To a Tee in Wales

Dec 19, 2010

While acclaimed golfer Tiger Woods couldn't make it through all 18 holes on the 2010 Ryder Cup course, that shouldn't discourage your clients from staying at the stunning resort that hosted this year's high-profile golf competition. The Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales, played host to the biennial golf competition that pitches golfing dream teams from Europe and the U.S. against one another. And while ESPN.com claimed that it was Woodsí worst defeat in six Ryder Cup appearances, I strongly argue that his performance had nothing to do with the five-star accommodations.

The Celtic Manor Resort is comprised of three properties. The first, the Manor House Hotel, is a 70-room, 19th-century manor house that was once used as a maternity hospital. The second, The Resort Hotel, is a newer addition that opened in 1999 and houses 330 luxury rooms, 32 suites, a spa, a convention center and an exhibition hall. The third, The Newbridge on Usk, is a quaint 200-year-old inn located on the banks of the Usk River.

The resort's decor has an overall traditional feel but adds a bit of whimsy with oversize carved wooden dragons that dominate the main lobby. Adding to the mystical feel is Merlins, where clients can listen to live piano music in a unique venue that is a combination of a bar, a tearoom, a library and a conservatory.

The crown jewel in the resort's dining venues is The Crown at Celtic Manor. Locavores and foodies would delight in this elegant restaurant's emphasis on using locally sourced ingredients and offering seasonal menus.

And while there is plenty to do at the resort, such as plunging into the impressive 66-foot-long indoor pool, relaxing in one of its two spas, shopping in its collection of boutique stores, hitting the high-tech gym, serving up a game of tennis or burning rubber while mountain biking, it is golf that is always in the spotlight at The Celtic Manor Resort.

The entire resort is situated upon 1,400 acres of serene Welsh parkland with two luxurious clubhouses, a state-of-the-art Golf Academy and three championship golf courses: The Twenty Ten Course that was specially designed to host this year's Ryder Cup; the Montgomerie Course; and the Roman Road course that gets its name from the ancient Roman highway that crosses the resortís fairways into the nearby Roman fortress town of Caerleon.

So, for clients who dream of deep-pot bunkers, tricky greenside swales or, perhaps, besting Tiger Woods at his own game, a stay at The Celtic Manor Resort just might fit them to a tee.