1 : Egypt
Cairo
I love Egypt ....
But it isn ’ t just in my heart , it ’ s also in my blood . My paternal grandfather was Egyptian . Born in Alexandria , on the country ’ s Mediterranean coast , he spent the last two decades of his life living in Cairo after the marriage to my grandmother – an English dancer with the Bluebells dance troupe resident at the famous Folies Bergère in Paris where they met , married and lived – broke down and she returned to London with her two teenage sons , one my future father .
Sadly , I didn ’ t to meet him as he died when I was just two and he never left there again .
Yet every time I visit Egypt it feels like a sort of homecoming , as it does again early this year on my first visit back there for 15 years .
Despite turmoil elsewhere in the region , it feels safe and peaceful as it always has done . Its people
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12 DestinationGolf . travel are gracious , friendly and are happy to go the extra mile to make me feel welcome . Not just me , though . It is how they treat all visitors .
With more than 3,000 years of history , still evident in its numerous surviving relics and monuments , and a stunning Red Sea coastline dotted with classy resorts boasting wonderful beaches and high-quality hotels , Egypt makes a great holiday destination combining sunshine and culture .
It also serves up golf of the highest quality , particularly on the Red Sea and around Cairo , with designs by such eminent names as Gary Player , Greg Norman , Nick Faldo , Fred Couples , John Sanford , Robert Trent Jones Jr and the Nicklaus Design firm founded by Jack Nicklaus .
I have always been a fan of Egypt ’ s golf . But since my previous visit , its golf product has come on in leaps and bounds . Facilities have been improved , new courses have opened and construction is under way extending and building others . For those yet to discover Egypt as a golf destination , it truly is a land of fairways as well as being the home of the pharaohs .
Nowhere else on earth can you play world-class golf alongside spectacular coastlines and azure-blue sea as well as being able to see the only surviving one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Great Pyramid of Giza – while you are teeing off or sinking a putt .
Not only that , it is also excellent value , with rounds costing a maximum of between € 65 and € 85 .