Compagnie du Ponant Offers Golf Enthusiast Cruise

Compagnie du Ponant invites golf and travel enthusiasts to combine their two passions with a nine-day “Nice–Nice” voyage that sails to eight ports and visits five courses in Italy and France aboard the three-masted sailing yacht Le Ponant. As the 64-passenger yacht traverses the Mediterranean Sea, golfers head to play rounds at courses including La Pevero, considered one of the world’s “best kept secrets,” and Cannes-Mougins, nestled within the protected lands of the Valmasque Forest.

Non-golfers will also be entertained with stops in Civitavecchia, the gateway to Rome; Viareggio, a placid Tuscan seaside resort town; and Calvi, home to the Genoese Citadel. Three departures are available: May 6, 17 and 25. A sports director will be onboard to assist with any golfer's needs.  Fares range from $4,841 to $5,453 per person, double; golfers pay an additional $760 per person.

·         Acquabona Golf Club – A nine-hole course with double starting ground challenges guests with uphill and downhill shots complicated by crosswinds from the sea. Situated on the Island of Elba, halfway between Portoferraio and Porto Azzurro.

·         Le Pavoniere – A relatively flat course in the old Tavola Farmhouse Estate Park that is surrounded by holm-oak woods, cluster pines and Tuscan cypresses.

·         Pevero – A creation of Robert Trent Jones Sr., ranked in the top 50 courses in the world by Golf Magazine. The layout incorporates the natural challenges in the landscape, from the Mistral – the northern wind that shaped the rocks in the area – to vegetation, lakes and 70 bunkers that dot the 6,688-yard course.

·         Sperone Golf Club – An 18-hole course considered to be one of Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s masterpieces – is ranked 6th in all of France.

·         Golf Country Club de Cannes-Mougins – Nestled within the heart of the Valmasque Forest and traversed by the Boullide River, this 6,906 yard, 18-hole course was founded in 1923, and rebuilt in 1977 by golf architects Peter Allis and Dave Thomas. It has since organized the Cannes Open, serving as a highlight on the European Tour.

The Mediterranean itinerary keeps in mind there are non-golfers aboard, so after Le Ponant journeys out from Nice it heads to Portoferraio. In this Tuscan town, non-golfers can take in the three historical forts or Napoleon’s home while golfers head off to Acquabona Golf Club. Other highlights along the way for the ‘golf widows and widowers’ include Viareggio, the city of Civitavecchia and the Sardinian village of Porto Rotondo. There is also the Corsica fortress town of Bonifacio and the “citadel city” of Calvi, dating back to 1000BC.

Included are all meals, accompanied by wine, beer and soda (lunch, dinner); Captain’s welcome aboard cocktail party and gala dinner; 24-hour room service; golf course fees (for those with the golf package), and all entertainment, events and shows as indicated within the itinerary.  Port charges/taxes, gratuities, optional excursions and transfers are additional.

Visit en.ponant.com