Adriatic Golf Cruise
Long an important thoroughfare between different worlds and cultures, the Adriatic Sea today offers a splendid mix of dramatic landscapes, great food and wine, and challenging golf.
Privately chartered for this voyage, for the experienced traveler seeking the best in service and accommodations, Sea Cloud II is the premier means of travel.
ItineraryDay 1: Depart HomeDepart your home city for an overnight flight to Venice, Italy. Day 2: Venice, ItalyUpon arrival you’ll be greeted at the airport for your transfer into the city. The afternoon is at your leisure to explore this picturesque city before we embark on theSea Cloud II. Day 3: Play the Venice Golf Club
The Venice Golf Club has a storied past. In response to Henry Ford’s request to play golf, C.K. Cotton built this course in the sand dunes of Venice’s Lido Island on what was once the site of a Venetian fort. Maritime pines, willows, and poplars surround the course and, as expected, there is water. Day 4: Play at Bogogno Golf ClubMonte Rosa and the Italian Alps are the scenic backdrop to this Robert von Hagge layout that meanders through the countryside. Undulating fairways are bordered by flowing streams that feed several lakes, bringing water into play on many holes. Bogogno Golf Club offers a myriad of hazards that will test any golfer’s skill. Those on tour visit Milan, home to Da Vinci’s Last Supper and the world famous La Scala Theater and museum. Some may spend the day on Via Montenapoleone, one of Italy’s most famous shopping streets, considered by some to be the epicenter of the fashion world. Day 5: Play at Le Robinie Golf ClubGolfers play the only Jack Nicklaus designed course in Italy at Le Robinie Golf Club. Accuracy off the tee is important if you wish to reach the green in regulation at Le Robinie. Water comes into play on only six holes, but the key to success is maneuvering around the fairway bunkers. Immediately following golf, we drive to nearby Malpensa airport for our departing flight to Venice. Water taxis wait outside the airport to take us through the Grand Canal to Sea Cloud II, which awaits our embarkation. Those touring will visit Orta, a charming medieval town with picturesque alleys, graceful small houses and an active outdoor market. Passengers will then transfer by boat to the Island St. Giulio to visit the basilica, the most important architectural monument in the entire area, before rejoining the golfers for our flight to Venice. Day 6: Play at Porto Mariccio Golf CourseThis challenging 18-hole course at the Porto Mariccio Resort enjoys stunning views of Piran, Portoroz and, on clear days, even Venice. Well-placed bunkers and undulating greens will reward golfers’ accuracy. Today we tour the town of Pula, situated at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula. Located beneath seven hills and with views of the Adriatic, Pula has a long tradition of shipbuilding and serves as one of the most important naval bases in Croatia. It is also home to many ancient Roman buildings, including its magnificent amphitheater, one of the six largest Roman amphitheaters existing today. Day 7: Play at Adriatic Golf Club CerviaThe Adriatic Golf Club is located along the most popular portion of Italy’s Adriatic Coast. Spread over flat terrain, amidst pine trees and sandy dunes, nine holes present themselves as a traditional links layout, but without the harsh penalties of a Scottish links course. As the course heads inland, water comes into play on nearly every hole. Good course management is the key to a successful round of golf at the Adriatic Golf Club. Today’s tour takes us to Ravenna, once the capital of the Western Roman Empire, but a city that enjoyed its most glorious era under Byzantine rule. The mosaics adorning its buildings are among the greatest examples of Byzantine artistry in the world. We visit the tomb of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant’ Apollinaire Nuovo, whose interiors shimmer with thousands of stylized images and glorious colors. Day 8: Day at SeaSit back and watch skilled deckhands scale the rigging and set the sails on what is the finest handsailed, square-rigger of our age. What better way to settle in aboard Sea Cloud II than to delight in a full day at sea? This mesmerizing voyage through the intensely blue waters of the Adriatic takes us along spectacular coastlines, fascinating towns and ancient fortresses that held rule over the ancient world. Day 9: Play at San Domenico Golf ClubAgainst the backdrop of the blue Adriatic sky and blue-green sea, San Domenico Golf Club lies a few hundred yards from the rocky coast of the Adriatic. The wind will present challenges on this links-style layout as we navigate through well-shaped fairways, lined with strategically-placed bunkers. Once a fruitful olive grove, San Domenico is astutely landscaped with well maintained natural areas incorporated into the layout. Our tour heads to Alberobello, a charming hilltop village that is home to the famous “trulli.” These 12th century conical-shaped homes are rare enough for UN ESCO to declare this village a World Heritage Site. We lunch at a local masseria and sample Italy’s finest olive oils, which have been produced here for centuries. Day 10: Dubrovnik, CroatiaSea Cloud II sails into the dramatic Gulf of Kotor, a spectacular fjord surrounded by steep mountains. Called the “Jewel of the Adriatic” by Lord Byron, Dubrovnik is an ancient city filled with stone palaces, Venetian-style buildings and majestic bell towers. Our morning tour takes us to the Franciscan monastery, whose cloister ranks among the most inspiring sites of the city, and the cathedral, whose treasury contains one of the finest collections of gold and silver relics in Europe. The afternoon is free for lunch in one of Dubrovnik’s charming cafés or restaurants. Day 11: Split, CroatiaThe medieval city of Split is the largest on the Dalmatian Coast and one of Croatia’s cultural treasures. The historic city center, listed as one of UN ESCO’s World Heritage Sites, is home to Diocletian’s Palace, built by the Roman emperor at the turn of the fourth century as a retirement estate. We will enjoy a pleasant tour of the palace, with time for exploring Split’s city center, before returning to Sea Cloud II and setting sail along the beautiful Dalmation Coast. Day 12: Venice, Italy • HomeAll passengers are on deck early this morning to watch Sea Cloud II enter the Venice lagoon and sail past the famed duomos and basilicas that awaken with the morning sunlight. We bid farewell to Sea Cloud II and her crew as we disembark and transfer to the Venice airport for return flights home. Lake Como Pre-Tour (Date TBA)Our pre-tour takes us to Lake Como, Italy’s premiere resort location. Accommodations are at the Villa d’Este, once a 16th century private estate, located on the edge of Lake Como. Villa d’Este is annually rated among the top resorts in Europe. Golfers play Villa d’Este Golf Club, considered one of Italy’s best courses and always a favorite among golfers. Designed by English architect Peter Gannon, this course has hosted twelve Italian Opens. Pre-Tour participants also enjoy a private lake cruise where they leisurely sail by the villas, gardens, and charming villages, including Bellagio that lie along Lake Como’s shores. Some guests may choose to explore Milan or Lake Lugano in nearby Switzerland, but all will enjoy the host of activities available at Villa d’Este. Tour price is $2,995 per person, double occupancy ($3,865 per person for a Junior Suite) and is limited to a maximum of 24 guests. The price includes three nights at Villa d’Este, breakfasts, lake cruise, green fee, transfers for one round of golf, airport transfers and transportation to the Grand Hotel des Isles Borromées. Inclusions:
PricingSuperior staterooms $8,885 Deluxe staterooms $10,185 Premier staterooms $11,195 Junior suites $12,985 Owner’s suites $15,735 Single Occupancy $9,765 Lake Como Pre-tour*
|
|
 |