Here's what others have had to say about Gardiner's Resort.
"The ambiance is wonderful.You get wonderful treatment and terrific meals. The tennis instruction is mixed, it all depends on the specific pro. that you get."—H.M., Adv. Int., January 2009
"Went wjth a group of ladies. We had a great time. Would like more drills and cardio options. The food was great. Fun dinners. The rooms were fine. Place needs fluffing and more tennis instruction"—V.F., Int., November 2008
"The resort is beautiful, the lodging adequate,the weather dependably gorgeous. The service personnel were superb as was the food. Tennis instruction was very average. The instructors did not adapt our lessons to our skill level well. Also, we had four instructors in three days so we felt like we repeated day #1 three times."—K.B., Adv. Int., September 2008
"In July of 2007 my wife and I enjoyed a three-day stay at Gardiner's (there were eight tennis players making group instruction very personal). This year we went to Kapalua so we have two resorts to compare.
Gardiner's is the much more laid back of the two and and offers more hours of instruction but is not as good at game matching (just because of the numbers of players available). We are both 3.5 players and were there with 3.0 to 4.5 players - a healthy mix. If you love hitting lots of balls in a romantic, secluded but picturesque setting and getting good pointers and help with weaknesses, you will enjoy Gardiner's. The incomparable meals and wine are the crowning touch. The history of the resort is on the walls of the breakfast area in photos and news articles - quite interesting."—G.L., Int., September 2008
"My wife and I attended Gardiner's for the weekend in 2005.
Located in pretty Carmel Valley, this is an ideal camp/resort if you live in Northern California or the north west. A smallish resort dedicated to tennis, it has 6-8 hard courts. Pretty main lodge and restaurant and nice (not luxurious) rooms.
great instruction, by friendly pros. Low student to teacher ratio. We played tennis for 4 hours a day. Two in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. When we attended it was adults only.
One thing that was distinctive was the food and gardens. Lunch each day was on the patio surrounded by flowers. The food was outstanding.
Dinner each night is in a small dinning room. The resort is intimate, service personal and the whole setting is sort of romantic, though you do hit a lot of balls and need to like tennis.
If you and your spouse or girlfriend like tennis, live in Northern California and want to get away for a week, long weekend or weekend this might be ideal. I like it and would recommend it."—S.R., Adv. Int., July 2008
"the resort is pleasant in an old world style... food was good and plentiful. the tennis is not designed for upper level players 4.5 and up.. it's great for a 3.0-4.0 level... they group everyone together which was not enjoyable..."—R.P., Adv., May 2008
""—R.L., Adv. Int., April 2008
"I truly enjoyed my experience at Gardiner's Resort. The tennis experience was fun even for an advanced player. The ratio of pros to students in my case was 1:3. The pros introduced us to tennis in ways that were a bit unconventional, but very good.
The food was outstanding. Every meal was excellent. I thought that the lunches were as good as the dinners. The accomodations, while somewhat older, were very nice and just what we needed.
Overall, Gardiner's Resort was a great experience."—M.M., Adv., April 2008
"This is a wonderful place to go with a tennis playing group of friends. On your own, the tennis level can be all over the place although they do try hard to put comparable players together. Everyone is very nice, the pros are decent, the setting is beautiful and the food wonderful. It is an incredible value if you can take advantage of their two-for-one offers."—A.R., Int., April 2008
"I've been to Gardiner's Resort a few times. Initially the tennis program was very strong under the direction of Rick Manning. Personally, I really appreciated the insights and humor of Don Prince, the elder statesman at that time.
The third time I went to Gardiner's, Rick and Don were both gone and the tennis instruction program was rather uneven. The last time I went to Gardiner's, the tennis program was very weak. Some of the "instructors", although enthusiastic and friendly, were just average 3.5 level tennis players and unfortunately didn't have much to offer in the way of instruction.
The place itself was still beautiful, the food was still great, and the atmosphere was very friendly. However, I've decided not to go back unless there's a significant improvement in the tennis instruction."—J.L., Adv. Int., April 2008
"Gardiner's is a great place to go to relax, hit a ton of balls, and socialize with other tennis players. The accommocations are nice, the food is excellent, the staff is friendly, and resort is peaceful. However, If your a 4.0 or above looking to improve your game by changing or correcting your strokes this is not the place. Athough the pro's are very nice and can provide some feedback, they will not satisfy the intermediate player that is looking to improve their game.
I had a great time when I vacationed there and I would go back for tennis vacation. However, I would not expect to improve my game."—D.U., Int., September 2007
""—S.S., Int., July 2007
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Sadly, Gardiner's Resort was closed on January 4, 2009 and all the staff was let go. There are no announced plans to reopen. As I learn more, I'll post information on the home page.
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