A Fife hotel raided by Customs and Excise officials has gone on the market for £550,000.
The Crusoe Hotel, which has links to the “real life” Robinson Crusoe, was formally placed in administration last week and is now being marketed by Christie & Co.
Former owners Andrew and Lesley Dykes are to stand trial next month, four years after the 2016 raid, accused of a £740,000 tax fraud.
They deny the charge against them, which relates to The Crusoe, in Lower Largo, and another of their former hotels, Dunnikier House – now known as Oswald House – in Kirkcaldy.
The trial by jury is expected to last seven days.
The 16-room Crusoe has a stunning quayside location but closed some time ago and is said to be in need of extensive renovation.
It has two public bars, an upper-floor restaurant overlooking the Firth of Forth and a lounge, along with a car park with 18 spaces. All fixtures and fittings are included in the sale.
The popular East Neuk destination, bought by the Dykes in 2003, previously went on the market in 2018 for £900,000.
Christie & Co director Stuart Drysdale said there had already been a lot of interest in the property.
“The Crusoe Hotel is a long-established small hotel which enjoys a prominent position in the village with extensive coast and sea views.
“Significant interest has been registered already and we expect this to continue. We aim to be setting a closing date for offers in mid-October.”
The hotel is home to a footprint supposedly left by Alexander Selkirk, the man said to have inspired author Daniel Defoe to write the classic tale of Robinson Crusoe.
Many former residents have been attracted by the story of Selkirk, who spent four years marooned on an uninhabited island off South America in the early 1700s.
The Robinson Crusoe theme is echoed throughout the rooms which include information boards about Selkirk, who also has a statue dedicated to him nearby in the village.
