3 Tennis Vacations You'll Love

Online, May 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Have you started planning your summer vacation yet? It's not quite May, and I'm already itching to hit the beach. Then I saw this article over at Tennis.com, and a whole new plan for vacation occurred to me: a tennis trip. There's a whole list of the best resorts to play at, and the best part? At these resorts, there are all kinds of fun for the less tennis-minded members of the family. Check out Tennis.com's top three picks...

Any of us here at TENNIS Magazine would be eager to spend a vacation at any of these resorts, honing our strokes and meeting fellow fans. They all have their strong points, they all have well-maintained courts, and they all have teams of dedicated pros who still get a charge out of coaching even after years of plopping balls across the net to people who have never before held a racquet.

But a few of these resorts stand above the others because of a combination of factors. It comes down to such things as ratio of pros to players in clinics, ratio of courts to guests, cost of court time, plus a few intangibles like dependability and respect for the game. Since our readers let us know they come with distinct preferences and demands beyond tennis, our final selection also factors in such attractions as comfort, amenities, dining, spas and other diversions.

We use a dollar-sign system to indicate room rates, partly because of the maze of details (think seasonal discounts, room taxes, resort fees, surcharges) but also because so many hotels and resorts these days are offering a jumble of special packages to lure recession-weary vacationers back to their properties. The dollar signs are no more than a guideline ($ up to $150 per double room, $$ for $150 to $300, $$$ for $300 and up) based on a median of the lowest room rate in the low season and the highest rate in the peak season. Browse carefully among the rates and fine print and you'll find many ways to get the tab down to a more manageable figure.

When doing your research, you may have as many quandaries choosing your spot as we did putting this list together, but ultimately you'll have fun picking and then enjoying your favorite tennis resort.

1. Rancho Valencia
Rancho Santa Fe, California

MATCH-UPS "I believe we are 98 percent successful in arranging matches," says tennis director John DeLille (but don't assume you'll be partnering with fellow guests like Bill Gates or Cindy Crawford).

FLAKE & BAKE Under the Southern California sun? No, in the spa's Terra Cotta Couples Clay Bake-you and your significant other alone in a garden pool in a secluded corner of the hacienda.

ENJOY, ENJOY "I look for just two things when guests are done with a clinic or a lesson," DeLille says. "Are they smiling and sweating? If I see those two things, I know everything is good."

TIP Stay in a suite near the Rose Garden, a short stroll through the Citrus Grove to tennis courts surrounded by tall, aromatic eucalyptus. Even a deep breath between sets is therapeutic here.

COURTS: 18 hard
COURT TIME: free for registered guests
LODGING: 49 suites, 3 villas, 1 hacienda ($$$)
INFORMATION: (800) 548-3664; www.ranchovalencia.com

2. Ponte Vedra Inn & Club
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

SWEAT IT OUT Twenty clinics a week, reserved for players rated 3.0 and above, are designed by tennis director Mike Leach to be "fun, fast-paced and informative. You hit a bunch of balls in a short period of time."

BUT THIRST NOT The water fountains are electrically operated, every court comes with seats and shade pavilions-and, as a bonus, the cooling Atlantic is just 50 yards away due east.

PLAY ON, PLAY UNDER You smash and lob here on 15 state-of-the-art Hydro-Courts, eight of them beneath stadium-caliber lighting- then work out in a state-of-the-art fitness center laid out on three levels so that every huffer-and-puffer gets an ocean view.

TIP This is a great place for meeting, matching and socializing. Leach can call on no fewer than 300 playing partners from his local roster.

COURTS: 15 clay (8 lit)
COURT TIME: $20 per person per day (free for people enrolled in camps)
LODGING: 250 rooms and suites ($$/$$$)
INFORMATION: (904) 273-9500; www.pontevedra.com

A vacation at the beach and on the court? This one's right up my alley... - Editor
3. Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, South Carolina

PRACTICE MAKES...Kiawah boasts the only practice alley in this neck of the woods, a sort of batting cage that plasters you with pre-programmed or random topspins, backspins and lobs, then retrieves the balls automatically and starts plastering you all over again.

BALL BLAST Daily drill sessions repeat the same stroke again and again and again. "It's one thing to teach a stroke," claims director Roy Barth (he's been here for 34 years), "it's something totally different repeating the stroke in a high-intensity environment."

TIME OUT Play on five Audubon-certified golf courses, go for twilight paddles, alligator walks, fishing tours and nature hikes on 123 acres of nature preserve. All that and crisp ocean breezes.
TIP Stay at the Sanctuary, Kiawah's five-star hotel, with two ocean-front pools, an indoor pool, spa, and refined dining.

COURTS: 23 clay, 5 hard (4 lit)
COURT TIME: $27 per court per hour
LODGING: 255 hotel rooms, 600 villas & homes ($$/$$$)
INFORMATION: (800) 576-1578; www.kiawahresort.com

Source: Tennis.com

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