French Holidays - Family Holidays in France - Villa-Boating

Brittany, Southern Brittany, La Baule & Vendee

France's most popular long stay golf destination enjoys a fine climate from Spring through Autumn and offers a wide range of beautiful holiday courses and quality hotels. The emphasis here is on value for money with a golf pass offering unlimited play on Formule Courses. As well as great courses you'll find Brittany's golf courses flatter or challenge all levels of skill and aspiration. For the purist, Dinard is a 'must play: a short but well defended links course with a lot of stings in its tail. Designed by a Scotsman, Tom Dunn, in 1887, it stretches towards the coast from the clubhouse, then snakes round rocky headlands, where strong winds can have a devastating effect. The town itself is small but perfectly formed with an appealing casino and seafood galore.

Dinard pairs well with Pleuneuf-Val-Andre, a hybrid course with magnificent sea views 25 miles to the west.

Southern Brittany offers a wider selection of quality courses. La Baule is the star attraction, a smart seaside town with a 45 hole complex that is all things to all golfers. The thatched clubhouse is luxurious and the two 18 hole courses designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas combine open parkland with forest. La Bretesche and Savenay a few miles inland, offer golf with chateau backgrounds. La Bretesche is a magnificent site with a fairytale castle and fairways carved from mature royal forest.

The best options on Brittany's southern coast are Ploemeur-Ocean and Baden. Ploemeur, near Lorient is an American target golf course with well kept greens, inviting fairways and plenty of bunkers while Baden overlooking the Auray estuary, mixes parkland with a touch of forest.

Nearby St Laurent has hosted the French PGA championship, while all serious golfers head south of La Baule to take in St Jean De Monts, Brittany's sternest challenge. Lunch overlooking the Atlantic makes a fitting start to a roller coaster round that begins with 10 narrow holes set in forest then opens into a genuine links finale among dunes.

Normandy

If the quality of golf courses was ever in doubt the nomination of Normandy as one of the ten best destinations by IAGTO (the International Association of Golf Tour Operators) confers a worldwide recognition of its position.
Less than two hours from Paris and with most courses within easy driving distance from Cherbourg, Normandy is gaining a growing reputation among golfers in search of golf courses with a difference.
Ideally situated between the land and the sea on soil rich in history and tradition, Normandy can meet the expectations of the most demanding players.A variety of courses - from century old links to recent target golf creations mean that all golfing requirements are met. Deauville in particular will become one of the favourite destinations of Irish golfers.

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is one of the world's truly unique and historic regions. Land of Kings, French aristocracy and noble sports and is home to the most famous chateaux in France including Chambord, Chenonceaux and Blois. This is also the home of one of the most sensational of French golf courses - Les Bordes. A stunning masterpiece designed by Robert Von Hagge which alone merits a journey to the region. With its history, superb architecture, excellent wines (Vouvray, Anjour and Bourqued wines), refined food and superb chateau-hotels, the Loire Valley is the ideal destination to combine golf, culture and gastronomic delights. Within easy driving access from Cherbourg and with fly drives from Paris.

South West France

Land of sunshine, wine and sport, from Bordeaux down to Biarritz, you'll find fabulous courses and great holiday locations. Surrounded by the Pyrenees and major rivers, the Aquitaine region has developed its own language - French with a Spanish twist - you could say the same for the region. The south west of France is about finding a good base, playing some great golf and mixing a bit of R & R with exploring the chateaux, time capsuled villages and home produced goodies.
With motorways all the way and direct flights from Dublin to Bordeaux, you can get there in double quick time or just meander down with one or two stop offs en route.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of France's finest, but most underplayed golfing regions, with a selection of magnificent courses including the two 18 hole layouts at Pian Medoc and Chateau des Vigiers Golf and country Club, set amidst the vineyards of the Dordogne valley. Home of the world's finest wines, a delicious regional cuisine and a truly relaxed culture, its not hard to appreciate why the region is so special. Also recommended as a good two centre holiday destination with the Biarritz region further south.

Biarritz

Situated in the far south western corner of France, 90 minutes south of Bordeaux, the beautiful Southern Aquitaine coastline and the resort town of Biarritz benefit from a mild year round climate and a truly relaxing lifestyle retaining much of its traditional character. The region is also blessed with three of Europe's top 50 courses - Hosse ?, Seignosse and Moliets. Add four more excellent courses and you have a golfers paradise.
Biarritz was made popular by Napoleon III and is enjoying a deserved resurgence in popularity. The resort is not too big and the narrow streets and their shops and restaurants create a real holiday flavour. The beaches are fine and sandy and the surf fantastic. - Biarritz became the first surfing resort in Europe in 1959. The ocean views on one side and the Pyrenees on the other are inspiring. With a casino, nightclubs and plenty of bars, Biarritz can keep you happy 24 hours a day. Oh! and the golf is great.

Paris Chantilly

If France had a Royal & Ancient, its home would be Chantilly. No other region boasts such a rich golfing heritage, with the original Chantilly course still rated as the finest in France and one of the top five courses in Europe. A very fashionable area, equally famous also for its racecourse, stud farms and beautiful Renaissance chateaux. Just 45 minutes from Charles De Gaulle airport, a massive forest and an elegant townhouse await you. The courses range from the European No.3 to the more modern Jack Nicklaus layouts. Altogether there are 10 courses on offer.

Paris Versailles

The area of Versailles offers two of the most famous French clubs: The Golf National home of the French Open in the 90s and the very exclusive old club of St. Nom la Bretesche famous for the Lancome Trophee. A prestigious golfing destination only 40 minutes from the centre of Paris. In July and August Paris is deserted so if you visit during these months the courses are void of members.

Paris Fountainebleau

The area of Fountainebleau to the south east of Paris is famous for its dense natural forest, numerous chateaux and the historic painters village of Barbizon. The exclusive old woodland course of Fountainebleau and the amazing new course of Cely make it an ideal stopover destination when travelling further south. This area may also be combined with any of the other Paris regions to offer some of the finest golf in France.

Provence

A region full of contrasts and delicate fragrances, Provence is rich in beauty and delights the visitor at first sight. Abundant with nature, its fields of olive trees and lavender, sunflowers and vineyards awaken the senses.... Close your eyes and listen quietly… close by, the song of a cicada announces your arrival in Provence.

Spain

Golf in Spain is synonymous with the Costa del Sol and is nearly a second home for Irish travelling golfers .The climate and numbers of excellent courses make it the most popular destination for Irish people. Now with the ease of access from nearly all airports in Ireland to Malaga it is as easy to travel to play golf in the Costa, as it is to play in Donegal.

We have experienced many of the courses there including Torrequebrada; La Cala [North and South]; Mijas; Los Naranjos; La Quinta; Las Brisas; Monte Mayor; Almenara; Valderrama; Sotogrande and others.