April in Paris in the rain? Not a happy scenario for visiting golfers. But the elegant Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere, which debuted in 2006 and was the city’s first “palace hotel” to open in 80 years,” may have a solution.
Of course, travelers sizing up golf destinations rarely zero in on the City of Light, though there are some lovely parkland spreads on the outskirts of town, notably Chantilly, Fountainbleu and Paris International. For those who want a facsimile experience of the game between jaunts to bistros, museums and nightclubs, Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere, one of the most environmentally conscious hotels in Paris, has set up a Golfzon golf simulator on its spectacular rooftop terrace above the intersection of Champs Elysees and Avenue George V.
The lovely lobby at Fouquet's Barriere
Sans the feel of fresh turf underfoot and the sight of a ball climbing into a real sky, the simulator lacks for nothing. Over the past five years, Golfzon has teamed up with engineers, 2,000 golfers and more than 600 golf courses to create its newest simulator, which produces many of the sensations of real golf. With its 3-D graphics, precise wind and weather condition reproductions, trajectory and ball-rotation analysis, video recording and swing-in-slow-motion capabilities, the Golfzon does a good job of simulating the real thing.
Best of all, the protected terrace location allows players at all levels to discover (or revisit) some of the best courses in the world without getting wet or leaving the heart of Paris. You can even bring a gallery—the terrace can accommodate up to 50 people.
The hotel itself, a combination of modern-chic and fin-de-siecle grandeur, exudes a posh, intimate ambience. It is the only hotel in the world to boast a triple ISO certification and is dedicated to the idea of ‘Responsible Luxury,’ a concept that is finding currency at high-end hostelries worldwide.
Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. www.fouquets-barriere.com.
