At these upscale North American resorts, tee time is just as important as spa time.
Arizona—Enchantment Resort
THE STAY: The red rock formations of Northern Arizona’s Boynton Canyon serve as the backdrop to Enchantment Resort, a 218-guestroom hideaway in rugged Sedona. This Preferred Hotels & Resorts member offers guests more than 100 complimentary activities, including red rock hikes, mountain biking, sunrise yoga, a food and wine tasting experience, a tea course, watercolor painting classes, and cooking demonstrations. Room rates start at $325 per night.
THE GOLF: The new 14,000-sq.-ft. private Clubhouse at Seven Canyons Golf Club, available to resort guests as an inclusive amenity, opened last spring at the foot of Long Canyon overlooking the property’s Tom Weiskopf-designed, 18-hole championship course and the surrounding red rock canyons and evergreen forest. The clubhouse offers fitness classes, such as yoga for golfers, as well as strength and conditioning training. After receiving lessons from PGA veterans, a custom club fitting and personal training sessions at The Seven Canyons Performance Center, guests are finally ready to take on the formidable par 70 Seven Canyons course.
THE SPA: The 24,000-sq.-ft. Mii amo Spa offers Native American-inspired holistic treatments in an outdoor wikiup (a domed “healing” hut), such as the 90-minute Spirit of the Full Moon specialty treatment. During the ritual, available exclusively around the time of a full moon, guests write down the thoughts or feelings they want released by the full moon before receiving a scalp massage and a body massage that uses wild Arizona sage infused with the light of the full moon. The treatment ends with a foot massage using frankincense.
California—Terranea Resort
THE STAY: Terranea Resort made it back on our list this year because of the hotel’s updated spa offerings and innovative social responsibility practices. This Mediterranean-inspired Destination Hotels & Resorts member in Rancho Palos Verdes features panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, 75 acres of natural landscape ideal for walks, hikes and birdwatching, and a garden-to-table restaurant with dishes made from organic ingredients found in the chef’s garden. Guests also have the opportunity to go horseback riding, ocean kayaking and paddleboarding at the Pointe Discovery activity center. Room rates start at $395 per night.
THE GOLF: The Links at Terranea’s oceanfront location provides guests with a picturesque setting for nine holes of play and variable wind conditions that make for a tricky shot at the 172-yard third hole. Onsite PGA professionals and the staff at Terranea’s Golf Academy are available to offer lessons on how to sink the shot.
THE SPA: The Spa at Terranea’s new wellness offerings include a sea salt treatment, made with local and sustainably grown ingredients, such as rosemary- and lemon-infused sea salt gathered from salt beds in the Pacific Ocean; a honey treatment, using honey produced by the 120,000 bees living in the resort’s four beehives; and a series of Radiant Results facials that use all-natural products and gentle micro-currents to plump and hydrate the skin. Guests can also take advantage of full moon and seaside yoga at Terranea Resort’s Catalina Point, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Florida—Turnberry Isle Miami
THE STAY: Turnberry Isle Miami is a 300-acre tropical oasis in Aventura, Florida that’s off-the-predictable-Miami-path, yet conveniently located across the street from the high-end Aventura Mall and less than 20 miles away from both the Fort Lauderdale International (FTL) and Miami International Airports (MIA). The Autograph Collection Hotels property, which features a Mediterranean-style design, Michael Mina’s award-winning Bourbon Steak restaurant, three pools, and the Canas Tennis Center, recently introduced 241 renovated guestrooms and suites in the resort’s Jasmine and Magnolia buildings. Rates start at $509 per night.
THE GOLF: Since their inceptions, both of Turnberry’s 18-hole, par 72 championship courses, Soffer and Miller, have undergone million-dollar landscape renovations. The coursers were redesigned by Raymond Floyd to include elevation changes, contoured fairways, doglegs, and plenty of lush backdrops for photo opportunities. Golf clinics, led by resident golf pros, are offered six days a week (excluding Sundays) at 9 a.m.
THE SPA: The atmosphere at the 25,000-sq.-ft. Turnberry Isle Spa & Fitness Center exudes luxury from the bottom of the spa’s grand spiral staircase, three stories up, to its glass dome skylight. Amenities include 27 treatment rooms, a 3,650-sq.-ft. fitness center with an aerobics and spin cycle studio, weight and cardio room, and full-service Tricho beauty salon. Turnberry also developed an Optimal Wellness Program for guests interested in incorporating health and fitness programs and services into their stay. The hotel’s 4- to 7-night customizable packages include a one-on-one consultation with a physician, a session with a nutritionist and two private personal training sessions.
