East Neuk of Fife - live there, stayed there? Tell me where's nice.

[Jbck]

Can anyone recommend self-catering accommodation for 5 (plus 15mth old)? I've found loads of places that look nice on various websites but nothing beats a personal view. I fancy Elie or in/close to St Andrews, altho' I'm open to suggestions. We're looking for a short break start of September & a budget of around £350/£500. Would maybe pay a bit more if it was extra special. Ideally within walking distance of nice eateries/pubs & somewhere for DD whose 5 & LO to play. I will be around 32 weeks pg too so nowhere too hilly, unless I want to bring it on a bit early.
TIA

[Swizzler]

Anstruther is lovely and has a good chip shop. Anyhere along the coast - St Monans, Pittenweem. St Andrews also good (I'm biased) but might be more expensive.

[Blandmum]

ansterther also has fabbo fish resturant (dead posh, get a baby sitter, not cheap but *great)

St A's os a great place to raise kids. There is (or was ) a fabbo M and T group in the Baptist church in South st

Fisher and Donaldson for cakies! {swoon]

Janetta's for ice cream and the beaches to play on. Good schools too.

Dead Spent many happy years in St As

[Swizzler]

F&D fudge doughnuts -mmm

[alipiggie]

Wonderful, wonderful area. This is a fantastic self-catering place with a playground and in the countryside and it's flat don't worry. morton of pitmilly . St Andrews if fabulous to visit there's a Sealife centre to visit and wonderful beaches if the weather's good. Anstruther (pronounced Enster) has the best fish and chips ever and there's a great little bistro along the front too. Crail has various different places as well. Kingsbarn just down the road from Morton has a lovely pub that serves food. Elie is a lovely place too.

I used this company too East Fife Letting and they were great, fabulous house in Crail, big enough for you Sunnyside. So can highly recommend them. Have a wonderful time.

[Blandmum]

Swizzler, there world is divided into two groups of people. the blessed ones who have tasted the divine Fudgie and the sad masses who have not!

And saddest of all they fail to understand that a Fudgie isn't just a fudge doughnut!

[Swizzler]

I once tried another brand of fudge doughnut but it wasn't the same

[seeker]

I was at university at St Andrews many moons ago - the fudge donuts are wonderful. There was also a brilliant ice cream place called Janettas.

can't believe the sealife cantre - that's a bit racy for St As isn't it? Where is it?

[Blandmum]

North St, just down from the Martyrs memorial, onto the sea.

[seeker]

Do you remember Joe"s Chippy?

[Blandmum]

Was that the one on market street?

I used to work in the Uni, many moons ago. [sigh]

[ceolas]

I worked in St Andrews too a few years back. Love it

Crail is nice too. We have stayed in a few of these cottages and can recommend. Not the lap of luxury, but cloean, comfortable and should come in around budget.

[Tamum]

A friend of mine lives in Elie and has several properties she rents out. She has very good taste so I'm sure they're nice. She said that pretty much all rental properties in Elie are done through the same agent, but I can't remember the name I'm afraid.

[ceolas]

The whole area is lovely, tbh. Can't imagine you'll go far wrong.

[seeker]

Yes,the the Market Street purveyor of the deep fried Mars Bar! Sadly now departed. I did live practically next door to the Kinness Fish bar for a while.

I understand that a lot of my favourite places are gone. Pepitas, the Britannia with the tartan carpet, the Cross Keys.......I'm feeling all nostalgic!

[seeker]

Actually, Martianbishop, it can't be as many moons ago as I was there. I have realized over the last few months that I am definitely the oldest poster on here!

[ceolas]

Macgregors still going strong though. Lovely place for a coffee

[Blandmum]

I'm 44 seeker! Will join you in the old farts corner

[Blandmum]

Dolls House is fabbo for coffe and the kids can run round while you sit outside by the Library

[seeker]

"I'm older than you! I'm older than you!"

[Jbck]

Thanks everyone, I've stayed in loads of places in the area but as a child or a carefree childless couple so generally caravans when I was wee or hotels/B&Bs with friends or DH. The Morton of Pitmilly place looks lovely but a wee bit out of the way, a lot of the East Fife properties are gorgeous & probably more what we're looking for.
I am, however, not familiar with a fudgie (obviously deprived), enlighten me please? Take it it's Fisher & Donaldson, their marzipan fruits were always something special, between them & Janetta's cones we'll come back the size of houses.

[Skribble]

Crail is lovely, but I am biased. It is a bit OAP though but great for little ones who just want to see boats and go to the beach.

Anstruther is a bit more holiday town and don't worry about going to posh restaurants the chippys are great too, the freshest fish suppers you can get.

St Andrews is a bigger busier town, its a university town. Duh I suppose that is obvious .

Elie and other places really are nice too.

If you do go to Crail I will give you directions to the best beach, the main one isn't the best now. We stayed there a few years ago in a very nice self catering house, but not sure if you would fancy it as it had no garden for the little ones. We missed that at night as we would have liked to have sat out. But we did have a fantastic BBQ down on the beach for about 15 of the family that arrived.

[Sunyshineymummy]

Stayed in Elie and Anstruther and both lovely. Anstruther has best chippy ever (have the smoked haddock fishcakes, I still dream about these) and Elie has a lovely pub (where they play cricket on the beach) great food and accommodation. Also, a bit further North but St Andrews is gorgeous.

[Sunyshineymummy]

BTW we will be there August BH weekend if you're around (DP plays cricket there every year).

[Swizzler]

Fudgie = lovely fudge doughnut from F&D.
I used to live opposite the chip shop on market street

Agree that all the best places for tea are gone - Brambles, Ma Browns... and there's a juice bar on South Street . See what happens when you let the royals in?

[saltire]

I can only echo what MB and others (sorry can't remember all) who said that Fudge Dougnuts from Fisher and Donaldson are the best. Did I mention I had one at the wekend, AND an ice cream! The sea life centre is ok, but I would advise you to what I did when I took the DSes once on my own, We joijned a birthday groupe there, as it is a bit expensive. The beaches are great.
For food, The Doll's House, The Grill House (all owned by the same people, also they won the Glass House), and Victoria Cafe is good, all child friendly.
The downside is the huge amounts of tourists, it does get pretty busy, then when they go the students come back. of course I just lower the tone of the place