Rufflets House itself was built in 1924 as a private home for Mrs Anne Brydon Gilroy, the widow of a prominent Dundee jute baron, and was designed by Dundee architect Donald Mills.

Local records going back as far as 1642 indicate that the land was owned by the Priory of St Andrews as part of the Priory Acres and it was known as the "Ruch (pronounced "ruff") Flets", which in the Scots tongue, means "rough, flat lands".

[1] The house was bought by George and Margaret Cook and Anna & James Meldrum in 1952 and turned into one of the UK's first country house hotels.

The hotel has 10 acres (40,000 m2) of grounds and is located 1-mile (1.6 km) from the centre of St Andrews, along the B939 road.

Rufflets holds many awards including: In August 2006 the hotel's restaurant received press coverage with the launch of cosmeceutical enhanced menu which the restaurant claims contains "ingredients known for their anti-aging properties to help diners to have longer, more youthful lives".