With the Mediterranean Ocean softly glistening under the sun behind you and a myriad of mountains standing dramatically in front of you, whatever direction you swing a golf club on the fairylike Cote d’Azur, you are guaranteed to be inspired.

With such inspirational surrounding, that uniquely combines affluence and modernity with tradition and simplicity, the Cote d’Azur, for decades, has been a favorite European destination for golfers of all abilities and ages.

There are a total of 20 golf courses on the Cote d’Azur, all of which have been designed by some of the world’s most internationally-renowned golf course architects.  Below is three of the best golf course the Cote d’Azur has to offer:

Golf du Claux Amic

Situated on the hills above the beautiful town Grasse with breath-taking views of the Med and the mountains, playing Golf du Claux Amic demands concentration and inspiration. Established in 1992 Golf du Claux Amic blends some intimidating drives with several more easy and ‘relaxed’ ones, meaning that this golf course caters for golfers of all abilities.

But it is perhaps Golf du Amic’s spectacular surrounding countryside that includes courses and holes lined with trees and a stunning vista looking down on the city of Cannes with the Mediterranean behind, that is this golf course’s greatest asset.

For more information on Grasse’s Golf du Claux Amic, click HERE.

Golf Country Club Saint Donat

This diverse course of tree-lined landscapes was created by the renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones in 1993. The Golf Country Club Saint Donat provides golfers with a challenging yet rewarding game of golf in the most luxurious of surroundings.

Located in the heart of the Cote d’Azur between the cities of Grasse and Nice, this motivating golf country club is open all year round.

Top quality facilities, including a luxurious country house that houses a lavish restaurant complement this first-rate golf course.

For more information on Golf Country Club Saint Donat, click HERE.

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With its inimitable beauty, throng of cultural sites, and cities synonymous with glitz, glamour and wealth, it is of little wonder that Nice Cote d’Azur Airport attracts a huge volume of passengers year in year out.

Reinstating the dedication to excel in a reputation that is tantamount to luxury that the French Riviera is renowned for, in recent years France’s second biggest airport has undergone several ‘luxury’ developments, meaning visitors are welcoming to the Cote d’Azur with an air of lavishness before taking foot outside the airport!

With a consistently high volume of traffic hitting record heights in recent years, which is expected to rise by 20% by 2016, Nice Cote d’Azur Airport has announced plans to build a third terminal to cater for the increasing traffic.

In a meeting earlier this year, the President of the Societe des Aeroports de la Cote d’Azur spoke about the plans for the 30,000 square metres new terminal, including that it will be heavily focussed on supporting air traffic of low-cost airlines, including EasyJet.

Terminal 3 will be located between the Var River and the airport’s terminal 2, and he major revamp of the airport is expected to cost 80 million euros.

Other plans for the new terminal include the allocation of nine shuttle buses that will rally passengers from the airport to the airplanes and thus removing the need for a footbridge.

Another improvement that is reportedly going to be part of the Cote d’Azur Airport’s new terminal will be the construction of a pre-boarding room that will enable passengers to relax in more comfortable surroundings as they wait to board the plane.

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Back for its sixth consecutive year is the Antibes Yacht Show and this year, the Mediterranean’s only springtime brokerage, charter and refit show, promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Over the last 12 months the organisers of this exclusive and luxury yacht event have been preparing hard to make the Antibes Yacht Show more memorable than ever before.

From 12 April – 15 April 2012 the town of Antibes, one of the best known resorts on the Cote d’Azur, will be holding this highly-anticipated event, which, for the past five years has drawn yachts of varying sizes and beauty to the shores of the Mediterranean and has had exhibitors from 14 different countries display their yachting delights to a highly receptive throng of both local and international visitors.

This year’s Antibes Yacht Show will be particularly focused on developing its ‘Seminar Area’, whereby the International Superyacht Society is working in cooperation with the Professional Yachting Association and holding a co-hosted seminar on the Friday of the show.

