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Golf Trips in France


Discover the beauty of France as well as indulging in your passion of playing golf. Alternate three days of golf on three different courses and three days of cultural visits. If you choose the trip in the Alps, you will also have the opportunity to enjoy a spa in a thermal town.

We are offering two different trips:

Golfing in Provence, surrounded by lavender fields, cypress, olives, with accommodations in our luxurious 12 bedroom house.

Golfing in the Alps, surrounded by Mont Blanc, white peaks and mountain lakes with accommodations in art deco 19th century hotel in a spa town. In addition, enjoy relaxation at the spa.


Tour 1: Golfing in Provence



Days 1: Welcome Reception

We will pick you up at the Avignon train station. Upon your arrival at our guesthouse, take time to settle in, relax by the pool, explore the private park around the house or the village. In the evening, you will enjoy a welcome reception followed by a gourmet dinner.


Day 2: Golf at Provence Country Club in Avignon


18 holes, PAR 72, 6099m

This championship golf course is set to become one of the Europe's finest golf resort. Created in 1989 by Jean Garaïalde, it is surrounded by wooded hills and the blue mountains of the Luberon. The view on the Sorgue Valley and on the Alpilles mountains is exceptional. The permanently watered, lush fairways and greens are interspersed with lakes, waterfalls and fountains.
Provence Country Club


Day 3: "Palais des Papes" in Avignon

The Pope's Palace, first built in the 1300s, is the size of four normal French cathedrals. This amazing and expansive structure is the highlight of Avignon. We will have an audio-guided visit of one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe.

After the visit, you will have leisure time in Avignon. There is so much to do: stroll in the old streets in search of antic dealers and art galleries. In addition to the large variety of well-stocked luxury shops, you will find Provencal materials, ceramics and pottery, terra cotta figurines (santons), handicrafts, and other specialties of the region.


Day 4: Golf Grand Avignon


18 holes, PAR 72, 6037 m

Inspired by Provencal scents that surrounds this course (cypress, lavender, olives), Grand Avignon Golf Course is in a peaceful green setting only a few minutes from the "Cité des Papes": 60 hectares of vegetation, 5 lakes and a Provencal vegetation make it the most beautiful course in Vaucluse. Golf du Grand Avignon


 

Day 5: Chateau Neuf du Pape wine and chocolate tasting

Morning: Wine tasting and discovery of the village of Chateau Neuf du Pape
The Chateau Neuf du Pape village is dedicated to its world famous wine "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" which is also part of the famous Côtes du Rhône. Chateauneuf du Pape was the first to receive an Appellation (quality label) in France in 1923. At the wine musem we will have a guided visit to learn everything about this famous wine and its making. The visit will end with the tasting of three exquisite Chateau Neuf du Pape wines.

Afternoon: Chocolate tasting
Not only will you learn everything about the history of cocoa but you will also attend the making of wonderful chocolate by the chocolate maker himself. At the end, you will savor this wonderful treat.

Day 6: Golf de Pont Royal


18 holes, PAR 72, 6303 m

Designed in 1992 by the great Severiano Ballesteros himself! Classified among the most beautiful golf courses in Europe (European Golf course), Pont Royal is the only realization of the Spanish champion on the French soil. It has sublime panoramic view of the Alpilles, admirably maintained greens, and fairways meandering between oaks, pines and Provence fragrances. Golf du Pont Royal


Day 7: Provencal market, Gordes and Roussillon


Morning: Provencal and antique markets at Isle sur la Sorgue
Stroll and shop on this incredible market. In the charming village of Isle sur la Sorgue built on an island, the river flows through, past, in and around the town, in its many natural beds and several canals. On Sundays, the village has two markets: the biggest Provencal market and the biggest antique market in Provence.


Afternoon: The ochre village of Roussillon and the hilltop town of Gordes.

Roussillon, one of France's Most Beautiful Villages, sits on top of the world's biggest vein of ochre. We will have a guided visit of the ochre mine followed by a guided walk to the Ochre Trail revealing many fantastic rock and cliff formations.

On our way back home, we will stop in Gordes, also listed one of France's Most Beautiful Villages. Gordes is the most spectacular village in Provence, perched on the southern edge of the high Plateau de Vaucluse.


Day 8: Departure


After our last breakfast together, we'll drive you to the Avignon train station.

Accommodations


You will be staying the whole week at our luxury 12-bedroom house .


We have chosen an elegantly restored farmhouse dating from the XVIIth century located in the heart of Provence, in the Luberon (25 minutes east of Avignon).

The luxurious guesthouse offers 12 bedrooms with private full bathrooms all with high comfort, tranquility and relaxation, with its heated swimming pool set in over 2 acres of private grounds, landscaped with pine and 100-year-old oak trees.

