Travel Insider Oct 2009

Closer to home than the rest of Europe, France offers an unrivalled range of courses within just a few hours travel time of the UK. The location of Le Touquet is a popular favourite among golfers of both high and beginner standards alike. Further afield, beautiful courses can be found in the South of France and its tempting surrounding regions. Aquitaine, located in the South West of France, boasts some of the finest weather France has to offer. With fantastic golf courses the region has become a favourite destination for golf breaks.  

Golf and Wine guest feature from Nick Liddle, Golfbreaks.com

As Ernest Hemingway once quoted, “Wine is the most civilized thing in the world". Which would lead one to argue that after a round of the most civilised sport in the world, how better to unwind but with a quality glass of wine? Indeed, golf and wine complement one another perfectly– the relaxed lifestyle, the immediate pleasures and the fact a number of professional golfers (Faldo, Els, Palmer) have all entered the wine market either partnering up with vineyards or launching their own labels. Being an avid wine enthusiast and a keen golfer, I thought I’d take this opportunity to promote some of the venues we work with, where these two of life’s passions can be enjoyed in abundance.

Bordeaux
Where better to start than in the heart of the Bordeaux region, at the Golf du Medoc Hotel & Spa. This 4* hotel combines quality gastronomy with an enviable collection of the finest Medoc wine to choose from. With two 18 holes courses onsite, a spa and just 20 minutes from Bordeaux airport, this is the ultimate golf and wine destination. With the package below, enjoy a FREE visit and wine tasting, exclusive to Golfbreaks.com clients.

Getting There...
Flying to Bordeaux couldn’t be easier. Numerous U.K. airports (London, Bristol, Manchester etc) offer flights to Bordeaux and they are generally very well priced. BA, EasyJet, FlyBe & BMIBaby all fly this route.

Bergerac
Moving east across ‘La Gironde’ and to the border of the Bordeaux Appellation in Bergerac, is located the fabulous 4* Chateau des Vigiers. Surrounded by 17 hectares of vineyards, this truly unique château produces its own award winning red and white wine onsite. Add to this 27 Donald Steele designed holes, a ‘Marie Galland’ Spa and top class dining facilities, the word ‘heaven’ springs to mind. With the package below, you can make the most of exclusive rates and a free wine gift pack on arrival, exclusive to Golfbreaks.com.

Getting There...
Flying to Bergerac is also very simple. You can again choose from a whole selection of U.K. airports and flights are very reasonably priced. Ryanair, FlyBe & Air France all fly this route.

Provence
My final recommendation is the beautiful 4* Dolce Fregate located on the Mediterranean coast, 30 minutes from Marseille. This stereotypical Provençal resort is located within Bandol, Provence’s most internationally recognised wine region. Although both red and white wine are produced here, I recommend the superb Rosé wine, given remarkable ageing ability and depth of flavour through the dominant use of a particular grape called Mourvèdre. With an 18 hole championship course and superb dining and leisure facilities, the package below is terrific value for money. With the package below, receive a bottle of Dolce Fregate Rosé Bandol wine on arrival, exclusive to Golfbreak.com clients.

Getting There...
Fly to Marseille airport (35 minutes from Frégate and with a choice of numerous airlines and departure airports) or Toulon (20 minutes from Frégate and operated by Ryanair from London or Bristol).

Further information and golf breaks in France click here.

Great venues and breaks in France

Golf du Medoc Hotel & Spa 4*, Aquitaine	Chateau des Vigiers 4*, Aquitaine	Dolce Fregate 4*, South of France
4 nights’ B&B and 3 rounds of golf including free wine tasting tour from £375 per person	3 nights’ B&B and unlimited golf from £259 per person Contact Golfbreaks.com for further information or call 0800 279 7988	2 nights’ B&B and 2 rounds of golf from £259 per person or go for 7 nights’ and play 4 rounds from £629 per person

GolfClubsXpress provides golf travellers with a hassle-free, safe and cost effective way of taking their golf clubs on their golf holidays. Anyone booking by the end of October 2009 can save 10% of the cost, exclusive to golfshake.com by quoting GS001

GolfClubsXpress is a door to door service and can't really be compared with what the airlines offer. They free you to travel with hand luggage only, and still save you money when compared to the many other charges you can incur when carrying your own clubs, such as having to hire larger cars. Visit their new, streamlined website to see how you could save up to £70 per head on your golf trip compared with taking your clubs on the plane.

Here are the October 2009 charges for 1 x minimum 15 Kilo golf bag and 1 suitcase from selected airlines

Ryanair - £80.00 for 32 Kg Golf Bag or Skis £30.00 for 15 Kg Suitcase

Easyjet - £91.00 for 15 Kg Golf Bag or Skis £16.00 for 20 Kg Suitcase

BMI Baby - £35.98 for 20Kg Golf Bag or Skis £29.96 for 20 Kg Suitcase

Further information can be found by clicking here.

The golfshake.com team are off for a trip to Scotland and will be using the service so look out for our in-depth report and feature next month.

LAST CHANCE OFFER

Golfshake.com along with its official travel partner, Golfbreaks.com are offering all members an exclusive offer to take a golf break at the world famous Belfry for bookings in October from just £99 per person.

This fantastic offer includes one nights’ accommodation, breakfast and two rounds of golf on the PGA and Derby courses, Monday to Friday.

Play the world famous Brabazon

But that’s not all, as an extra bonus, for just £45, upgrade your package and play the Brabazon course, host to four Ryder Cups and a venue famous throughout the golfing world.

If one night at the Belfry is not enough for you, during selected dates in October, Golfbreaks.com are also offering Golfshake.com members two nights accommodation, breakfast on both days and two rounds of golf on the PGA and Derby courses from just £159 per person. Upgrade this package and play the Brabazon for just £35.

Both packages include full use of the Belfry leisure facilities and for those seeking even more fun, FREE entrance to the famous onsite Bel-Air night club on Thursday or Friday nights.

These packages are exclusive to all Golfshake.com members, so much so, Golfbreaks.com will not even publish these offers on their website.

To take advantage of this exclusive offer, call the Golfbreaks.com team on 0800 279 7988 and state that you are a Golfshake.com member.

Terms and conditions apply. Offers are subject to availability.

Teeofftimes.co.uk offers a simple and easy way to book your next tee time online.  The service provides a convenient and cost effective way to play more golf!

With over 400 golf courses to choose don't be left with no where to play. 

Find some great deals with tee times from only £5, get to play championship courses, play at weekends and check out some fantastic regional offers including a range of courses in Surrey.