Golf holidays in Normandy
Coming from the UK, Belgium or the Netherlands, Normandy is one of the easiest parts of France to reach. And one of the most attractive too with its lush countryside, rolling hills and miles of sandy beaches. The landscape is either forest, dairy farms or apple orchards, studded with the characteristic Normandy architecture of cream coloured houses with their exposed chocolate-toned wooden framework.
There are three main areas for golf in Normandy, with quite a bit of overlap between them, so have a look at our (hopefully) helpful maps when deciding where to stay to play the courses you wish to play: or vice-versa. The most renowned area is probably Deauville/Trouville and the coastline along to Honfleur with its array of good inland courses and busy seaside resorts. For coastal golf, the stunning chalk cliffs of the Côte d'Albâtre that stretch from lively Dieppe west to sleepy Etretat are one of France's undiscovered golfing regions - well worth discovering! For a game away from the coast in the lush Normandy hinterlands head for the big city of Rouen, which is especially good at the height of the Summer school holidays when the coastal towns become overrun with beach-bound holidaymakers.
Normandy golf courses
The prime concentration of golf courses, and hence for many the best base for a Normandy golf holiday, is the coast around Deauville/Trouville and the immediate hinterlands. Here the golf courses are plentiful with the likes of Deauville, St. Julien and Amirauté leading the charge with some appealing parkland golf. Further inland the legendary Champ de Bataille golf course brings many a British golfer back to Normandy year after year; up on the coast Etretat is just within range for a day's golf too. There are no true links courses to be found in this part of Normandy, although the short course at Cabourg-le-Home has a linksy feel to a few of the holes. Out to the West, a little isolated admittedly, is Omaha beach; in truth a woodland course but famed for its clifftop stretch of holes overlooking the Normandy landing beaches.
Along the amazing chalk cliffs between Etretat and Dieppe, a new course - Côte Albâtre - has sprung up exactly halfway between the breathtaking layout at Etretat and the lovely little Club at Dieppe. This has turned two solitary courses into a destination of three: maybe even four if you include the up-and-down woodland course around the Chateau de St. Saens just a little inland from Dieppe.
Turning inland towards Rouen there is another belt of golf courses to be found, including the majestic Champ de Bataille cutting through the ancient forests that surround the equally ancient château. For many golfers, Champ de Bataille is the main reason to holiday in this part of France and we fully understand why! And being only one hour's drive from Deauville or Trouville it is reachable from there as well. Other golf courses in this area include Vaudreuil with its enormous Normandy clubhouse and the unassuming Léry-Poses, which is a public course, but a very good one! Closer to Rouen city is Mont St. Aignan and St. Saens, two interesting courses - if a little hilly in places.
So plenty to choose from: if it all seems a little confusing, please get in touch!
Where to stay - Deauville, Trouville & Honfleur
Deauville and Trouville are two rather different resort towns that straddle the river Touques where it empties into the Channel across the golden sands of the Normandy beaches with their characteristic boardwalks and multi-coloured parasols. Deauville is the chic option - all luxury hotels, film stars and boutique shopping: Trouville is much more down-to-Earth with a livelier, more relaxed feel to the bars and restaurants. As they are only a few hundred yards apart you can quite easily wander from one to the other across the river.
Deauville has a flotilla of luxury hotels beside the beach; the super luxurious 'Le Normandy' is the most famous due to it's prime position in the centre of the town, indeed Deauville seems to revolve around it and the casino! It's sister hotel 'Le Royal' further down the beach is a little more dated but of the same high standard: both are owned by the Barrière group - who also own the Deauville Golf Club with its Hôtel du Golf on site (and the casino by the way). The Hôtel du Golf is another long-standing Deauville hotel and very convenient for the First Tee at Deauville Golf Club; less sconvenient for town however as it is about a five-minute drive or taxi should you wish to dine out.
Trouville, the livelier sibling to Deauville, has a much more relaxed ambience. Maybe it's the number of restaurant tables in the plein-air running along the main road, maybe it's the buzzing fish market selling their wares at little stalls alongside the estuary harbour, maybe it's the number of hotels and guesthouses in town: whatever the reason there are generally many more tourists, more life, more buzz: consequently, the hotels are more relaxed too. OUr favourite in Trouville is the 'Hostellerie du Vallon' a good three-star in the midst of Trouville that can cope with larger groups and has plenty of parking - a real plus at weekends and in the Summer months!
