Picture it: you’ve walked back along the sands, the light’s going pink over the fields, and the lid comes off a tub that’s been warming up all afternoon. That’s the appeal of St Andrews lodges with hot tubs. You get the golf, the beaches and the historic university streets by day, then a peaceful patch of countryside to yourself by night.
Here’s the catch. Hardly any of the accommodation is in St Andrews itself.
The luxury lodges sit on farms and small estates a mile or two out, along the East Neuk coast and inland towards Falkland. We’ve picked six real ones below, from a retreat for two to a lodge big enough for a golf group of 12, with who each suits, how far each is from the Old Course and what you can do from the door.
Lodges with hot tubs near St Andrews: six we’d book
All six come with a private outdoor hot tub, and every one welcomes pets. Distances are as the crow flies unless the listing says otherwise.
2-Bedroom Hot Tub Lodge with Log Burner in St. Andrews
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 4 | Bedrooms 2 | Bathrooms 2
Why you’ll love it:
The closest lodge on this page, just 1.5 miles from town, looking out over open fields. The coastal path is moments from the door and leads down to the sandy beaches, where you might spot seals basking on the rocks. It suits two couples or a small family, and the log burner takes over when the private hot tub lid goes back on. Booked up? The same spot has a sister lodge for dog owners and another with the same layout, both rated 4.9.
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2-Bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub in St. Andrews
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 4 | Bedrooms 2 | Bathrooms 2
Why you’ll love it:
Set on a luxury lodge resort about 5 miles out, with more than 150 acres of landscaped grounds outside. Woodland walks lead down to Cameron Loch and beyond, which is handy if the dog needs a morning stretch before you head for the first tee. It sleeps four. Its listing points out the area’s 50 or so courses, plus castles and little coastal villages for anyone who’d rather not play.
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2-Bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub in Anstruther
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 4 | Bedrooms 2 | Bathrooms 2
Why you’ll love it:
A perfect 5.0 from guests, and it’s easy to see why. The lodge sits on a 300-acre working arable farm in the East Neuk, with coastal and countryside views over the Firth of Forth. The harbour and the Scottish Fisheries Museum are a short drive away, and so is the boat to the Isle of May. Cycle routes pass the end of the road. Its twin lodge on the same farm also scores 5.0 and also takes pets.
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6-Bedroom Hot Tub Lodge in Leuchars
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 12 | Bedrooms 6 | Bathrooms 6
Why you’ll love it:
This is the one for a golf trip. Six bathrooms means 12 people and no queue for the shower before an early tee time. Drumoig, St Michaels, Scotscraig, the St Andrews links and Carnoustie are all within 19 miles, according to the listing. It sits roughly halfway between St Andrews and Dundee, with Tentsmuir Nature Reserve and Kinshaldy Beach close by for a long walk.
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5-Bedroom Hot Tub House in Pittenweem
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 10 | Bedrooms 5 | Bathrooms 3
Why you’ll love it:
Not a lodge, strictly, but too good to leave off for a big family. It’s on a 400-acre working farm within a mile of the old fishing village of Pittenweem, with beaches, harbours and friendly inns close by. St Andrews is about 10 miles away. There’s room for ten, an open fire, and Kellie Castle and Kingsbarns Distillery are both on the listing’s list of days out.
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1-Bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub in Strathmiglo
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 2 | Bedrooms 1 | Bathrooms 1
Why you’ll love it:
Made for couples. This secluded retreat for two is perched high on Beins Law, with trails heading off towards Pitmedden Forest. Falkland is close by for the palace, its estate, the Outlander filming spots and the paths of Maspie Den, and Loch Leven is a short drive for a waterside walk and a boat trip to the castle. St Andrews is about 22 miles, so this is a lodge-first break with the town as a day out. It’s new, so there are no reviews yet.
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How the six compare at a glance
| Lodge | Sleeps | Rating | Miles away | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log burner lodge, town edge | 4 | 4.9 | 1.5 | Golf and the beach |
| Resort lodge by Cameron Loch | 4 | 4.8 | 4 to 5 | Woodland walks |
| Farm lodge, East Neuk | 4 | 5.0 | 6.2 | Couples, harbour days |
| Big lodge, Leuchars | 12 | 4.9 | 8 | Golf groups |
| Farmhouse, Pittenweem | 10 | 4.9 | 10 | Big families |
| Hillside lodge, Strathmiglo | 2 | New | 22 | A quiet break for two |
Town edge, East Neuk or inland: where should you base yourself?
