Contents: San Diego: The Land of Perpetual Spring |
PlaySight At Maui's Royal Lahaina | Recycling Tennis Balls |
Tennis Resort News | Specials/Discounts | Vacation Giveaway
San Diego: The Land of Perpetual Spring
It was 38 degrees when I left New York City for San Diego a couple of weeks ago, which made the prospect of 70-degree days and outdoor tennis all the more appealing. This southernmost of the California counties, on the border with Mexico, enjoys a spring-like climate year-round. The average high temperature ranges from 65 degrees in January to 78 degrees in August. Rainfall measures less than 10 inches annually, most of it coming from November through March, which paradoxically are also the sunniest months.
The option of playing tennis outdoors any month of the year helps explain why the game has long had a high profile there. Over the decades, that impeccable tennis climate has drawn a Who's Who of bold-face tennis names, many of whom became fixtures at several of the local tennis clubs and resorts, chief among them the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and what is now the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. It also fostered one of the country's great public facilities: the Balboa Tennis Club. Set in Balboa Park's Morley Field, this 25-court complex stands out not only for its activity but also for having a stadium court named for San Diego's most famous tennis player: Maureen Connolly Brinker, the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year. Balboa charges just $10/day to play on its 25 hard courts, one of which is a designated "challenge court" open to anyone. Just pickup a challenge slip and post it on the court's clipboard for those waiting to play.
The lure, however, goes far beyond the active courts and impeccable weather. Its an attractive city, rich in recreation and culture, with 70 miles of coastline lined with beaches and cliffs. Take an Old Town Trolley tour, as I did, and by hopping on and off you can comfortably take in the highlights, beginning in its Old Town Historic Park where the city began and then taking in the exotic species on display at the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park (not just greenery but a cultural center, with more than a dozen museums, art galleries, and performance centers housed in Baroque Spanish-style buildings), the shops and restaurants of the Gaslamp Quarter, the tourable Midway Aircraft Carrier and other famous ships, all the way out to Coronado and its fabled beach and the Hotel Del Coronado, the last famous as a setting for the Marilyn Monroe/Jack Lemmon/Tony Curtis movie Some Like It Hot. Later on my own I drove north through iconic beach communities bordering Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. From there I headed for La Jolla to see the harbor seals that famously took over the town's favorite beach and then got out of my car a few miles farther along to wander the beaches and hiking trails in Torrey Pines, a magnificent 2,000-acre natural preserve still in much the same state as when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego harbor in 1542. (For a more in-depth look at what San Diego has to offer, visit www.sandiego.org.)
I did not find time to drive in the opposite direction, south to the border with Mexico; however, I did dine as if I had, stopping in at Bracero Cocina de Raiz in San Diego's Little Italy, the new venture of Javier Plascencia, the internationally respected chef credited with revitalizing the cuisine of Tijuana. I washed down that late lunch (tortillas filled with birra, Olla beans, cilantro, onions, lime, and a choice of four sauces from mild tomatillo to firey habanero) with the most complicated mezcal cocktail I've ever had: a mix of mezcal, Becherovka (herbal Czech bitters), falernum, lime, pineapple, orgeat, cinnamon, and absinthe called a Czech Yourself. Mostly, though, in taking advantage of San Diego's thriving dining scene I accompanied meals with the beverage San Diego has become known for: craft beers, which now issue from more than 100 small breweries.
San Diego's Tennis Scene
If you want to stay at a resort where you can also play, check out the following:
- La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, La Jolla.
Perhaps nothing projects and emphasis on tennis quite so much as a key card decorated with an image of two former greats—Nancy Chaffee and Margaret Osborne duPont—on the beach in tennis togs. And in fact the passion for tennis at this beachfront resort dates to 1935, when the William Kellogg, a newspaperman, purchased a yacht club, installed four tennis courts, and began running tennis tournaments that lured the likes of such tennis greats Bill Tilden, Bobby Riggs, and Jack Kramer. You can't miss the history here, whether it's the black-and-white photos of tennis greats lining the wall along Court 2 or the trophy case containing, among other things the 300+ Gold Balls Dodo Cheney won during her lifetime, many of them here.
The resort remains in the family, run now by Bill Kellogg, the great grandson of the founder. It's expanded to a dozen courts, notable for being in almost constant use, thanks to the game matching attentiveness of the staff. LJBTC has become a synonym for great tennis, but it hasn't been content to bask in that glory. "We've had a steady process of reinvesting in the property," Kellogg told me, citing new furnishings in the dining room and the addition of Tennis Channel in all the rooms, almost all of which have kitchens. The arrival of Conan Lorenzo as director in 2007 led to a dramatically enhanced junior program and a ratcheting up of the appeal to families. But tennis aside, what makes LJBTC unique is that private beach, something no other tennis property in San Diego county can offer. Guests often barbecue on the beach, inviting friends and neighbors, an activity enlivened by the fact that unlike on public beaches alcohol is allowed here. Not into cooking? There are two beachfront restaurants on the property and another affiliated one next door at La Jolla Shores. - Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad. When La Costa opened in 1965, it became the first resort in the U.S. with a full-service spa, an amenity that soon began luring the Hollywood crowd. It then established its tennis bona fides a few years later with the arrival of Hall of Famer Pancho Segura,
who brought with him not only clients from the Beverly Hills Country Club, where he had been previously, but also a rotating stable of bold-face pros who came to La Costa to work out with Segura. And until 2013, the resort also hosted a major WTA tournament that lured the cream of the women's tour.
