Tennis Resorts Online, the web’s leading source of tennis-travel information, has released its annual rankings of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts and Camps worldwide. To guarantee an authoritative list, the results have been compiled from evaluations submitted by tennis vacationers themselves – avid players—who average more than 100 days per year on court—and frequent travelers. These elite reviewers not only have first-hand experience of the resorts and camps they rate, but also possess a highly-refined sense of what makes a tennis resort or camp great. It is their collective wisdom and judgment that underpin these Top 100 rankings and thus assure their credibility.
Thoughtful reviews take effort, so as an incentive Tennis Resorts Online will be giving away four tennis vacations in a drawing among those who filed a review during the last year. This year they were asked to rate their experiences in each of 20 categories. Those include the overall tennis experience, the quality of the teaching staff and instruction, the dedication to game arranging, the allure of the tennis complex itself, and caliber of its pro shop. However, because a tennis holiday consists of more than what happens on court, they were also invited to share their opinions about a wide variety of amenities and services, including lodging, cuisine, value for dollar, children’s programs, spa and fitness options, and other recreation. Using a formula that gives added weight to the tennis features, Tennis Resorts Online then computes a numerical score and uses that as its basis for determining the rankings. Any resort or camp having at least six tennis courts is eligible; however, in order to ensure statistically meaningful results, properties had to receive a minimum of 25 reviews to qualify as one of the Top 10 Resorts or Top 5 Camps and a minimum of 10 reviews to qualify for our Gold Medal Top 25 Resorts.
Once the calculations were complete, those rankings were broken out into two broad divisions: the Top 75 Tennis Resorts and the Top 25 Tennis Camps. Top honors have once again gone to Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Among the camps, Roy Emerson Tennis Weeks at the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland once again snared the No. 1 honors. The rankings aside, we’ve also highlighted the best in several specific categories, including Best Game Matching, Best Tennis Staff, Best Instruction and Programming, Best Junior Tennis Programs, Best Lodging, Best Cuisine, Best Spa and Fitness Center, Best Setting, Best Value For Dollar, Best General Children’s Programs, Best for Couples, and Best for Single Travelers.
The collective experience of thousands of vacationing tennis players goes into these rankings. But ideas of greatness necessarily differ, and thus the list as a whole mirrors the broad landscape of tennis-vacation options, from small properties where tennis is the principal amenity to grand hotels and multi-dimensional resorts and everything in between. The Top 5 in each category follow. To see the complete list visit www.tennisresortsonline.com/trofiles/top-100-tennis-resorts-and-camps.cfm and in the addendum below.
Gold Medal Resorts (Ranked In Order)
1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
2. Rancho Valencia, California
3. Wild Dunes Resort, South Carolina
4. JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, California
5. Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Florida
6. Sea Island, Georgia
7. La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, California
8. Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico
9. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii
10. Four Seasons Resort Nevis, Nevis, West Indies
11. The Boulders, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, Arizona
12. TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort by Wyndham, Florida
13. Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
14. Topnotch Resort, Vermont
15. Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Tirol, Austria
16. The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Florida
17. Wintergreen Resort, Virginia
18. Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, Florida
19. Kapalua Resort, Hawaii
20. Caneel Bay Resort, U. S. Virgin Islands
21. Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire
22. Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
23. Saddlebrook Resort, Florida
24. The Broadmoor, Colorado
25. Four Seasons Resort and Club, Texas
Silver Medal Resorts (ranked 26-50, listed alphabetically)
•The Buccaneer, U. S. Virgin Islands
•Carmel Valley Ranch, California
•Grand Cypress Resort, Florida
•Hawk’s Cay Resort, Florida
•Hidden Dunes Beach & Tennis Resort, Florida
•The Jumeirah Beach Hotel, United Arab Emirates
•La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, California
•Lodge at Pebble Beach, California
•Mohonk Mountain House, New York
•Naples Grande Beach Resort, Florida
•Northstar California, California
•Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, California
•Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, California
•Port Royal Racquet Club, South Carolina
•Reunion Wyndham Grand Golf & Spa Resort, Florida
•Rosewood Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands
•Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Florida
•Sea Colony, Delaware
•The Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
•The Seabrook Island Club, South Carolina
•Silverado Resort and Spa, California
•South Beach Racquet Club, South Carolina
•Taos Tennis at Quail Ridge Taos, New Mexico
•Thanyapura, Thailand
•The Tryall Club, Jamaica
Bronze Medal Resorts (ranked 51-75, listed alphabetically)
•The Bridges Family Resort & Tennis Club, Vermont
•Club Med-Sandpiper Bay, Florida
•Couples Swept Away Negril, Jamaica
•ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Florida
•The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, Hawaii
•Green Valley Resort & Spa, Utah
•Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, Florida
•Hanalei Bay Resort, Hawaii
•Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort, South Carolina
•Horseshoe Bay Resort, Texas
•La Manga Club, Spain
•The Lodge at Ventana Canyon, Arizona
•Makena Beach & Golf Resort, Hawaii
•Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, Hawaii
•Mission Hills Country Club, California
•Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina
