On any given weekend at the Palmas del Mar Country Club the unthinkable happens: At midday, when tennis players at most Caribbean resorts abandon the courts for the beach, there is still likely to be significant activity at the tennis center, enough to fill many of the 20 hard and clay courts and enliven the adjoining bar and brick-lined patio beneath a huge banyan tree.

Many of these players are locals or second home owners; however, tourism is picking up again following the opening of the Four Points by Sheraton in March 2005 in what had been the Candelero Hotel. Thoroughly refurbished, it picked up a casino and a minimal fitness center to complement the 107 rooms and suites. Those rooms supplement an adjacent complex of 125 well-appointed condominium units with kitchens, washer-dryers, and in some cases oversize baths. All of that anchors 3½-mile beach, two golf courses—one by Gary Player, the other a new Rees Jones championship course—a marina, an equestrian center, some 17 restaurants, an array of shops, and even a 17-acre preserve of tropical forest.

Tennis Features

Palmas del Mar Country Club has the largest tennis complex in all the the Caribbean. Its collection of 14 hard (one of the them a stadium built into the hillside with grass seating and recently resurfaced in U.S. Open blue), 2 Omni (an artificial grass), and 4 Har-Tru courts. Ten of them have lights. The facility occupies a prominent place in the resort, a five-minute walk from most of the condos. At the core of the tennis facility is a full-service pro shop, moderate in size, whose windows overlook an exhibition hard court. To one side is a patio shaded by an overarching banyan tree and anchored by an outdoor bar called the Center Court Bar & Grill, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The second floor of the pro shop holds a small fitness center. It faces a small outdoor swimming pool and is staffed by a full time personal/fitness trainer.

The courts themselves are laid out in banks of one or two, all with courtside benches and water dispensers though not all offer shade. Generous landscaping in form of trees, flowers, and lawns and the occasional pond lend a tropical feel even as the pastel condominiums on the hillside behind—a development called Monte Sol—suggest the Mediterranean.

Tennis Staff. The director of tennis is Corey Bowlin, who has been at Palmas on and off over the past eight years. He worked for Peter Burwash International for seven years before moving back to his home town of Salem, Oregon, where he managed a tennis and swim club. Since returning to Palmas, he has focused on bringing more activity and tournaments back to the tennis club.
Tennis Programs. Palmas offers 60-minute daily tennis clinic, Friday night mixers, and exhibition matches by local Puerto Rican players. There is also a year-round junior program for children ages 3-18, which though designed for locals is open to the children of hotel guests.
Courts & Fees. Court fees: $25/hour days, $33/hour with lights.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Palmas del Mar Resort.

• "Awesome place! Great tennis, casino, beaches...who could ask for more?"—J.C., Int., April 2008

• ""—K.B., Low Int., April 2008

• "My entire family of five had a wonderful tennis experience at Palmas this past winter, as we have had for the past several years. My kids range in age from 16, 14, and 9 and each looked froward to every morning when we played doubles or the kids took private or group lessons.
  The staff is professional, accommodating and first rate. My kids all take lessons at home, and each feels they improve in the 10 days that we vacation at Palmas. From the group lessons for my youngest to the privates for the two older ones, it is probably the part of the vacation that we all look forward to the most."—L.C., Adv. Int., August 2007

• "Knowledgeable staff, many courts so no waiting. Daily clinics, mixers. English speaking. Weakness: Wrong time of year can make for extremely hot playing. Bring lots of sunscreen."—K.B., Beg., June 2007

• "I submitted a review before my recent trip back to Palmas and I wanted to update it based on my recent experience which we even better than the first. The staff went out of their way to get us a match which wasn't really easy given the off season. There is a daily clinic, Friday night "mixer" and cardio tennis also! The resident members are incredibly firendly and you feel as if you live there also during your vacation.
  Great restaurants also. Rent a condo if possible. We did, right on the beach, and you can go to sleep, listening to the surf. Our 2nd trip will not be our last!"—S.M., Adv. Int., May 2007

Other Recreation

Beach. The beach at Palmas extends for 3½ miles along the Caribbean. Lined with palm trees and seagrape, this ribbon of golden sand begins in a crescent-shaped cove, rounds Candelero Point, and then continues north along the coast. Many of the rentable condominiums and the Four Points by Sheraton are a short walk from that first crescent, which also has a small watersports center with boogie boards and snorkeling equipment and the Bohio Beach Bar.

