Golf Holiday Breaks France - France Golf Holidays Comparisons and Reviews

Hotel Accommodation In France

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North of France

Being a UK-based golfer I get a real sense of occasion when I go to play golf in northern France.Not only is there an feeling of excitement at crossing the Channel and arriving "on the Continent" but I am also aware on arriving at Calais or the Eurotunnel terminal, that I am maintaining a great tradition of British golfers enjoying the courses of the Cote d'Opale. Regular flights don't exist now but the 36 holes at Le Touquet are still worth visiting. The famous La Mer course is reminiscent of a Scottish links, while the La Forêt course is beautifully set amongst a huge pine tree forest. To make your visit perfect, stay at Le Manoir Hôtel, overlooking the fairways. It is blissfully secluded, and deservedly enjoys its reputation for the excellence of its restaurant and cuisine.The other big favourite of mine is Hardelot, has two first class golf courses, a sailing club, and everything from horse-riding, windsurfing to sand-yachting.The golf is reminiscent of Woburn, but, in my opinion, better. Les Pins Course, built in 1905, is an example of the classical era of British golf architecture while Les Dunes was opened in 1991 and rolls over a varied landscape. Both courses are a superb test and the clubhouse offers fantastic views as well as great food, as you'd expect in France.Along the coast Belle Dune is another great course that mustn't be missed while inland St Omer is also good value, even if the course itself not quite up to the standards set by the former.The main drawback of playing golf here is the proliferation of mainly Continental golfers who do not observe the usual golfing etiquette (like letting you play through after they've taken half an hour to play a par-3!). However, the quality and accessibility of these venues makes the effort worth it - if you time your journey right, none is more than four hours' drive from London

North of France

The only truly persuasive reasons for crossing the channel when compared with a trip, say to Scotland or Ireland, do not have much to do with the challenge or out-and-out quality of the courses in France. By this we do not mean that French courses are poor - in fact the standard of upkeep at the average course in Northern France during the Summer months is good - but true course connoisseurs would probably be disappointed unless at the very best courses in the North - such as Hardelot, Le Touquet or Chantilly.Many of the other courses were constructed in a European Union project to convert excess farmland in the 1980s and 1990s. Whilst the majority of these courses are perfectly adequate for holiday golf, they are not exactly spectacular. Look in their car parks however, and you will find almost as many British cars as French. There must be another reason to go…?

South-west France

As we head to the south of this wonderful country, the fly-drive option, with convenient daily flights from London, is very tempting and especially for any group of four or more. The airport at Bordeaux is smart and small enough to offer a fast-track through customs and passport control and with one course Pessac, lying just beyond the flight path, you can literally be on the tee an hour after landing.The Burdigala and the Mercure Chateau Chartrons, transformed from a wine warehouse, are both attractive hotels in Bordeaux. To the west is the course at Lacanau, marked by its huge dune-bunkers and impressive pine trees. To the south and close to the fabulous beaches at Arcechon is Gujan-Mestras, a big course with lots of sensibly-placed water. And north are the two courses at Medoc, each hole named after a famous claret produced nearby.

French Riviera

Among the three hundred or more new courses built in France, many of the finest can be found in the South of France, from St Cyprien below the Pyrenees and close to the Spanish border, and on to Monte Carlo, along the coastline and retreating into the mountains. Again, our fly-drive is a favourite option, either to Nice or Marseilles.Cannes has 4* sister-hotels, the Majestic and Gray d'Albion, and a wide choice of courses surrounding the town - Saint-Donat, Cannes-Mougins and Royal-Mougins - and beyond there is Monte Carlo, a thousand feet high with its remarkable and distracting views. Grasse is similar, and to the west is Saint-Endreol, a course and a range of luxury self-catering appartments, fast acquiring a well-deserved reputation. The big course at Barbaroux lies in vast hectares of vineyards.

Corsica

There's only one 18 hole golf course on this stunning island but it's a true gem - Trent jones Snr at his best. Corsica is like a mini-world: untouched villages, huge expanses of wild and rugged bush-desert, soft sandy beaches, crystal blue waters, vibrant towns, world-class hotels, hidden coves and some of the best restaurants in the Mediterranean.We concentrate on the southern part of Corsica because that's where the golf is! This is also the most "comfortable" part of the island with good hotels, superb beaches and a full variety of tourist attractions.

The Loire

We have no fewer than four converted chateau-hotels in a region where France spreads itself across empty roads, wide rivers and massive forests. Chateau des Sept Tours stands within its own 18 holes, there's Rochecotte and Des Muids, and de Beaulieu where the patron is a Master Chef of France. Still a comfortable drive from the Channel ports, 90 minutes from Paris, but the French will tell you, the flow of the famous Loire is where the temperature rises, the sun shines more often and gastronomy takes a firm hold.Here is Les Bordes, each year maintaining its status as 'the finest golf course in France' and high in Europe's Top Ten. Besides the 18th is a superb alternative for your stay, forty fairway cottages all sumptuously furnished with four-poster beds and satellite TV. Buffet breakfasts, light lunches and gourmet menus for dinner in the rustic, timbered clubhouse. And nearby is the sister-course Ganay, another 27 holes and lots of water at Les Aisses, plus the newer Limere-Orleans.

Champagne And Burgundy

Reims is the capital of Champagne country, and the golf course here is owned by the big, well-known houses who take turns to have a magnum on the bar at the 19th hole, Heidseick or Veuve Cliquot, Mumm or Moet, at only 15 francs a glass.Ideally located between both courses is the lovely hotel Chateau de Fere. The two hour drive from Calais winds along the Champagne tourist route, through the vineyards and past the chateaux of some of the smaller producers. Of course, you need not pass every one.

Paris International

Paris International was created by Jack Nicklaus, so was Cely on the other side of the city at Fontainebleau. The writer Voltaire lived nearby, at the converted chateau-golf-hotel Domaine de Belesbat, with its new course maturing splendidly.There are 36 holes at Prieure, at Courson-Monteloup and at Golf National, close to the beautiful palaces at Versailles, and many more to choose from. For sheer opulence and grandeur try the Trianon Palace Hotel where a tunnel connects to the more gentle, Hotel Pavillon. Paris needs time, to play and explore.

Rhone Alps

The mountains and lakes, the upland pastures and forests, and traditional timber-and-stone chalets, here is all the wonderful scenery the ski fraternity take for granted. Add these natural elements to the sculpturing of a golf course and the game in these parts takes on a new dimension. The region is an easy day's drive from the Channel but fly-drive through Geneva or Lyon is ideal for a short stay.

Brittany

All holiday golfers should visit Brittany twice - at the very least. Play the handful of courses close to the English Channel coastline then go back and enjoy the larger selection along the Atlantic. They flatten out here and are less prone to wind, the fairways are even quieter and the views slightly more impressive.In the north ancient and modern are well represented, with the course at Dinard having celebrated its centenary and newcomer Val Andre achieving rave reviews for its marvellous mixture of links and parkland golf. Yet the most popular 18-holes in these parts are at Les Ormes, with its woodlands and water, and its own 45-bedroomed hotel is a further attraction.