If you ever fancy a quick weekend away, or even perhaps a leisurely few days midweek, you can do no better than pop down to Luton Airport, catch a bright orange easyJet flight to Geneva, pick up a rental car and pop across the border into France to a little town called Divonne. Stay in the beautiful Domaine de Divonne, an imposing grand hotel in the middle of town, enjoy the most superb food in its gourmet restaurant, stroll across the road to the golf course or try some wine tasting in the Chateau. For something different one evening drive down to Lausanne and catch one fo the beautifully constructed boats that cruise the vast Lake Geneva, with dinner on-board and Mont Blanc as your backdrop. Beat that! No, I don't think you can. But that was exactly how I spent a glorious hot, sunny weekend recently as the guest of French Golf Holidays, a company that does what it says on the box. Divonne is just 15 minutes away from Geneva airport but keep your passport handy as you have to cross back into the EC (Switzerland is not a member). The hotel is from a bygone age, though fully modernised and you can imagine the days when a grand tourer would pull up outside and a bevy of bellboys would rush to unload trunks, bowing obsequiously as the concierge escorted Madame and Monsieur, suitably dressed, naturally, to the reception desk.

The hotel was built in 1845, with bits added in 1931, and stands in 12 acres of parkland facing the Jura mountains on one side, Mont Blanc on the other. It's a bit less formal these days though the service is still very attentive, the rooms sparklingly clean and airy and the restaurant just incredible. Why are the French so maddeningly perfect when it comes to producing great food? Dominique Roué is the chef and has an excellent pedigree, including time spent at the Tour d'Argent and the Clovis in Paris. You must have heard of them! La Terrasse is the main gastronomic restaurant and has a Michelin star yet is realistically priced. The service is impeccable. There is also a restaurant in the casino next door and another, larger restaurant in the main body of the hotel where dinner won't set you back a fortune. And then there's the clubhouse restaurant over at the golf course and this is the place for lunch, especially sitting outside in the warm sunshine on the terrace. The French are so sensible that even golf stops for lunch and you often need to book a spot if you want to eat between about 12.30 and 2pm. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

And if you want a different type of lunch take it in the glorious setting of the Château de Divonne, an exceptional building with the most beautiful dining rooms. This is life as it should be lived, with the perfect setting, wonderful food and glorious wine. Show me something better and I'll eat my hat – though I'd prefer another helping of foie gras, and maybe just another tiny bowl of rabbit and truffle soup, if you don't mind. After that you could while away the afternoon with a massage or just a facial back in the hotel – interestingly, half the customers at the Institut de beauté, run by Anne Sémonin, are now men, so don't be scared, go for it. Or you could relax by the pool.

And – I almost forgot – the golf! No, I couldn't forget the golf for this course, built in 1931, is one of the most beautiful in France, and that's saying something. Starting with a difficult par-3 it then opens up, running peacefully through woodland and past open meadows. A mountain stream runs through it and it has, uniquely, a fresh-water spring that you can, and should, taste. Pure water from the mountains with no added chemicals. Not a long course but with some wonderful dog-legs this really is one of the loveliest golf courses I have played in years and I really do aim to return. It's one you could happily play every day of your life. A few climbs get the heart pounding and it has a couple of blind shots but nothing unfair. Perhaps its one weak point is the last hole, a straightforward par-3 of 200 yards and only a couple of bunkers guarding it. That's the only hole I would redesign. But then of course you have the 19th and a wonderful lunch with a half bottle of Sancerre awaits you. How could you not be happy, whatever your score? And then that evening we drove to Lausanne and took a dinner-cruise on Lake Geneva. A glass of champagne, some beautiful food and, for the first time in my life, some Swiss wine as Mont Blanc slid by on the opposite side of the lake. As the sun sank slowly into the mountains beyond the lake and dusk settled on the now tranquil waters, it was time to head home. A truly magical few days.