•Reynolds Plantation and Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Georgia
•Rosemary Beach, Florida
•Shadow Mountain Resort & Club, California
•Shipyard Plantation, South Carolina
•Stratton Mountain Resort, Vermont
•Sugarbush Resort, Vermont
•Wailea Tennis Club, Hawaii
•Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa, California
•Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort & Spa, Arizona
Top 25 Tennis Camps
1. Roy Emerson Tennis Weeks, Switzerland
2. Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Amelia, Florida
3. Saddlebrook Tennis (Hopman), Florida
4. New England Tennis Holidays at Sugarbush, Vermont
5. John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Texas
6. Reed Anderson Tennis School, California
7. Topnotch Tennis Academy, Vermont
8. PBI Tennis Camp at Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Tirol Austria
9. Sea Colony Tennis Camp, Delaware
10. Wintergreen Tennis Academy, Virginia
11. IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis Program, Florida
12. Court Think Tennis, Utah
13. Cliff Drysdale Tennis School at Stratton, Vermont
14. Northstar Tennis, California
15. Dave Marshall Tennis, Delaware
16. Peter Kaplan’s Westhampton Beach Tennis Academy, New York
17. Stan Smith Tennis Academy, Sea Pines, South Carolina
18. NIKE Amherst Adult Tennis Camp, Massachusetts
19. Desert Tennis Academy, Shadow Mountain, California
20. Van Der Meer Tennis, Shipyard, South Carolina
21. Club Med Academies at Sandpiper Bay, Florida
22. New England Tennis Holidays at The Boulevard, Florida
23. Brady Tennis Camp, California
24. Total Tennis, New York
25. Van Der Meer Tennis Center, South Carolina
Best by Category
Best Tennis Staff
1.Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
2.Roy Emerson Tennis Weeks, Switzerland
3.Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Florida
4.Reed Anderson Tennis School, California
5.La Quinta Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, California
Best Game Arranging
1.Rancho Valencia, California
2.JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, California
3.Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Florida
4.Resort at Longboat Key Club, Florida
5.Hidden Dunes Beach & Tennis Resort, Florida
Best Lodging
1.Rancho Valencia, California
2.Gstaad Palace, Switzerland
3.Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
4.Sea Island, Georgia
5.Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
Best Cuisine
1.Gstaad Palace, Switzerland
2.Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Austria
3.Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
4.Rancho Valencia, California
5.Mohonk Mountain House, New York
Best Value For Dollar
1.Taos Tennis at Quail Ridge Taos, New Mexico
2.John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Texas
3.TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort, Florida
4.Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire
5.Hidden Dunes Beach & Tennis Resort, Florida
Best Pro Shop
1.Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Florida
2.Resort at Longboat Key Club, Florida
3.Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
4.Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Florida
5.The Lodge at Pebble Beach, California
Best Setting
1.Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii
2.Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Austria
3.The Boulders, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Arizona
4.La Quinta Resort & Club, California
5.Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire
Best Tennis Instruction and Programming
1.Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
2.JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, California
3.Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
4.Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Florida
5.TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort by Wyndham, Florida
Best Junior Tennis Programs
1.Rancho Valencia, California
2.Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
3.For Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies
4.Wild Dunes, South Carolina
5.Sea Colony, Delaware
Best Overall Children’s Programs
1.Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
2.Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Florida
3.Wild Dunes, South Carolina
4.Sea Island, Georgia
5.Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
Best Spa
1.Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
2.Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
3.Sea Island, Georgia
4.Mohonk Mountain House, New York
5.Rancho Valencia, California
Best Fitness Center
1.Thanyapura, Thailand
2.Sea Island, Georgia
3.Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
4.Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, California
5.Rancho Valencia, California
Best for Single Travelers
1.John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Texas
2.Nike Amherst Tennis Camp, Massachusetts
3.Total Tennis, New York
4.New England Tennis Holidays at Sugarbush, Vermont
5.Northstar California, California
Best for Couples
1.Rancho Valencia, California
2.Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico
3.The Boulders, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Arizona
4.Caneel Bay Resort, U.S. Virgin Islands
5.Rosewood Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands
About Tennis Resorts Online
Tennis Resorts Online (www.tennisresortsonline.com) debuted in 1999 with the goal of helping avid tennis players make better-informed choices about where to go on their tennis holidays. Its founder, Roger Cox, had spent the previous 17 years as Tennis magazine’s travel and resorts editor. During his long career in covering tennis travel he has visited more than 350 tennis resorts and participated in some 50 tennis camps on five continents. His expertise and advice underpins the website, and that has made Tennis Resorts Online the Internet’s leading source of tennis-travel information. Its hundreds of pages encompass both Cox’s personal reviews and the opinions of thousands of vacationers. A customized search form makes it easy for readers to find resorts and camps that meets their specific criteria, and they’ll find a calendar of tennis events, a selection of special tennis packages, a catalog of junior tennis camps, and a tennis-travel blog. Forbes named the site “Best of the Web,” and the Wall Street Journal calls it “A terrific resource for tennis players and their families.”
