If you could have your tennis vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? We give you eight places to start looking.
By Ian Keown
A Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign meets you at the airport. The chauffeur calls ahead to put in your room-service order. You drive through wrought-iron gates, along a tree-lined road, past banks of bluebells and azaleas, up to the formal portico. There, a duty manager and a porter greet you by name.
Your luggage is already in your room. Just down the road are four well-maintained tennis courts. Is this a commercial for a $10,000 watch? No, it’s your introduction to a tennis vacation at Chewton Glen in the south of England. But that’s not the only place for a high-end tennis vacation. Switch up the setting and a few of the amenities, and it could be a once-in-a-lifetime getaway at any of the following eight resorts around the world.
Granted, these places are pricey. But think big—we meant “once-in-a-lifetime” literally.
The rates below are approximate conversions of local currencies in U.S. dollars, as of the end of April. They’re nightly double-occupancy room rates; “LS” means low season and “HS” means high season. Check for special deals and packages. You may find that you can save
a few hundred dollars here and there.
!HOTEL RELAIS CERTOSA, FLORENCE, ITALY
From the courts at the Relais Certosa you can see the Monastero della Certosa del Galluzzo, which crowns a hill overlooking Florence. In fact, the Relais Certosa was once the guest housing for the monastery. Now refurbished, it has 69 rooms and suites decorated in a Tuscan style, with beamed ceilings and antiques enhanced with secular perks like satellite TVs and minibars. The dining room serves dishes like crostini or Florentine steaks and Chiantis from the surrounding vineyards. Take time out from the tennis and dining to let the Cistercian monks show you around their grounds. And if you feel like doing some sightseeing, the historic center of Florence is just down the road.
www.?orencehotelcertosa.it; 63 rooms, 6 suites, from $150 LS and $400 HS, including breakfast; 4 lit courts (2 clay, 1 hard, 1 synthetic grass), $19 per court hourly, pro, lessons, player matching available
HOTEL PUENTE ROMANO, MARBELLA, MÁLAGA, SPAIN
Vacationers aren’t the only folks who head to the hotel Puente Romano in Marbella, “Beautiful Sea,” in the south of Spain to take in the Mediterranean. The center court of this hotel has hosted Davis Cup matches, and the 293 rooms and suites have welcomed stars like Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, and Antonio Banderas. The Puente Romano Tennis and Fitness Club has 10 courts and its own snack bar, a venue within a venue for eating and drinking throughout the day. There are also three outdoor pools, four paddle-ball courts, six restaurants, and subtropical gardens with 400 species of ? owers and plants. In the evenings, drive a short distance to Puerto Banos, where you’ll ? nd bars, clubs, and boutiques. If what you have in mind is a vacation with lots of tennis and plenty of night life, this is your place.
www.puenteromano.com; 293 rooms and suites, from $345 LS and $680 HS; 10 lit courts (8 clay, 2 hard), $38 per court for 50 minutes, $11 extra for lights, 5 pros, lessons, clinics, player matching available
!BIO-HOTEL STANGLWIRT, TIROL, AUSTRIA
When it opened in 1978, the Bio-Hotel was a tennis camp run by Peter Burwash International, and PBI’s multilingual pros still offer their signature programs here. But now this family-owned, 150-room hotel has a dramatically designed spa carved into the cliff side with four different saunas. This being the Alps, there are gorgeous views of the Wilder Kaiser mountain range and plenty of outdoor exercise options like mountain biking and hiking on trails so steep that they have cables attached to the rocks to help you ascend at parts. So why “Bio”? It refers to the eco-friendly nature of the hotel—they grow their own produce and make every attempt to blend into the environment. Many buildings have grass-covered roofs to blend in with the surroundings.
www.stanglwirt.com; 150 rooms, from $385 LS and $585 HS, including breakfast, afternoon snack, and dinner; 8 unlit outdoor red-clay courts, 6 indoor courts, $13–$28 an hour, PBI pros, clinics, round robins, player matching available
!HOTEL VILA VITA PARC, PORCHES, ALGARVE, PORTUGAL
At this cliff-top hotel, you walk to the ? ve-court tennis complex past a botanical garden on the Algarve Coast. Guests have access to an all-purpose resort—swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), health club, and spa that offers treatments like acupuncture and massages. Golfers can keep their swings tuned on a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course and driving range, and gourmands will delight in six restaurants where they can sample Portuguese specialities. The 182 rooms and suites are designed with Moorish accents to mimic the ? shing villages down the road.
www.vilavitahotels.com; 182 rooms and suites and 41 villas, from $295 LS and $775 HS, breakfast included; 5 unlit hard courts, $15 per court per hour, pro, lessons, clinics, round robins, player matching available
!AMANPURI, PHUKET ISLAND, THAILAND
When was the last time you stayed in a hotel with an in-house tailor who comes to your room for private ? ttings? Or one where the beach attendants sprinkle water on the sand to form a pathway to the sea so you won’t burn your feet? It’s another world at Amanpuri. Each pavilion suite includes a Thai-style sala, or gazebo, with an outdoor dining area. When you get around to tennis, you’ll ? nd six courts, video analysis, and a veteran pro, David Bush, who is a former hitting partner of Bjorn Borg’s.
www.amanresorts.com; 183 rooms, pavilions, and villas, from $585 LS and $750 HS; 6 courts, all lit (2 cushioned hard courts, 2 hard, 2 synthetic grass), complimentary court time, six pros (David Bush is there November to April), clinics, player matching, video analysis available
GSTAAD PALACE, GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND
