PerryGolf

Exclusive Scotland Golf Cruises

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing, Sports

Once the final putt is holed at this week's U.S. Open, the golf world will turn its gaze eastward toward the craggy shores of Scotland, where the British Open will be held at Turnberry next month. With all due respect to New York's Bethpage Black, the rugged site of the 2009 U.S. Open, there is nothing like golf on the Auld Sod, and there may be no finer way to experience it than by taking a private cruise: play a majestic links by day, sail by night.

PerryGolf, a well-respected tour operator, is offering two exclusive seven-night voyages aboard the Harmony II, a beautifully restored mid-twentieth-century mega-yacht. Each sailing can accommodate up to 12 guests. The first trip, from July 20–26 (the week following the British Open), begins in the Ayrshire town of Troon on Scotland's west coast and concludes up in the Highlands, in Inverness. The second journey, beginning July 27, reverses course.

Both itineraries feature six rounds of golf at such storied old links as Royal Dornoch, Machrihanish and the Machrie and the brand-new Castle Stuart (above), which will open in July bearing a timeless seaside look. Cultural excursions include exploring the unspoiled Isle of Islay, home to eight working distilleries, and a visit to Cawdor Castle, with its fictional link to Macbeth. The cost is $8,895 per golfing passenger; $8,495 for nongolfers. The price includes all on-board meals and drinks as well as ground transport and all golf-related fees.

Gallery: PerryGolf's Private Scotland Golf Cruises

Tags: Castle Stuart, CastleStuart, cawdor castle, CawdorCastle, cruises, Dornoch, golf, isle of Islay, IsleOfIslay, Machrie, Machrihanish, PerryGolf, Scotland

Epicurean Golf Tours by PerryGolf

by Paul Rogers (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

It's hard to imagine a more enticing golf vacation than one that includes rounds on world-class courses, but add singular epicurean adventures to the mix and you've fully entered the realm of fantasy. The established tour operator PerryGolf has drawn up a dozen such itineraries for 2009. Each combines visits to unforgettable courses like New Zealand's Cape Kidnappers (above) with indulgences such as cooking classes and private, chef-prepared meals in gastronomic capitals around the globe. The destinations range from Provence to Tuscany to the wine lands of Australia and New Zealand.

Here's a small taste of what's on offer. You can cruise the Rhône on Le Phenicien, an 18-passenger luxury barge, stopping at the Seve Ballesteros–designed Pont Royal Golf Club, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery and the cheese-making village of Epoisses. Or you can fly to Edinburgh and play such classic links as Carnoustie and the Old Course at St. Andrews and dine at Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, the only restaurant in Scotland to have earned two Michelin stars. For more information, visit perrygolf.com.

Gallery: Epicurean Golf Tours by PerryGolf