Twenty-five minutes from Perpignan airport or train station, the Saint-Cyprien golf course is lit by the Mediterranean sun and embraced by the sea and the Canet pond. Three nine particularly challenging and above all very varied holes will delight the snags of the little white ball. The "Canigou-Etang" is a links built in the heart of an ornithological reserve which offers different strategic options almost at each hole. Shorter but just as technical, the 9-hole “La Forêt” gives off a scent of pine forest. The many squirrels and colorful birds will watch out for your smallest slices and other hooks.

Pleasure of the senses

Nearby, the Catalan city of Collioure and its medieval castle, once welcomed the painters Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. To visit absolutely.

You can then relax in the spa at Mas d'Huston, the charming 4-star hotel next to the golf course, and enjoy the fairy fingers of the charming Johanna and her delicious massage (among others) of the scalp. In the evening, the gourmet restaurant "Le Mas" and its chef Julien Boy will titillate the taste buds of gourmets. Even vegetarians will be able to find their happiness there!

The next day (or the day before), head to the Falgos estate at around 1h15 by road, for a route that is really worth the detour. Enclosed in the Pyrenees at an altitude of 1100 meters and built in 1995, this old sheepfold regularly welcomes rugby players from the XV of France for the greenery. Jacques Mesrine also found refuge there in the 70s, but not for the same reasons.

An exceptional panorama

Golf is a visual delight, with the bay of Rosas and the Mediterranean in the east, which can be seen in good weather, and to the west Mount Canigou towards which the green of n ° 12, the signature of the course. A technical treat too, with a wide variety of holes and perfectly maintained. Narrow and hilly, the Falgos golf course requires precision and… a cart, for the less athletic and the less young in any case. Beyond 20 index, it is also necessary to provide some spare ammunition. As for the more superstitious, they will be able to perform ablution at the birdie fountain just before departure, even if we cannot guarantee that it will work every time!

To relax from your golfing ups and downs (literally and figuratively), you can then relax in the spa of the charming 3-star hotel on the estate. And why not discover the astonishing and relaxing massage… with golf balls from the no less charming Émeline.

A few kilometers away, you can visit the Toiles du Soleil factory and its weaving looms from another age, as well as the Catalan espadrille factory at Saint-Laurent de Cerdans. The Spanish border is fifteen minutes away and the Costa Brava an hour away.

Last but not least - or rather per ultim, pero no menys important, as we say in Catalan -, the golf courses of Saint-Cyprien and Falgos currently offer a particularly attractive combined offer: 195 euros / person to play both courses, with nights at the hotel and breakfast included. Non-golfers have the opportunity to exchange the green-fee for a spa treatment. In short, a very good weekend plan, or even more if you like ...

Frank Crudo