After Segura's retirement, the resort's tennis reputation ebbed and flowed until 2014 when Cliff Drysdale Tennis took over management of the 15-court—11 hard and 4 red clay—tennis facility. They installed former ITF player Bryce Cunningham with a goal to put La Costa once again on tennis-vacationers' radar. Its link to professional tennis is unmistakable in its sunken stadium court, now painted in the signature colors of Mylan World Team Tennis. "It's something of a talking point," Cunningham told me. During the brief WTT summer season, this is the home court for the San Diego Aviators. But the more important changes have taken place in the weekly tennis rosters, which is now chock-a-block with clinics, men's and women's socials, and game matching, the last often with local members. Cliff Drysdale himself as a villa at La Costa—"he spends a lot of time here and is really invested in the property," Cunningham noted. And Rod Laver, who like Segura is memorialized in a plaque on the tennis center's wall, also lives nearby, coming to La Costa to play golf or participate in occasional special events with Drysdale. a team that includes the rapidly rising Taylor Fritz, who's from nearby Rancho Santa Fe. He has dramatically beefed up the weekly tennis offerings.
The spa remains a central amenity as does the Chopra Center, whose world headquarters are here. But since Omni took over in 2013, there has also been an expansion of family amenities, including a family pool with two three-story waterslides and a splash pad, as well as a greater emphasis on hospitality and on enhancing the already rich landscaping. It looks better than it has in years. - Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad. Until recently, the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort has remained relatively under the radar, at least from the
perspective of its tennis. The 327-room hotel, which perches high atop a forested ridge overlooking the wildlife refuge of Batiquitos Lagoon, had consistently won accolades as a Forbes Five-Star and a AAA Five-Diamond Resort, with Forbes also praising its Aviara Spa and Vivace restaurant. Golfers, meanwhile, knew it as the venue for the spring LPGA Kia Classic. As a tennis players, however, what you might not have realized, once you got comfortably ensconced in your room, was that a steep, winding road just to the south of the hotel leads to one of the most beautifully landscaped clubhouse courts around, part of a complex of seven courts, two of them Har-Tru. But this hidden gem, all lush landscaping and flowers beside a man-made lagoon, drew new crowds last Thanksgiving as the site of the Carlsbad Classic, a $125,000 WTA event played on a brand-new court built expressly for the tournament.
Hotel guests who do make their way to the courts find an accomplished Peter Burwash International pro Steve Halverson in charge of the programing. In fact, he's been there for 18 years, having arrived to open the complex. His local nickname is "the Kid Whisperer" so he unsurprisingly has what he describes as "a ton of kids" in after-school programs as well as clinics for hotel guests and their children. He's joined by two other pros with local followings. - Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, Rancho Santa Fe. One measure of a great tennis resort is an intangible often referred to as "tennis atmosphere."
At Rancho Valencia that may first glance seem to come from the extraordinary number of courts: 18 for just 53 rooms. That and having former U.S. Open Women's and Mixed Doubles Champion, Robin White, as tennis director. But White and her staff bring something more: "We're really about building our tennis community through our joy and passion," she told me. To that end she has a highly credentialed staff, some full time, some part, who in their differing personalities and areas of expertise give guests what White calls "a menu of pros," the better to serve everyone who visits.
They're well served, too, by the resort's policy of not charging for court time or racquet or ball machine use (the latter programmable using a smartphone). In fact, many of Rancho Valencia's amenities are offered free of charge: including freshly squeezed orange juice and a paper delivered to your room each morning, all the high-end snacks and beverages (though non of them alcoholic) in your room's mini bar, and a menu of some 90 classes—among them TRX for tennis, spin, yoga (gentle, candlelit, warm, power), Pilates (reformer, mat, chair), various stretch and sculpt classes. The thing is, to take advantage of those classes you have to leave your suite, a spacious cocoon so beautifully appointed and rich in its own amenities (a huge private outdoor terrace, a fireplace) that holing up with a book and glass of wine seems pretty much like the perfect way to spend the day.
Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch Installs PlaySight SmartCourt
Until recently, the Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch has kept rather a low profile. Guests of the Royal Lahaina Resort, one of the first in Maui's Kaanapali Beach development, knew about it and so did locals, but it had otherwise quietly gone about its business of running clinics and pairing up players for matches. The Monnier family took over management of the Ranch's tennis programs in 1995 and the fact that they also have a tennis-court design and resurfacing company goes a long way toward explaining why its 11 hard courts, one of them a 3,500-seat stadium, are in such immaculate condition. The Ranch took a leap into greater visibility three years ago when they first staged a men's challenger event. This year, they added a simultaneous women's event and renamed it the Tennis Championships of Maui. With a purse of $50,000 in each draw, the event attracted players in the Top 50 and stands out as Hawaii's only professional tennis tournament. Then in February, they again attracted attention by outfitting their Court 1 with PlaySight's SmartCourt technology, a system I wrote about in last month's newsletter. Moreover, the installation of cameras on five other courts allows live streaming of the action taking place there. You can read more about the Tennis Ranch and rate your experience with it and the resort it's a part of by visiting Royal Lahaina Resort.
Tennis-Ball Recycling
I'm as guilty as anyone of thoughtlessly tossing used tennis balls in the trash where they almost certainly end up in landfill somewhere. Tennis Ball Recycling wants to change our habits by providing prepaid labels that can be used to ship boxes of 200 used tennis balls to ReBounces for recycling. Those balls are then chopped up for use as a cushioned layer in special Laykold courts. Each such court keeps 10,000 balls out of our landfills. To facilitate that effort, Retour Tennis has produced a courtside recycling bin that easily hangs on fences and holds up to 200 tennis balls.
Resort and Camp News
Four Seasons Resort Lanai Reopens
Four Seasons Resort Lanai re-opened Feb. 1, 2016, after undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation. Poised above a white-sand beach and marine preserve on Hawaii's island of Lanai, the 268-room hotel commands views of Manele Bay and the islands beyond. The decor of the newly refurbished rooms and public areas pay homage to Hawaii's diverse culture complemented by such 21st-century amenities as 75-inch LED televisions, wearable key wristbands, and iPad Airs. The spa, too, has been enhanced and there are two new swimming pools, one of them an adults-only retreat with a cascading waterfall and lava-rock grotto. The three tennis courts have also reopened, managed as before by Peter Burwash International's Ryan Winters. They are part of a long roster of activities that include a Jack Nicklaus golf course as well as horseback riding, hiking, and exploring marine preserve and the rest of the 90,000-acre island.
Florida's Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort turned 90 on Feb. 5, 2016 and has launched a year-long calendar of historical celebrations to make that birthday. The festivities began on Feb. 5 with a 1920's themed cocktail hour and Roaring 20's live band to commemorate the resort's grand opening. During the year, guests will have opportunities to explore the resort's rich history, including an app that takes them on a self-guided historical tour of the resort. Artifacts of the 20's and 30's are on display throughout the resort, including a working vintage photo booth. Guests will also be able to sample cocktails that first appeared during Prohibition, purchase vintage candy in the ice-cream shop Serendipity, and take advantage of a variety of $90 specials, among them a different select spa treatment each month. For more information about events and specials during your stay, visit the Boca Raton Blog or phone 888-543-1286.
Vacation Giveaway
Tennis Resorts Online values your opinion, so much so that we're giving you a chance to win one of three tennis vacations we're giving away. All you have to do is review your experience as a guest at any tennis resort or camp worldwide. Every review you file gives you one more chance at one of the following prizes:
•Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Omni Amelia Island: The former home of the WTA's Bausch & Lomb tournament, the 24-court Racquet Park amid the live oaks of this multi-dimensional barrier island resort in Northwest Florida will treat the lucky winner to two nights of lodging in an oceanfront hotel room plus two days of tennis camp (3 hours/day) for two people.
•Saddlebrook Junior Tennis: Rate any junior camp and you're eligible to win a one-week junior camp at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, FL. The 6-day/5-night session includes 5+ hours of daily instruction, shared lodging in a junior suite, and all meals.
•Saddlebrook Tennis: Although the tennis program is renowned as one of the planet's most intensive, the setting is pure multidimensional resort with golf, a lake-sized pool, and spa as complements to the on-court work. You could win a two-day tennis package for two, consisting of five hours of intensive tennis instruction each day (for both people) along with video analysis at this world-renowned resort in Wesley Chapel, near Tampa, Florida (lodging and meals not included).
•New England Tennis Holidays at Sugarbush: This long-running and consistently highly rated tennis camp—which now runs year-round—parlays a setting in Vermont's Green Mountains with a solid five-hour-a-day program run by experienced pros. The winner can look forward to two days of tennis camp (five hours a day) on Har-Tru courts and lunch both days, for two people (lodging is additional) Valid for 2016/2017 season.
For details visit Rate a Resort or Camp or Rate a Junior Tennis Camp and fill out a form for each resort or camp you know firsthand. The next drawing will take place on May 1, 2016 once we tabulate your reviews to determine our rankings of the Top 100 Resorts & Camps for 2016.
Packages and Specials
Adult Tennis Camps
- Saddlebrook (Hopman) Tennis, Florida: Free Upgrade to 1-bedroom suite + Amenity Basket
- John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Texas: Save $100 on any all-inclusive adult package
Tennis Resorts
- Tennis Tune Up Package at Longboat Key Club & Resort Florida
- Save $75 With Tennis Lovers' Package at Naples Grande Beach Resort Florida