Honfleur is a small village that suffers from its excruciatingly attractive quay encircled by restaurants - everyone wants to visit Honfleur! For golfers it saves some time getting up to the golf courses at Le Havre and Etretat however places to stay need to be booked well in advance! In the narrow cobbled streets around the market square are some small guesthousse where rooms are occasionally available, although vehicle access is tricky to say the least. Close to the quay the Cheval Blanc is our favourite and the largest hotel on the quayside; family-run, it has lots of old French charm and a public car-park just around the corner. A little further from the marina (but within walking distance) is the recent M Hotel (with a pool), where you can park outside, or for 'no-frills' accommodation the Ibis hotel has a very good location.
Where to stay - Côte Albâtre
For the three courses strung along the amazing chalky cliffs of the Côte Albâtre there are two main towns in which to stay: Dieppe, the lively port with its bustling old town and active fisheries or the quiet little inlet-hamlet of St. Valéry-en-Caux, where the alabaster cliffs rise vertically from the blue Channel waters. Dieppe has more to offer in terms of nightlife (and a direct ferry service from the UK): St. Valéry is a quieter spot where you can hang-out with the yachties in the absolutely perfect position for the three Golf Clubs at Dieppe, Côte Albâtre and Etretat.
Dieppe is an attractive little port with a long history of attracting invaders! Dieppe also has a unique arrangement of a long beach front with all the seaside activities, plus an active fishing port that is wrapped around behind the old town - geographically ideal as a harbour. Ther is a string of 70s & 80s hotels along the seafront, which is the best place to stay in town without a doubt. Our favourite amongst these is the Aguado: a privately-owned hotel which offers more charm than the chain hotels that sit alongside and just about everything you need for the perfect Dieppe golf holiday.
The inlet and pleasure port of Saint Valéry-en-Caux is ideally located very close to the new Côte Albâtre golf course and exactly halfway between Dieppe and Etretat Golf Clubs - a truly tremendous trio. The little town is anchored in a cleft in the cliffs providing a very sheltered marina that is hugely popular with the sailing set who moor their vessels on the lee-side of the lock next to the swing-bridge that allows the day-trip ferries to Dieppe in-and-out of the harbour. So although small, it's a lively little place in the Summer. In St. Valéry there is a very good modern hotel the 'Hôtel du Casino', which is part-owned by the casino although the two are at opposing ends of the inlet/yacht-park! This makes a great base for golf holidays with the whole village within strolling distance and about half-a-dozen restaurants to choose from in addition to the Hôtel du Casino's.
Etretat is another possible base for your golfbreak to Normandy as it has a number of lively little places to dine even for such a small town. For golfers 'The Dormy House' is quite appealing although it is a half-way up the hill to the Golf Club, so quite a strenuous stroll home after dinner! In town there are a few small hotels that we can recommend, should you wish to stay in Etretat.
Where to stay - Champ de Bataille & Rouen
For golf inland around Champ de Bataille, Val de Reuil and Rouen the towns are much simpler and quieter with the locals earning their crust through farming and industry rather than the tourist trade. So, unless you stay in the Normandy capital city of Rouen, you will find little to do after dinner apart from deep, silent slumber: although rumour has it that it helps your game!
In the centre of Rouen is a very fine hotel indeed 'Le Bourgetheroulde' that makes an ideal place to stay to visit all the antiquities of Rouen on foot (its famous cathedral for instance) and to enjoy the golf courses around the city too.
If you're hooked on Champ de Bataille as a golf course (and why wouldn't you be?) then there are two options should you wisn to stay as nearby as possible. The first is Le Neuborg, the local town where there are a couple of simple old French hotels and a modern motel just on the outskirts; the second is the joyfully-painted, monastic hamlet of Bec Hellouin a few kilometres from the course where there is a small hotel right opposite the vast abbey. A day out to the monastery is well worth it, if you are not staying here.
Sightseeing in Normandy
Aside form the golf there is much to do and see in Normandy. Dating back to ancient Norman churches from William the Conqueror's era and indeed the famous Bayeux Tapestry; along with memorials to more recent conflicts along the Normandy Beaches, moving epitaphs to such waste and human sacrifice.
On a cheerier note, every pretty little town and village seems to have a huge church at its centre, some remarkable ones exist, such as the wood-tiled, double-barrelled example in Honfleur. Once or twice a week these towns will host the local market, a golden opportunity to pick-up some local goodies - and some local expressions!
Getting to Normandy
The very easiest way to Deauville is via the Brittany Ferries crossings form Portsmouth to Caen or the LD lines sailings to Le Havre or Dieppe. We will recommend the best routes and crossing times for you and book these and any cabins you may require at our advantageous rates.
Alternatively, it is a very easy drive from Calais these days, now that the autoroute is linked all the way through from Calais to Rouen then onwards to Caen. Making the Eurotunnel or Dover-Calais ferries another option to consider especially if you are thinking of the Côte Albâtre. We can include these Channel crossings in your holiday for you - also at our reduced rates.
