Whether you're after velvety greens or just absurd levels of luxury, these hotels serve up world-class golf and knockout indulgence all in one.
Blame it on the cute golf gear or the pandemic hobby boom, but golfers are dusting off their clubs in record numbers. If you're one of them, then booking a bells-and-whistles stay with mind-stilling, fairway views will be high on your hit list. Enter this hotlist of the world's most beautiful hotels with world-class golf courses, stretching from windswept Scotland to the balmy Caribbean.
Gleneagles, Auchterarder
@thegleneagleshotel
Best for: golfing purists
If one of Scotland's claims to fame is inventing golf, you better believe it’s got some serious cachet when it comes to courses. Mention Gleneagles to any long-time golfer and watch their eyes light up. Its three championship golf courses and one nine-hole course consistently win awards while also playing host to the world’s biggest pros. You may have to fight it out with your fellow putters for a tee time at King's Course, but it’s the perfect place to test your skills, surrounded by the sweeping Scottish scenery. Afterwards, rest your feet in one of Gleneagles’ 232 stately rooms and indulge in some of Scotland’s best meals, including Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Scotland’s only two-Michelin-star dining destination. Fuel up for a day on the fairway with Gleneagles’ fit-for-a-king breakfast buffet – don’t skimp on the house-cured smoked salmon.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii
@fshualalai
Best for: a unique course with top tech
This Big Island resort has graced the mood boards of honeymooners and exhausted parents for nearly 30 years. A beachside respite with every activity under the hot Hawaiian sun, its 18-hole Jack Nicklaus championship course is an emerald jewel amongst the lava fields. But its locale is part of what makes a game here so special. Spanning more than 7,100 yards, golfers on this PGA course have to avoid the jet-black lava rocks that wind through the various oceanside holes. Facilities here also offer top-notch tech, including a Topgolf Swing Suite and Trackman gear to perfect your swing before you hit the links.
Mandarin Oriental, Canouan
@mo_canouan
Best for: networking with the world’s wealthiest golfers
Ever heard of Canouan? Probably not, but that’s the appeal. Private jets are the way to arrive on this small Caribbean island where Mandarin Oriental offers a supremely exclusive beachside getaway chock full of the world’s richest. The Canouan Golf Club, located next to the resort, is a challenging 18-hole championship course designed by the world-famous Jim Fazio. Its 180 acres of hilly terrain, built around the island's highest peak, and water traps ward off newbies, while its chilled-out dining offerings are the perfect place to wheel and deal.
Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, Matauri Bay
@rosewoodkauricliffs
Best for: practicing in private
In a place where adjectives like wild and windswept get tossed around, you can bet you’re in for an exciting round or two in New Zealand. This Rosewood resort practically begs its guests to lap up the surrounding natural beauty, from the three private beaches to its rolling farmland and David Harman-designed championship golf course. With just 26 rooms and suites, it's unlikely you’ll be fighting for tee times at this private and perfectly manicured course. The practice facilities offer panoramic ocean views (watch out for whales), and the 18-hole course takes you on a journey through the landscapes that inspired J R R Tolkien’s Middle-earth, past subtropical valleys, ravines, inland ranges and oceanside holes.
One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit
@oomandarina
Best for: a family golf game
Golf. Spa. Margarita. Repeat. That should be the mantra at this exclusive resort in Mexico's Riviera Nayarit. Wake up early to take in the misty mountain views that surround this brand new, Greg Norman-designed nine-hole, par-three course. Perfect for those new to the game, it offers a discounted junior golfers rate and plenty of expert instructors. Don’t yawn just yet: Gregg included an extra challenge hole – The Kraken – to stump pros like him. Then, retire to your eco-friendly oceanview villa built atop a craggy cliff or to the volcanic rock garden spa, overflowing with relaxing Indigenous-inspired treatments that will do wonders for that pesky golfer’s elbow.
Heritage Resorts & Golf Mauritius
@heritagegolfclub
Best for: golfers with a few decades’ experience
Serious golf games take centre stage at this tropical African island resort where La Reserve Golf Links is a first-of-its-kind course in the Indian Ocean. Its 18 holes are situated along a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, meaning it has been carefully and sustainably designed with narrow fairways and wow-worthy panoramic views from every challenging hole. After you’ve worked up a sweat, head back to one of two tranquil five-star resorts, the Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Wellness Resort (connected to the course) or the beachside Heritage Awali Golf and Spa Resort. If you’ve come with your crew, Heritage The Villas private homes may be the way to go.
The St. Regis Bermuda Resort
@stregisbermuda
Best for: a laidback island game
Pack your Bermuda shorts and SPF 50+ for a cruisy game of golf on Bermuda’s quiet and secluded St. George’s Island. Its Five Forts Golf Club gets its namesake from the historic forts surrounding the 4,436-yard course. Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr., its 18 holes are ace for golfers of all levels, and the ocean views from the 18th are the cherry on top of an exciting round. Working up a sweat here is guaranteed, but luckily, you’re mere steps away from the pinkish sand beach at the St. Regis resort or a piña colada from the balcony of any of its 102 rooms and suites.
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