From your bedroom window, you will have a breathtaking view of the Mont Alpille and internationally renowned vineyards. Each room has: a flat screen TV set, telephone, heating and AC, a minibar, a safe, ADSL and WiFi and a big full bathroom.
   

Tour 2: Golfing in the Alps


Day 1: Welcome Reception



We will pick you up at the Aix-les Bains TGV station in the afternoon. Upon your arrival at your amazingly restored 1903 French hotel, you will have time to comfortably settle in your room and then enjoy a cocktail reception with finger foods and drinks, before savoring your first French gourmet dinner.

Day 2: Golf Bresson in Grenoble


18 holes, PAR 73, 6201m

In a wonderful Lakeland setting and sheltered by the Vercors and Chartreuse mountains, this golf is considered by many players one of the most beautiful in France. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, the world-famous American architect, it is technically demanding and wonderfully strategic.
Golf Bresson Grenoble


Day 3: Annecy or the "Little Venice" of the Alps


Annecy is the French show-piece of lakes-and-mountain beauty. The Canal crossing Annecy brings Venice to mind as you stroll along its banks.
You will experience the colorful market in the heart of the old town. We will stroll the medieval narrow streets to admire the renaissance houses along the canal as well as the famous old prison, one of the most photographed monuments in France!

Why not rent a motor or paddle boat? If you prefer, there is a beautiful walk by the lake.


Day 4: Golf in Chamonix-Mont Blanc


18 holes, PAR 72, 6076m

The golf is located deep inside a glacial valley, on a 6 076 meters long golf course (longer than the height of Mont Blanc itself) with a breathtaking view of the Mont Blanc and its glacier. This superb golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, no less! Can you imagine yourself, on the Chamonix golf-course, trying to reach the Mont-Blanc summit in only one stroke!
Golf Chamonix



Day 5: Village in Savoie and Spa relaxation

Morning: Walnut Oil Tasting
We will drive along the biggest natural lake in France, Bourget lake, to the lovely village of Chanaz. We will attend a walnut oil making demonstration in a 19th-century mill. This is a unique opportunity that can't be missed since this mill is the only one left in France


Afternoon: Relaxation at the Spa
In the afternoon, you will enjoy and relax in the Aix thermal bath, located atop the majestic hills of the town.
You will have access to all the spa center facilities: naturally warm indoor and outdoor thermal water pools, whirlpools, saunas and steam baths, gym and relaxation areas, bar and patios. Possibilty to get a massage, mud bath, massage under water, etc...

Day 6: Golf de Giez in Annecy


18 holes, PAR 72, 5820m.

Saying that the whole world envies Annecy and Albertville, towns between which the luxurious Golf course of Giez has been built, is not an empty word. Can you imagine views on both Annecy Lake and the Mont-Blanc range!
Golf Giez Annecy


Day 7: Breathtaking Mont Blanc, the Heart of the Alps



The Montenvers train will take us on a journey through deep forests and splendid vistas overlooking the valley. Traveling along impressive peaks, you will arrive at the unique Mer de Glace ("Sea of Ice") glacier. You will have the thrill of exploring the inside of this glacier through a tunnel carved in the ice and of viewing its never-to-be-forgotten exhibit of ice sculptures.

Day 8: Departure


After our last breakfast together, we'll drive you to the Aix les Bains train station.

Accommodations



We will be staying the whole week in a magnificient art nouveau hotel built in 1903. This luxury establishment has preserved a style of architecture that is unsurpassed.

It has the very best contemporary comforts combined with original, stylish furniture. Painstakingly and lovingly recreated in the spirit of the Belle Epoque, the spacious lounges of the hotel are a delight to behold. Such is the setting of the "Art Nouveau" restaurant and its exquisitely classic cuisine.

Located in the center of the town of Aix les Bains, you will have easy access to the night life: casino, cinema, cafes, etc...

Dates for both trips


Form on your group of 8 people and choose between Tour 1(Provence) and Tour 2 (The Alps) for the following dates:

Sept 06-13, 2008

Rates for both trips


US$ 3,290 (+$450 for single room)

Includes
  • Avignon (for tour 1) or Aix les Bains (for tour 2) train stations pick up and drop off
  • A welcome reception
  • All nights (either at our guesthouse or at the hotel)
  • All breakfasts
  • 4 gourmet dinners
  • Transportation in a comfortable van with A/C
  • A personal bilingual chauffeur/guide throughout the week
  • 3 green fees
  • All planned visits
  • Entrance fees to all sites on the tour
  • A free Paris planner for a self guided visit in Paris: suggestions of hotels, restaurants and places to visit

Excludes
  • Flights to and from France
  • Lunches and 3 dinners
  • Drinks
  • Golf club rentals if you do not bring yours
  • Optional activities (those not described in the itinerary)
  • Personal expenses and tipping
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