La Blanche Resort
Shoshana Whisenton
Inaugurated in 2004, Terre Blanche has two internationally renowned courses, "Le Château" and "Le Riou", as well as a training centre unique in Europe where the best teaching methods are used. These top-of-the-range and eco-responsible facilities have earned it GEO (Golf Environment Organisation) certification and a 10th place ranking in the world's top 100 golf resorts by GOLF WORLD (UK), alongside such renowned resorts as Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Turnberry and Gleneagles.
Nature is the inspiration for the courses here: valleys, lakes, ravines, waterfalls, forests. The golf architect Dave Thomas has preserved the existing relief and vegetation of this magnificent site. His signature is expressed in the jagged bunkers.
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About St. Regis Hotels & Resorts
Combining timeless glamour with a vanguard spirit, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is committed to delivering exquisite experiences at more than 50 luxury hotels and resorts in the best addresses around the world. Beginning with the debut of The St. Regis hotel in New York by John Jacob Astor IV at the dawn of the twentieth century, the brand has remained committed to an uncompromising level of bespoke and anticipatory service for all of its guests, delivered flawlessly by the signature St. Regis Butler Service. For more information and new openings, visit stregis.com or follow Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. St. Regis is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including complimentary nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit marriottbonvoy.com.
Terre Blanche golf and spa resort in the Cote d'Azur provided us with the ideal fall mini-break. With around 300 days of sunshine annually in that area of France, even in October we were pretty much guaranteed decent weather. Although Terre Blanche is only 45 minutes from Nice airport, it's located in the peaceful countryside away from the more hectic parts of the French Riviera.
The sprawling five-star resort, covering 750 acres, features 115 suites and villas and four restaurants, including Le Faventia, which received its first Michelin star this year. Although there's plenty to do and see nearby, there's actually no reason to ever leave the resort. There's a spa with an indoor pool, tennis courts, two 18-hole golf courses and my favorite feature, a massive infinity pool with lovely views of the surrounding landscape.
Terre Blanche wasn't ranked the no. 1 golf resort in continental Europe by Golf World (a UK publication) simply because of its two fine tournament courses, Le Chateau and Le Riou. A complete package of luxurious amenities is what's so impressive.
Terre Blanche opened in 2004 as a resort run by Four Seasons before becoming an independent property in 2012. With so much surrounding beauty in the hills of the Provence region in the south of France, it's hard not to fall for the charms of Terre Blanche. Actor Sean Connery did when he originally bought the land that eventually became the resort.
Terre Blanche reminds me a lot of The Boulders, the five-star resort outside Scottsdale, Ariz. After checking in at each place, guests are whisked away by golf cart to secluded villas built in harmony with the natural surroundings. My suite at Terre Blanche featured a front room and separate bedroom, both connected to a terrace overlooking the countryside.
Statues, sculptures, paintings and pictures decorate the public spaces. Each was pulled from the personal collection of resort owner Dietmar Hopp, a German billionaire who was one of the original founders of SAP. Outside the spa is a mesmerizing piece where a shape of a man merges with a shape of a woman as it spins within a fountain. Inside the spa is a lap pool and hot tub set amid two-story columns. It's a gorgeous facility, home to separate sauna and steam rooms for men and women and open to every guest.
All of this is great and wonderful, but wait until you taste the food and drink the wine. The brilliance of French cuisine cannot be ignored. The resort treats every dish it cooks like it's your last. The breads and cheeses before and after the main courses are exquisite. The seafood and steak I ordered each night were equally succulent.
Le Riou fit my eye, and my game, better. It gallantly gallops up and down more interesting terrain. Because it's 700 yards shorter, it is more engaging for all skill levels. It's also more exclusive, since only resort guests and members can play it. Each nine ends memorably -- a waterfall framing the par-4 ninth hole and a glorious risk-reward par 5 at the 18th. If you only have time for one round, sorry, I can't help you make that difficult decision.