Also on the Friday, which happens to be Friday 13^th, a late night evening event, which is a new focus of the show, will be taking place, enabling exhibitors to welcome their guests by relaxing, talking and enjoying a few drinks in the most inspiring of surroundings for any yachtsman.

On the last day of the Antibes Yacht Show, exhibitors will have the opportunity to present their yachts in a highly entertaining method to other yacht professionals and enthusiasts, in an event known as ‘Yacht Hop on Sunday’.

Another new asset who will no doubt enhance this year’s Antibes Yacht Show is the appointment of the team’s new Commissioner General. Stephane Trabet has come from the luxury hotel industry and therefore bringing his expert knowledge and skills of an industry oozing in luxury and wealth, and will undoubtedly enrich this inspiring event and elevate it to even greater global recognition and esteem.

The town of Antibes boasts a magnificent 23km stretch of stunning coastline, making it the longest shoreline of any town in the Cote d’Azur department.

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The 2012 edition of the French Michelin guide has provided France with another rare three-star ranking for one of its Southern restaurants.

Flocons de Sel in Megève South-eastern France is tucked away into the mountains of the Rhône Alps, and has now been named by the Michelin Inspectors as a secret well worth discovering.

The restaurant, which can be translated as “salt flakes”, is owned by Emmanuel Renaut who is known for his innovative and modern cuisine.  Renaut acquired the site of the restaurant in 1998, taking over from a pizzeria that previously occupied the space.

Flocons de Sel came about after Renaut had finished a stint of running a 20-man team at the luxurious Claridges Hotel in London. He has since transformed it into an ultra modern eatery, with a light-flooded dining room that leads onto a vast terrace, revealing a breathtaking view over the hills.

The restaurant is also part of a small resort that has its own spa and a handful of luxury rooms.

The menu at Flocons de sel is based on traditional Savoyard cuisine that originates from the mountainous regions of South-eastern France.

The current winter menu boasts dishes like Jerusalem artichoke in butter noisette  sauce, and local fish from Lac Leman with leeks and a lemon paté. It also features a smoked chocolate dessert which is served with wood ice cream – infused with wood instead of the traditional vanilla flavouring.

It becomes the 26^th restaurant in France to receive the prestigious three-star status, and now joins the ranks of Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée and Guy Savoy. France is still closely behind Japan, who has 32 three-starred establishments and is currently in the lead around the world.

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Photographers can travel the world but they will find it hard to match the unique and unrivalled beauty of the Cote d’Azur to showcase their talents.

With so many inspiring landmarks, eccentric and unusual discoveries and stunning natural beauty, swathed by an azure sky and sea, achieving inimitable and motivating photographs on this stretch of French coastline is attainable for even the most amateur of photographers.

In celebration of the Cote d’Azur’s perpetual capacity to enthuse photographers, the Chateau St Julien d’Aille is holding a photography workshop.

Named the ‘Scrapbook Event’, the workshop will enable photographers of all abilities to speak to and gain advice from professionals to help them make photographic scrapbooks with their own photos.

Alongside attending talks dedicated to helping photographers mount and display their work in a professional scrapbook, the event will include several wine tasting sessions, allowing photographers to sample the delicious local wine that is produced in the Cote d’Azur region.

Situated close to Vidauban on the Cote d’Azur, is the grand and impressive Chateau St Julien d’Aille, which, for centuries, has been tended by people whose passion in winemaking has been proven by the quality of the wine produced here.

In combining both modern and ancient winemaking techniques, the experience visitors to this stately chateau discover delves much deeper than simply tasting some of the most divine wine that France has to offer.

Being blessed with 80 hectares of vines surrounded by a swarm beautiful natural resources including holly oaks, pine trees, heather, thyme, junipers and pine trees, it isn’t difficult to envisage why the photography professionals that will be gracing the Chateau St Julien d’Aille with their presence decided to hold the Scrapbook Event at this truly inspirational venue.

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