the best fish and chips I have ever eaten. In
the end, I experienced the ideal lesson this hacker girl could ever
fathom, so rewarding that I would jump at the chance for a similar
scenario the next time I steal myself away to Scotland. (This
column is Copyright © 2008 by Jane Lasky)
For further information, go to http://oldcoursehotel.kohler.com.
ABOUT JANE LASKY Jane Lasky is a Los Angeles-based
transplanted New Yorker who has journalistically covered the world
for the past three decades in newspapers, in magazines, in books,
in newsletters, on Internet sites, on television, and on the radio.
She wrote the bi-annual Business Travel News and Advice column for
Esquire magazine from 1984 to 1988, and since then has authored
the syndicated Business Travel Report column which appears in some
30 newspapers. She has been host of Trips & Tips on the Travel
Channel and appears regularly as a travel expert on the lecture
circuit and on television, the most memorable of which was when
she swapped tipping tips with Oprah in 1994. From 1996 to 2003,
she has explored cultural etiquette and has offered travel tips
on AOL's international channel sponsored by American Express. Jane
always travels with her pillow, she succumbs to jet lag only when
she has to, and she is definitely NOT the accidental tourist!
contact Jane: Jane
Lasky
