9 Days
8 Nights
Are you a golf fan? This 9-day golf break will take you to 7 different golf courses in the beautiful Bordeaux and Basque Country regions. On the programme: no less than 8 rounds on famous golf courses in Médoc, Margaux, Bassussary, Biarritz, Chiberta, Chantaco and Ilbarritz.
For a change between two 18-hole courses, you will have the opportunity to visit and taste the delights of the south-west of France: the vineyards of the Médoc, the historic heritage of Bordeaux, the seaside resorts of Bayonne, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the Basque villages of Bidart and Guéthary, etc. Not forgetting spas, shopping and gastronomic breaks!
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Upon arrival in Bordeaux, settle into your 4-star hotel in the historic city centre. We suggest you leave soon after to take in Bordeaux’s incomparable architecture, armed with your City Pass 24 h. This tourist pass includes a guided tour of the city on foot or by sight-seeing bus, entrance to the main museums and sites including the Cité du Vin wine museum, as well as unlimited use of public transport (tram, BatCub boat and bus).
After a day exploring the architectural treasures of Bordeaux – a UNESCO World Heritage city – dine in a typical restaurant in the heart of the historic district. Return to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.
Following breakfast at your hotel, enter into the spirit of your stay with a visit to the Médoc golf course. Ranked among the top 15 courses in continental Europe, the Médoc golf course offers two remarkably designed courses whose main quality is their technical difficulty, forcing players to continually invent different strokes. In 2010, the Médoc golf course was ranked as the third-best French golf course in the Rolex Guide and a judging panel composed of the top 50 French professionals ranked it among the Top 5 French golf courses. In total, the courses cover 3.8 hectares of greens which are perfectly maintained throughout the year.
You will start the day with the Vineyard course, an 18-hole, 6,220-metre, par 71 course built in 1991 by Canadian Rod Whitman, who was then Bill Coore's assistant during the construction of the Châteaux course. It incorporates a typically regional landscape where the aesthetics of the moorland and maritime pines enhance the architect's design. The long pars interspersed with landscaped greens and strategically placed obstacles require reflection and precision from the player. The wide variety of playing situations, the quality of the course and the enchanting location will meet the expectations of even the most demanding golfers.
Free time for lunch. We suggest you stay on site and reserve a table at the golf course restaurant. In the afternoon, we invite you to explore the Médoc, visiting a prestigious Grand Cru Classé 1855 winery. The visit will continue with a tasting of the château’s vintage wines.
From the end of the afternoon, you can rest in your double room booked for you in a charming hotel or guesthouse at the heart of the Médoc wine area. Free time for dinner and in the evening.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, continue exploring the Médoc vineyards with a visit to the winery followed by a gourmet tasting of a new Grand Cru Classé 1855 wine. Then have lunch in a typical restaurant on the famous châteaux route.
In the afternoon, head to the Garden Golf de Margaux for your second course. Located in the heart of the famous Margaux wine area and close to the most prestigious châteaux in the Médoc, you’ll love this 18-hole course with its fairways bordered by ash and elm trees and frescoes, sometimes surrounded lakes, and at other times running beside the Gironde estuary.
In the late afternoon return to your Médoc hotel or guesthouse where you are free to choose your restaurant and evening activities.
On the morning of the fourth day, return to the Médoc golf course to tackle your third course. The “Châteaux” course is an 18-hole, par-71, 6,576 m course designed in 1989 by American architect Bill Coore. Voted best course in France in 2014 by the World Golf Awards, it is in keeping with the purest tradition of Scottish links. The wide fairways bordered by heather, gorse and broom take players into unspoilt nature. The quality of the greens, winds from the Atlantic Ocean and the technical difficulty of the course make this championship course a first-class golfing challenge.
Recover from your sporting emotions during a free choice of lunch on the Châteaux Route, before leaving for the Basque Country in the afternoon. We have reserved a double room for you in a charming hotel in Bayonne. Enjoy dinner in a typical Basque restaurant.
This fifth day again alternates sight-seeing visits and golf courses. The morning is dedicated to discovering Bayonne, a lively city with a cheerful atmosphere and colourful shuttered facades. Bayonne is the main city in the Basque Country, located at the confluence of the Adour and Nive rivers, 6 kilometres from the sea. Before finally falling returning to the French in 1451, Bayonne was for a long time controlled by the English who made it one of their strongholds as its three ramparts still testify today. From the 16th century onwards, Bayonne greatly prospered and became much more beautiful.
Stroll through the small streets of Grand Bayonne, visit the Saint-André cathedral and its cloister, discover the theatre and its famous square where the renowned Bayonne festivals begin every year, the old château, the Porte d'Espagne, the ramparts and the splendid Nive quays during the morning market when they are flooded with sunshine. Enjoy lunch in a restaurant near the Halles market. Stopping at Pierre Ibaialde’s shop to buy real Bayonne ham is highly recommended. Finally, explore Petit Bayonne, a very popular district on the right bank of the Nive where you will find the Basque Museum, Bonnat Museum, etc.
In the afternoon, drive to the Bayonne Golf Club in Bassussary for your fourth course. Located near the city of Bayonne, this is an 18-hole golf course with character, nestling in an oak forest in the heart of the Basque Country. Its wide fairways stretch between lakes, ancient trees and numerous bunkers overlooked by the Rhune and the Pyrenees mountains. This idyllic setting inspired American architect Rocky Roquemore, who was able to reconcile a very stylish layout with a magnificent hilly and wooded natural setting, to offer a delightful playing experience to golfers of all standards.
