LONDON (April 2006): Why stay in the U.S. to play golf? Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts offers golf resorts in some of the most exotic, exciting and uncommon destinations in the world with challenging courses suitable for both professionals and amateurs. Below, please find highlights of Le Méridien golf resorts in Bali, Nepal, Moscow, China, and the Algarve in Portugal.
Le Méridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort, Bali
Set on the southwest coast of Bali overlooking the famous Tanah Lot sea temple, Nirwana Bali Golf Club is the centerpiece of the fully integrated Le Méridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort.
Designed by legendary golfer Greg Norman, this 18-hole golf course can be counted on to delight and challenge golfers from around the world. The course makes extensive use of the island’s natural features, with three holes running along cliffs on the Indian Ocean. Terraced rice paddies provide unique hazards, testing the accuracy and consistency of even pro-level golfers, but still capable of being enjoyable for the average golfer.
Set upon 247 acres of beautiful landscaped grounds, the 278-room Le Méridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort will delight golfers and non-golfers alike. With swimming pools, a luxury spa, and easy proximity to Bali’s best shopping, dining and entertainment, there is plenty for all.
Le Méridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort, Bali: rooms start at £75 (appx. $134) per night.
Le Méridien Kathmandu Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa
Located just 30 minutes from the city center of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, Le Méridien Kathmandu Forest Golf Resort & Spa is tucked in the 470-acre Gokarna Forest. Deer and monkeys roam around freely on the grounds, which were once the cherished hunting grounds of Nepalese kings.
The resort’s 18-hole golf course offers views of perhaps the most dramatic backdrop in the world, the Himalayas. Designed by Gleneagles Golf Developments, the par 72 course meanders for 6,715 yards through untouched forest and boasts the only bent grass greens in South Asia, making it one of the highlights of the professional circuit in the region.
Other leisure options at Le Méridien Kathmandu include an indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and gym, as well as an international cuisine restaurant, a clubhouse and two bars.
Le Méridien Kathmandu Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa: rooms start at £40 (appx. $72) per night.
Le Méridien Moscow Country Club
Le Méridien Moscow Country Club is a peaceful retreat set on 297 acres of birch forest with clear lakes and a sandy beach. The hotel features Russia’s first and only 18-hole, par 72 golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Every year Le Méridien Moscow Country Club hosts the “Cadillac Russian Open,” an event on the PGA European Challenge Tour. Along with the traditional golf course, the hotel also features a computerized golf simulator, mini golf, an indoor and outdoor driving range, chipping and putting greens and a pro shop, making it the ideal resort for every golf enthusiast.
The resort is located within a short drive of Moscow city center and its historic sites, including the Bolshoi Theatre and the famous Red Square. Along with golf, the resort offers a host of activities for business and leisure seekers to enjoy year-round. These range from swimming, tennis, volleyball and badminton to dog sled rides, ice skating, cross-country skiing and fishing.
Le Méridien Moscow Country Club: rooms start at £95 (appx. $170) per night.
Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai
Located within the National Trust Resort of She Shan in the Northern part of Songjang, Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai is surrounded by an inviting natural and historic landscape. Situated near the soothing Yuehu Lake and beautiful parkland, the hotel is within close proximity to the oldest Cathedral in the East, the She Shan Observatory, and the Natural Bird Park.
Just five minutes away from the hotel is Sheshan International Golf Club Shanghai, an 18-hole private residential community golf course located near the Sheshan National Forest Park that has quickly established itself as a premier golf club in Shanghai. Dotted with more than 10,000 trees, the golf course features two signature holes: the short par 4 16th, and the par 3 17th, both of which play around a 50-meter deep rock quarry. The clubhouse and villas have been designed in Tuscany style, creating some of the most expensive real estate in the city.
Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai: rooms start at £80 (appx. $143) per night.
Le Méridien Penina Golf & Resort, Algarve
Set on its own picturesque 360-acre estate, Le Méridien Penina Golf & Resort offers three golf courses.
The signature course, designed by Sir Henry Cotton, is a flat parkland course built on former rice paddies and scrubland. Most of the drainage ditches in the paddies were retained and partially modified by Cotton into challenging water hazards. The dramatic change in terrain was helped by the planting of 250,000 trees, which now line most of the fairways.
A few refinements have been made to Cotton’s original championship layout while subtle landscaping features have enhanced the visual aspect of the course and some of the hazards have been extended. The Portuguese Open was held here in 1998 and 1999.
Le Méridien Penina Golf & Resort also offers an Academy Course for beginners and a new 9-hole Resort Course. There is also an extensive driving range and huge putting green.
Le Méridien Penina Golf & Resort, Algarve starts at £110 (appx. $197) per night, including breakfast.
For more information or reservations at any of these Le Meridien golf hotels, please visit www.lemeridien.com, or call 800-543-4300.
For more on Golf at ITKT