Golf Courses. There are two 18-hole golf courses.

Flamboyán: A championship course designed by Rees Jones, this 7,117-yard, par 72 course opened in 1998 and already ranks among the top 5 in Puerto Rico according to Barron's. It was built atop sandy soil next to the Caribbean and thus has characteristics of links courses, including holes like the challenging 12th, a par 3 that requires hitting into the prevailing Caribbean breeze. Its new clubhouse holds a spacious pro shop and the Hermes Restaurant and provides access to a large practice putting green and a double-ended driving range with seven target greens.
Palm: This is the original course at the resort. Gary Player designed it as a 6,673-yard, par 71 layout through rough tropical foliage. It is riddled with lagoons, canals, and sand traps. The elevated tee at the 14th hole affords commanding views of Vieques Island and El Yunque Rain Forest.

Fitness Center. Located above the tennis pro shop, this windowed and mirrored room contains seven Cybex workout stations as well as Stairmasters, treadmills, elliptical trainers, exercycles, and free weights. To one side is an open carpeted area for stretching. A personal trainer and fitness instructor is available. Just outside is a small swimming pool. There is another minimally equipped fitness center for hotel guests only at the Four Points by Sheraton.

And ... Palmas also has an equestrian center, which offers trail rides through a tropical landscape and down to the beach.

Lodging

Apart from the new Four Points by Sheraton, there are condominiums for rent through the Villas at Palmas del Mar and from local owners. The Villas at Palmas del Mar options include some in the Fairway Courts, which are very close to the tennis complex, and the Palmas Doradas, a complex of 70 deluxe suites and two- and three-bedroom units decorated in tasteful Mediterranean colors, wrought iron, and rattan and located just adjacent to the hotel. All units in this complex have fully equipped kitchens and washer-dryers, while the larger units add oversize baths and dining areas.

Restaurants

There are roughly a dozen food outlets in Palmas del Mar, ranging for a pizza parlor called the Flying Pizza to a marina-front French bistro called Chez Daniel.

See Also

If you were contemplating a Caribbean tennis vacation at Palmas del Mar, you also ought to look at:

• The Buccaneer, St. Croix, USVI
• Caneel Bay, St. John, USVI
• Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
• Curtain Bluff, Antigua
• Four Seasons Resort Nevis, Nevis
• The Tryall Club, Jamaica
• Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, A Wyndham Grand Resort, Puerto Rico

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Palmas is open year-round, though the courts are likely to be busiest from the year-end holidays through April. As in all the Caribbean, the period from June through November is hurricane season, and although the odds are that you'll successfully dodge any hurricanes, you are much more likely to experience periods of rain, especially in the form of morning and afternoon showers.

Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2007	Rooms: From $165

• Palmas del Mar Resort
  170 Candelero Dr.
  Humacao, 00791 Puerto Rico
  787-852-6000
  Toll-free: 800-725-6273
  Fax: 787-852-6295
  Web Link: Palmas del Mar Resort
  

  NEW!

  Book Online: Palmas del Mar Resort
  

• Four Points by Sheraton at Palmas del Mar
  170 Candelero Dr.
  Humacao, 00792 Puerto Rico
  787-850-6000
  Toll-free: 866-615-2323
  Fax: 787-850-6001
  Web Link: Four Points by Sheraton at Palmas del Mar
  

  NEW!

  Book Online: Four Points by Sheraton at Palmas del Mar
  

Travel Instructions. Palmas del Mar is roughly 40 minutes' drive from San Juan International Airport.

General Tourist Information. For general information about travel to Puerto Rico, contact the Puerto Rico Tourism Company at (800) 866-7827 or (787) 721-2400. They also have offices in several U.S. cities.

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