Return to your hotel in the late afternoon, staying again in Bayonne. Free time for dinner and in the evening. Take the opportunity to try a gourmet restaurant in the Basque city!
In the morning, leave for the seaside resort of Anglet to enjoy your fifth course at Chiberta golf course. This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Basque golf courses. This 18-hole course, designed by architect Tom Simpson in 1927 for the Duke of Windsor, features alternating links along the Atlantic Ocean and greens under the Chiberta Forest pines. It is a par-70, 5,647-metre-long course. From the second green onwards, you will be beside the sea and finish your round in the middle of a splendid pine forest.
Free time for lunch and in the afternoon. Take the opportunity to be pampered in one of the luxurious spas in Biarritz and/or rest quietly at the hotel before dining, when you’ll be free to choose your restaurant.
This morning, head for the golf course in Biarritz for your sixth course. The golf course covers 34 hectares. The 18-hole, par-69, 5,402-metre- long course was designed by architect Willy Dunn in 1888. Watch out! Although this course may look easy and does not require significant physical effort, its difficulty lies in its technicality and it is not so easy to avoid a total of 70 bunkers, which provide a reminder, if we need one, that the game of golf is above all a matter of reflection and judgment! The greens are fast and the rough is hard to detect.
Free time for lunch. The location of the golf course in the centre of Biarritz – an original location due to its age – offers the immense privilege of being close to all the required services: restaurants, hotels, beaches and shops.
In the afternoon, head to the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz for a stroll in the village. While the seaside resort has long built its wealth on maritime trade and tuna fishing, it now derives most of its income from the attraction of its beaches and the Basque Country. Since the port was created in the 12th century, shipowners and privateers have built lavish residences that form the architectural heritage of the city. Saint-Jean-de-Luz also witnessed the splendour of Louis XIV's marriage to the Infanta of Spain in 1660.
Visit the magnificent bay and its famous beaches, the seafront promenade, the Maison de l'Infante, the square and the Maison Louis XIV, the very beautiful rue Mazarin, the Maison Esqurrena, the typical rue Gambetta with its old privateer houses and finally the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church dating from the 12th century.
Spend the night in a double room in a large 4-star spa hotel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. You are free to choose where you dine and what you do in the evening. Why not take the opportunity to try out your hotel restaurant?
After breakfast at your hotel, set off for your seventh course! Perfect your swing in a breathtaking setting at Ilbarritz golf course. This is a 9-hole, par 32, 2,176-metre-long course. Designed in the same spirit as the driving range, for learning the game, it is a very technical course on two levels of terrain. A free shuttle system has been operating since October 1996 to facilitate travel between the levels.
After lunch, which we suggest you enjoy on the beach near Biarritz, head out in the afternoon to visit the villages of Bidart and Guéthary. Bidart is a typical Basque coastal village: discover its very pleasant central square, pelota court, 16th-century church, the town hall and the typical red and white Basque houses. Bidart was once a whaling port. Go up to the small Saint-Martin Chapel to take in the view.
In Guéthary, visit the Saraleguinea villa and its modern art museum, as well as the Basque pelota court. Walk along the very pleasant coastal path that runs alongside the nature reserve and visit the charming little fishing port. The Guéthary municipality coat of arms representing a boat of hunters harpooning a whale, proudly recalls this age-old tradition. Today, the port is home to around 20 colourful boats used mainly for recreational fishing (calamari, lobsters, hake, etc.). Although the whalers have long since disappeared, the terrace remains an ideal place to contemplate the ocean. In the shade of the tamarisk trees, you will be able to watch surfers riding the famous Parlementia wave.
Next, continue your journey to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Return to your hotel in the afternoon to enjoy the many treatments that its spa has in store for you. We suggest dinner in one of the oldest restaurants in the resort, with original and refined cuisine.
To end this break, set out for your eighth and last golf course in Chantaco, designed by the famous British architect Harry Colt. Located near Saint-Jean-de-Luz, this golf course was created in 1928 by René Thion de la Chaume. At the time, the marriage of golf champion Simone Thion de la Chaume to tennis champion René Lacoste gave this golf course which was frequented by many celebrities, massive media coverage. The arrival of the exceptional player Arnaud Massy at the when the course was created gave a considerable boost to this sport. Many champions were residents at Chantaco, including Raymond and Jean Garaïalde, Bernard Pascassio and Catherine Lacoste.
After free time for lunch, make the most of your last afternoon to travel further south on the Basque coast to visit Hendaye. Located on the right bank of the Bidasoa river, on the border with Spain, Hendaye is a very old fishing port and has been an important stop for pilgrims to Compostela since the 12th century. Since the arrival of the railway in 1864, the town has been transformed into a major seaside resort. Visit the neo-Moorish casino, and Saint-Vincent church with its beautiful woodwork and interior galleries. We advise you to make a detour to visit the very beautiful Abbadia Chateau and Observatory nearby on the Corniche and to make a last stop on Hondarribia beach.
Return to your hotel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz at the end of the day by the Corniche road, for your last free evening in time for a farewell dinner of your choice in the Basque Country!
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