Balcomie Links Hotel

We stayed at the Balcomie Links Hotel last weekend and it did not disappoint. Scott was the host with the most and could not do enough for us. Breakfast was very well organised and our hot food was served very quickly after ordering. The Scottish breakfast was large, hot and very tasty, and definitely not for the faint hearted. For dinner we both had fish and chips with lovely crispy batter and again was served very quickly. The only downside in my opinion was the sparse furnishings in the room with no drawers or comfy chair. But overall a very pleasant stay.

Myself and my wife were attending a Wedding at the nearby 'Cowshed', we stayed at this hotel from the Friday through to the Sunday. I will begin by saying this is a very competetively priced hotel - Food & Drink very reasonable. The food being of a very high standard - proper chef cooking the food and you know it. The Breakfasts are outstanding and you can basically eat as much as you want - whether from the Continental Buffet to the mighty Scottish Full Breakfast! Our room was spacious and very clean and the Bed/pillows were very comfortable. The Wifi is also very good! The Manager 'Scott' really made our stay special - this guy just bent over backwards to help with any of our requests - and he was super attentive with all the guests. Overall if your staying in the lovely quaint Crail then I would urge you to book here - you won't be dissappointed.

This hotel was suggested to us as we attending a wedding . Firstly Scott the manager is fantastic and tries to do everything to help but there are some things he can’t help with . The hotel needs a facelift . The rooms are okay but they could do with some more furniture as there is only one chair to sit on so if you are traveling with another person there is nowhere to sit . Also there are now drawers to put clothes . This also goes for the hotel when the bar is shut there is nowhere for guests to sit no lounge so this is very restrictive . An area needs to be set aside for guests during the day . The plastic flowers need to go they look cheap and nasty so does the worn Astro turf in the front of the hotel . The grounds need to be cleared . This could be a great little place if these small things could be dealt with .

I stayed here for the first time for two nights last weekend. I stay in a lot of hotels - so far in 2025 it’s 147 nights so this review is written against that backdrop. The kerb appeal made me nervous on arrival with a building that badly needs renovating, hundreds of plastic flowers, astroturfing and a garden that’s a mess. Scott, the new manager, was incredibly hardworking and couldn’t do enough to help. However, the owner’s need to do an awful lot to bring this establishment up to the standard of even an economy brand like Premier Inn or Holiday Inn Express. Balconie feels very confused in terms of brand. It’s a hotel and yet feels like a B&B with a sports bar for locals. There’s no lift and no accessible rooms. The evening food was average pub food. The bar / restaurant area is closed between breakfast and lunch and given there was no comfortable seating in my room there was literally nowhere to sit, other than the bed. It needs armchairs. The bedroom was a sea view one but the view was of the bungalows opposite. It wasn’t unpleasant but the sea was a long way away! The room was spartan with nowhere comfortable to sit and no proper wardrobe or drawers. On arrival, I wondered why the towels were on the bed (there’s nothing more irritating according to the ‘Hotel Inspector’) but it was because there’s no towel rail in the bathroom! Crazy. There’s an expectation that towels aren’t changed everyday but that’s only possible with a heated towel rail. Then there’s the loo brush touched by goodness knows how many people without being sanitized, I imagine. There’s a reason why hospitals and chain hotels don’t have them! Then there’s breakfast. The times are very restrictive but a greater issue is the horrid cheap juices and lack of fruit salad or grapefruit or stewed prunes. The cheap preserves were a real disappointment in an area where there must be tons of suppliers of homemade products or local honey. Even chains like Hampton Hilton (with much cheaper nightly rates) bake their own bread daily. I could go on…. Right now, I don’t recommend this hotel and wouldn’t return.

We booked an evening meal for both of us last Sunday.The service was very good & the prices reasonable. I ordered Balmoral chicken which was well cooked and tasty and included freshly cooked broccolli. However the gravy was very salty & made me very thirsty all night! My husband ordered the steak pie which came with a puff pastry lid. Again it was tasty but over-salted.

This is a lovely hotel. The staff were exceptionally helpful and friendly. Our room was spacious with a lovely bay window looking out towards the sea. Breakfast was fab. Would recommend