Tucked away in a secluded location amid winding roads in the heart of wooded valleys, Royal Mougins Golf Resort is a 4-star getaway destination on the French Riviera, half-hour drive from Antibes on the Côte d'Azur.
Occupying a rustic setting, the property consists of a series of suites all designed as apartments on first, second and third floor levels, many with wonderful views over the 18-hole golf course and surrounding countryside.
Through electronically-operated steel gates and a short drive up a gentle rise and you arrive at the clubhouse, with a large carpark in front and an entrance hall adorned by four sturdy pillars.
Its multi-room interior features assorted seating on sofas, armchairs and wicker chairs. One comfortable room featured an open fire with long wooden coffee tables, bookshelves, an assortment of crystal and silver ornaments and a series of framed black and white photographs of golfers in action. Golf tournaments are shown live on a giant flatscreen TV. Breakfasts, lunches and dinners are served in ‘Le Royal Garden’ restaurant a few steps from the final green. My companion and I enjoyed breakfast on an outside patio, ‘La Terrasse du 18,’ with panoramic views over rolling hills.
We stayed in Prestige Suite, 402, spacious accommodation a minute’s walk from the clubhouse. It featured five separate rooms - living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom with separate bath and shower, and bedroom - with polished wood and carpet flooring. The kitchen is well-equipped with all the necessary appliances such as coffee machine, microwave, dishwasher and fridge.
Floor-to-ceiling windows permitted plenty of natural light to flood in and a beige sofa and armchair, matching curtains, coffee table, flatscreen TV and small dining table evoked a sense of homeliness.
Interestingly, esoteric decorations included four starched shirt collars in a square glass, a green marble disc with a hole in the middle resembling a giant polo peppermint, five golf balls inside a gold-colored fish bowl and a silver sculpture reminiscent of multiple fingers pointing upwards. Several black and white framed golf-related photos adorned the walls.
The suite also had a stone-tiled terrace so large you could have twenty friends over for dinner or drinks and still have room to spare. Two padded lounge chairs, a table and four chairs and cacti plants in tall boxes helped create a delightful ambience to relax under sunshine and blue skies with palm trees swaying softly in the breeze. Being on the second floor, there were wonderful views over the golf course, flowery areas designed by landscaper Jean Mus and beyond to forested ridges and villages clinging to surrounding slopes. A decorative pigeon house and a gurgling stream stood directly in front.
