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Archives for January 2009

There is a wealth of golf courses in northern Brittany and it is so easy to just pop over there for a long weekend or midweek break on the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo. Your trip starts with an extremely tasty dinner on Brittany Ferries – delicious buffet for the first course with lots of shellfish, followed by an excellent main course and pudding. Very good value too.

A great place to stay is the Grand Hotel in Pleneuf Val Andre on the Emerald Coast, about a 40-minute drive from St Malo, which has an excellent restaurant. This very friendly hotel has been welcoming guests since 1895 and the ever-hospitable Assistant Manager lived in the UK for 7 years, so speaks excellent English, but is keen to help you with your French too.

The hotel is situated on the promenade overlooking St Brieuc Bay where the best beaches in Brittany can be found. There is a beautiful view from the bar and restaurant through some lovely old trees and a vast expanse of sandy beach – the perfect place to enjoy the sunset whilst sipping a glass of champagne!

The nearest golf course to the hotel is the Val Andre which is only a five minute drive away and is rated one of the best and probably the most beautiful in France. It is a modern parkland/links course with fast well defended greens and is a challenge to even the best of players. The 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th holes have the most stunning views over the cliffs and beach and 11th hole has a tee about 200 ft above the fairway It is well maintained and is suitable for golfers of mixed abilities. 18 holes, par 72, 6433 yards

Another superb course to play is at the Dinard Golf Club, the second oldest golf course in France and a traditional links course, which was founded by a group of British residents at the end of the 19th century. It was designed by Scotsman Willie Dunn and is the second oldest course in France. P G Wodehouse was known to play here It is a well established course and although not that long a course, is very challenging with a great range of holes. This course also has panoramic views over the coast. With an art deco clubhouse it has a very English feel to it. 18 holes, par 68, 5815 yards.

There are several other golf courses in the area and one could easily fill a week playing on a different golf course each day in Northern Brittany, without having to drive very far. A very enjoyable holiday for any golfer with the added bonus of a variety of great restaurants.

Arriving on Fregate Island is like a James Bond movie – your helicopter swooping low over the island barely missing the tops of the palms, lands beside the glimmering sea and the rocky outcrops which are peculiar to the Seychelles.

Accommodation is in magnificent pavilions which progressively offer more spectacular views as you climb higher up the cliff. The extremely private villas have large bedroom, equally large sitting room plus a large decking with day bed and Jacuzzi plus swimming pool.

Fregate is the Seychelle’s first eco and pioneering resort and probably the first to have developed its own Hydroponics House producing an abundance of fresh vegetables for the resorts consumption. This is the most remote of the granite islands in the Seychelles and as such remains exclusive and for those staying in one of the 16 villas you can be assured that there will be no day visitor to interrupt your peace.

Despite its air of exclusivity it does not mean that children are banned: on the contrary the resort goes out of its way to entertain and teach their young guests about the indigenous flora and fauna on this beautiful island.

Imagine waking up to the sound of the sea and exotic bird life and the thought that all you have to do that day is laze in the sun or maybe wander down to the spa or enjoy a round of golf. In a truly idyllic setting, with rooms either on an island or in gardens on the mainland, the new Four Seasons Resort is “the” place to stay on Mauritius.

All the villa rooms have a large terrace and garden and as an added treat their own plunge pool. The beds and linen are of the very best and the bathroom not only has a large bathtub and separate shower but an enormous outside shower area as well. All the mod cons here with a real coffee maker, enormous flat screen TV, Ipod docking station as well as the pre-requisite hair dryer!

The resort offers 3 restaurants as well as in-house dining: the cuisine ranges from the finest of French, through Italian to a fusion of Mauritian delicacies which combine just about all the flavours of the world – all of a mouth wateringly high standard.

When it comes to sporting activities there is a beautifully manicured Ernie Ells golf course, two astro tennis courts, a state of the art gym plus all the usual excellent water sports that Mauritius has to offer: like most hotels on the island, water skiing is included. For the less active the spa is a haven of peace and quiet and the signature spa treatment will leave you feeling blissful for many hours!

The nearby island of Ile aux Cerfs provides further unlimited sandy beaches and wonderful swimming. For those who are not so keen on sand the hotel’s stunning main pool lies between two small beaches and the Bambou restaurant offering delicious refreshments throughout the day.

The resort is just a short 40 minutes from the international airport which has regular direct flights from the UK on BA, Virgin and Air Mauritius. Why not try quad biking or horse back riding from one of the neighbouring estates or drive to Port Louis, the island’s colourful capital for some shopping in the traditional market or on the swanky waterfront. This is the land of the sugar cane so be sure to have one of the island’s punches.

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