For larger families, or those who want more space, Terre Blanche also offers a variety of villas. These have one or two bedrooms; some include a full kitchen so you can enjoy the comforts of home with the conveniences of the resort. As an extra-special touch, multiple connecting rooms are also available (both in Suite and Villa categories), which means large or multigenerational families have plenty of options.
When you are ready to leave the haven of the resort, there are plenty of activities nearby that the concierge can help you arrange. Gregory, the head concierge, takes special care in crafting itineraries for families to make sure everyone has an incredible time in this special region.
Providing a private beach and an indoor pool, La Blanche Resort & Spa Ultra All Inclusive is a deluxe place to stay in Turgutreis. The various amenities this elegant resort offers include an all-inclusive meal plan, a Turkish steam bath and a sauna.
Located in the midway of Siem Reap on road 6, only minutes away from the famous Angkor archeological park, the resort is ideally close to some of the iconic sights of Siem Reap such as Cultural Village and War Museum, and provides convenient access within five minutes remorque ride to the vibrant downtown.
The entire resort was lovely - friendly staff, relaxing atmosphere, well maintained pool and garden area, and a very comfortable bed. Only 5-10 minutes away by tuktuk or taxi, which the staff are happy to radio round to the entrance for you. The food in the restaraunt was also excellent, both at breakfast and on their a la carte and bar menus.
Bodrum, Bodrum Region
Nestled in a sandy bay and surrounded by tropical gardens, this luxurious resort is a great choice for families and couples alike looking to enjoy a sophisticated Turkish beach break....
Stayed here start of September for 2 weeks on arrival we were impressed at the setting of the hotel it as beautiful. Our room wasn't ready on arrival but that wasn't a problem so we went off to the buffet area for lunch. It looked pretty chaotic even though it wasn't that busy a lot of empty tables that hadn't been cleared with waiting staff standing around doing nothing. The choice of food wasn't great to be honest but we found something but found that the plates were cold and the food was lukewarm which meant when you got to the table the food was cold - not a great start. We got into our room early afternoon and that was lovely really nice with a fab view - the view is the hotels saving grace. The hotel and grounds are clean and the pool areas the same. We ate that night in the buffet area again same problem cold food and the choice not great. Breakfast the following morning I waited until the chef had cooked some eggs I took hold of 2 of them BUT when I got to the table they were stone cold again cold plates. Fast forward to the evening and we went to the fish restaurant the view stunning but once the sun goes down you are in pitch darkness as no lamps on tables so guest had to resort to eating with the light on their phones and AGAIN food even colder than the buffet. Fast forward to the following eve when we ate at the Chinese again once the sun went down we were left in the dark and again cold food. I went straight to reception and complained to one of the Managers. He met with my husband the following morning and my husband pointed out what was wrong. The following day some plates were slightly warm but not warm enough to be honest and they had turned up the hot plates slightly but at that stage we had given up.
Management need to start looking after their guest more and not looking at the costs of running this establishment. Food is a huge part of our holiday and after this one I would never return if they ran their hotel in Ireland/UK the way they run this establishment it would be closed in weeks. We saw v few English and absolutely NO irish guest and I would say that is down to the poor food.and the way it is cooked. If someone had offered me my money back after the 3rd day I would have taken it and went home. Its such a shame as our holiday could have been so much better and we weren't the only people giving out everyone we spoke with complained how poor the food was even the choice. The only food that was warn was the bread that the chefs were constantly cooking and the chips - who wants to eat chips for 14 days we didn't but we were left with no alternative.
Staff - guys at the bar esp the guy in the bandana were so nice and on the ball, staff in the buffet couldn't care less only twice were we offered drinks in 2 weeks
Cake Bar - cakes looked fab but they all tasted the same so disappointing
Would we go back - absolutely not in a million years this hotel is not 5 star as the food so poor. If your food is as important to you as the sunshine is avoid at your peril. Do you want to eat in the dark, limited to chips to keep you going and a poor choice of cuisine well this is this hotel down to a tee.