It’s time. Grab your racquet, hop on a plane and go play somewhere amazing! There’s nothing like an escape…and who knows, maybe the pro at one of these destinations will tweak your game to new heights. Here are some of the top tennis resorts in the world waiting for you, hand-selected by former pro circuit tennis player and travel expert, Adriana Isaza of Elite Tennis & Travel. Lose yourself and play…
OMNI AMELIA ISLAND PLANTATION RESORT
39 Beach Lagoon Road / Amelia Island, Florida
Known for great tennis programs for adults; small groups; individualized instruction
QuickStart programs for kids under-12; after-school junior programs; and a summer junior day camp
Great fitness center; Beautiful location & beaches
MAUNA KEA BEACH HOTEL
62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Drive / Kohala Coast, Hawaii
Beautiful tennis courts & good pros
Game matching for adults
Private instruction, clinics and round robins
Kids’ programs during the summers and busy holiday periods
Great location near the beach
BIO-HOTEL STANGLWIRT
Kaiserweg 1 / A-6353 Going / Austria
Magical, rejuvenating location
Great tennis pros and academy
Operates year-round
Guests enrolled in the PBI camp program get two hours of group instruction each morning (maximum student:pro ratio of 4:1).
Midweek campers also can participate in a singles tournament, whose winners are invited back for a special Masters tournament in November, and close out their stay with tennis Olympics (a series of on-court games) for prizes.
Hotel guests not in the program can take private lessons, play matches (the staff will find opponents), play in a free weekly doubles round robin, and during slow weeks join other guests and campers for midday doubles with the pros.
During busy weeks, the staff also stages an exhibition or puts on a performance of the lively PBI Tennis Show, an exhibition of juggling and ball control combined with a spoof of different playing styles.
GSTAAD PALACE
CH-3780 Gstaad, Switzerland
Great for a romantic tennis week
Tennis legend Roy Emerson conducts six-day tennis camps on the hotel’s four red-clay courts
Unbelievable vistas, luxury and food
FORTE VILLAGE RESORT
S.S.195 Km.39.600 (09010) Pula Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
12 tennis courts – 10 clay, 1 natural grass, and 1 synthetic – all floodlit for night use
International professionals on hand throughout the season, from April to October. Such as Pat Cash, Jonas Björkman, Paul Haarhuis, Claudio Mezzadri, Karel Novacek and Charlie Steeb
Head coach at the Forte Village Tennis Club and Tennis Academy is Rocco Loccisano, a former top Australian; once trainer to Wimbledon champion Pat Cash
1-to-1 or group tennis courses for all age or standard, from beginner to high level
Offers superior rackets for hire, a stringing service, and a specialist Babolat and Lotto store
FOUR SEASONS RESORT NEVIS
Pinney’s Beach, Charlestown, Nevis West Indies, Caribbean
10-courts: hard and red-clay
Well-run program of adult and junior clinics, social mixers, game matching, and private lessons, men’s round robin that brings together tennis-playing staff, locals, and guests
Gorgeous beaches; fitness center
CASA DE CAMPO
La Romana, Dominican Republic
“Wimbledon of the Carribean” country club style La Terraza Tennis Center in this “sporting life” luxury resort with golf, sailing, polo & more…
13 “immaculately maintained” har-tru courts
25 USPTR certified staff
Private tennis lessons year-round, tournaments, exhibitions
Rental equipment is available in the Tennis Pro Shop
FOUR SEASONS PUNTA MITA
Punta Mita, Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico 63734
Great tennis staff
Tennis instruction for all levels
Private lessons, junior tennis clinics
Kids for all seasons clinics
Game matching; junior program; ball machine; racket rental; stringing services
THE BUCCANEER
5007 Estate Shoys, Christiansted, Virgin Islands
“Gracious . Elegant . Legendary.”
Tennis Magazine called The Buccaneer “the best tennis resort in the Virgin Islands”
Group lessons for adults and juniors; Pro shop
Annual tournaments for guests’ participation
Pairing up players; Weekly round robins; Doubles drills for ladies; Cardio Clinics
On Sundays you can play with the local members
LA MANGA CLUB (Sport & Leisure)
Calle de Atamaria / La Manga Club Resort, 30389 Cartagena, Spain
28-court club (red clay, hard and artificial grass) and former Davis Cup at 1,400-acre villa resort
Next to 5 Star Hotel Principe Felipe
Tournaments for Adults Mondays & Fridays
Mix doubles on Wednesdays
Ladies Doubles on Thursdays
Junior Tournaments for different age groups during the week
La Manga Club has been an Official Partner of the European Tennis Federation since 2009
Host to clubs and teams from across Europe for their clay court training, as well as a number of high level European tournaments and tennis events
Adriana Isaza, organizes junior and adult tennis experiences around the world. She can be reached at elitetennistravel.com or via email at info@elitetennistravel.com. For more about Adriana, you can read her story here on Courtgirl Mag.