Where you stay changes the whole feel of the holiday. Golfers usually want to be close to the links, while anyone who’d rather eat fish and chips on a harbour wall should head south down the coast.
- The town edge. Quickest for tee times, the cathedral and the West Sands. You can be parked up in ten minutes, and the coastal path runs close by.
- The East Neuk. Anstruther, Pittenweem, Crail and Elie are a string of old fishing villages with harbours, sea views across the Firth of Forth and the boat out to the Isle of May.
- North towards the Tay. Leuchars has the railway station, with Tentsmuir forest and beach on the doorstep and Dundee a short drive away.
- Inland. Quieter and hillier, with Falkland Palace and Loch Leven close by. Best if the lodge is the point of the holiday and St Andrews is a day out.
Not sure this corner’s right at all? Our hot tub cottages in Fife page lists all our hot tub accommodation in the county, and the Angus hot tub cottages are just over the Tay if you’re thinking of Carnoustie too.
Are St Andrews lodges with hot tubs dog friendly?
Yes, every lodge on this page takes pets, which isn’t true of all the big parks nearby. Some of the lodge resorts don’t allow them at all, so check before you fall for a photo.
The beaches need a little planning. On the West Sands, dogs are restricted from 1 May to 30 September on the stretch nearest the town, but they’re allowed on the rest of the beach and the dunes all year. Head for the far end and there’s room for a proper run.
Tentsmuir is the other big one. It’s a pine forest planted on the dunes north of Leuchars, and more than 2,000 common and grey seals haul out at Tentsmuir Point. Park at Kinshaldy, where there’s a suggested parking payment from £2, then walk about a mile and a half north along the shore. Keep yours on a lead near the seals.
Want a garden they can’t wander out of? Our guide to dog friendly lodges with a hot tub and enclosed garden is worth a look.
What can you do from a hot tub lodge in Fife?
Play the Old Course (or try to)
The Old Course is a public course, which still surprises people. Tee times go through a daily ballot, drawn two days before the day you want to play, and it closes at 2pm. You need at least two players and no more than four. It’s shut on Sundays, so there’s no ballot on Fridays. There are another six golf courses at the links if your name doesn’t come up.
Walk a stretch of the Fife Coastal Path
The whole path is 117 miles, from Kincardine on the Forth to Newburgh on the Tay. You don’t need to do all of it. Crail to St Andrews is 13.3 miles of cliffs, coves and caves, and Elie to Crail adds another 11, so a lodge in the East Neuk lets you walk one way and catch a bus back.
Sail to the Isle of May
From Anstruther harbour, the May Princess sails out to the island almost every day from 1 April to 30 September. The full trip takes four and a half to five hours, with two and a half to three hours ashore. Puffins are there from April to mid August, and the island can hold up to 90,000 of them. It’s popular, so book ahead!
Rainy day ideas
The Scottish Fisheries Museum on the harbour front is a good wet afternoon, and so is the V&A in Dundee. Closer to home, the cathedral ruins and the castle both sit by the sea, and there are plenty of restaurants on Market Street and South Street for a night off from your own kitchen.
When should you book a St Andrews hot tub lodge?
Summer weekends go first, and so does graduation week at the university. Then there’s the big one. The Open returns to the Old Course from 15 to 18 July 2027, with practice days from 12 July, and lodges for a long way around will be taken well before then. Planning a trip that July? Book as early as you can, or pick another month.
Spring and autumn are lovely here. The courses are quieter, the beaches are emptier and the view from a hot tub is far better on a cold, clear night than in August.
Getting there without a car is easy too. Leuchars station is about 5 miles from St Andrews, with buses taking around 15 to 20 minutes, and trains run from Edinburgh.
Ready for a few nights by the sea?
There’s a lot to like about a hot tub lodge in this corner of Scotland. Pick the town edge for golf, the East Neuk for harbours and sea air, or Leuchars if there are 12 of you, and there’ll be a luxury lodge and a private tub waiting at the end of every day. To look further afield, browse our hot tub cottages in Scotland, try the Perthshire hot tub cottages an hour inland, or start from the home of hot tub cottage breaks and see what’s free for your dates.
