A tad over two hours from Calais, there’s far more to Waterloo than Wellington’s great victory in 2015. About 20 minutes south of Brussels, Waterloo boasts a perfect variety of golf courses, a nice selection of hotels and plenty of bars and restaurants for any wannabe Bacchus.
Royal Waterloo is a 36-hole private club that welcomes my clients and Royal Club de Belgique is even more private but also greets my clients with open arms. Both courses have hosted the Belgian Open and would grace any golf tour. La Tournette and Sept Fontaines each have 36 holes and fine clubhouses to enjoy and are reasonably priced. For great-value “play and stay” breaks, my favourites are Le Relais Empereur and Pierpont; both of which have good golf courses on the hotel doorstep and offer me cracking golf, hotel and dinner deals. The list goes on and it’s easy to understand why so many clients go back to Belgium time and time again.
It’s also appealing to golfers who don’t have easy access to the Channel ports as Brussels Airport is well-served by several UK airports and my hire car rates are attractive – particularly over the weekend.
Tourist highlights include the beautiful city of Brussels and, of course, the excellent museums dedicated to the Battle of Waterloo. For more leisure-orientated stays, I would suggest the five-star Chateau du Lac with its indoor pool, spa and location overlooking a pretty lake.
Waterloo is a must for golfers looking for more than their game.