Hawaii—St. Regis Princeville Resort
THE STAY: Millions of tourists flock to Hawaii each year to experience paradise. It’s no wonder the 251-guestroom St. Regis Princeville Resort sought to reflect the area’s natural surroundings and culture in its tropical-inspired interior. The luxurious 9,000-acre resort on the island of Kauai features internationally influenced dishes made with fresh-caught fish and indigenous ingredients at the Kaua‘i Grill restaurant, an infinity pool overlooking Hanalei Bay, and The Young Voyagers Club with hands-on nature-related activities for children. Rates start at $1,250 for a Mountain/Garden View room.
THE GOLF: The St. Regis Princeville is taking an unexpected turn in its golf offerings with the recent introduction of the resort’s non-traditional Makai Golf Club activities. In addition to golfing at the resort’s 18-hole Prince and Makai courses, both designed by Robert Trent Jones II, guests are now able to participate in sunrise yoga classes on the 7th hole in view of Kauai’s northern shore and the iconic “Bali Hai” (Makana Mountain). There’s also a new sunset golf tour where guests can birdwatch and sightsee along six stops.
THE SPA: This summer, the St. Regis Princeville’s 11,000-sq.-ft. Halele’a Spa is debuting a new Wellness & Meditation Day Experience. The program will feature a selection of spa experiences, including restorative yoga and meditation, as well as the chance to visit with the resort’s Hawaiian cultural guide to wellness, Puna Kalama Dawson. The spa also features 12 treatment rooms and traditional treatments with a Hawaiian twist, such as the Gentle Touch Massage, a 60- to 90-minute soothing massage that uses locally sourced lavender butter made from pure plant and lavender oils, root extracts and indigenous Hawaiian flowers.
Nevada—Caesars Palace
THE STAY: Caesars Palace celebrates its 50th Golden Anniversary this year as a bona fide Las Vegas legend. Spread out across 84 acres in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, the 3,980-guestroom and -suite casino resort features a decadent Garden of the Gods three-tiered pool complex, a 4,300-seat Colosseum performance venue, nearly 130,000 sq. ft. of gaming space, and a sinfully delicious lineup of celebrity- and non-celebrity-branded restaurants, including last year’s newcomer, MR CHOW. We recommend staying in the 587-guestroom Julius Tower, which also opened last month following a $75 million renovation. It’s glitzy, extravagant and everything one would expect of one of Las Vegas’ most decorated hotels, whose namesake derives from an equally ostentatious political leader. Room rates start at $149 per night.
THE GOLF: Your clients may have come for poker and Elton John, but the Caesars’ Rees Jones-designed 18-hole Cascata and Rio Secco golf courses are well worth the less than 30-minute drive to Boulder City and Henderson, respectively. Cascata features scenic mountain views, a 418-ft. man-made waterfall and 800 ft. of elevation changes, while Rio Secco offers a demanding course layout with holes through canyons for pros and teeing grounds for beginners—both can take personalized golf lessons at the onsite Butch Harmon School of Golf. Guests can set up tee times and transportation with the hotel’s golf concierge. The cover price starts at $250.
THE SPA: Caesars’ 50,000-sq.-ft. Qua Baths & Spa offers traditional spa amenities—51 treatment rooms with three deluxe couples’ studios, a cedar wood sauna, and an herbal steam room—in addition to a few unique finds—hot and cold mineral-enriched Roman baths, a coed Lacomium room, and a 55-degree Artic Ice Room where guests sit on stone-heated benches and rub their bodies with shaved ice chips to soothe aching muscles as “snow” trickles down on them from the ceiling. Only in Vegas.
From Jet to Tee:
The Ultimate Luxury Golf Tour
There’s no need for guests to fret over tee time, golf gear, hotel reservations or transportation with Magellan Jets and Four Seasons’ new 7-night multi-destination luxury golfing tour, Private Jet Tropical Tee and Golf Tour, because these two have got everything covered. Up to eight guests can experience this fully customizable private golf tour package, which combines luxury accommodations at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo and the Four Seasons Resort Nevis with the personalized service of Magellan Jets. During the week-long adventure, guests will experience seamless runway-to-fairway play complete with luxury suites, private residence villas, world-class golf courses and immersive experiences. Featured golf courses include Miami’s 18-hole Crandon Golf Course, a 250-acre public course; Costa Rica’s 18-hole Arnold Palmer Golf Course, where guests can enjoy sunset cocktails at the third hole after playing; and Nevis’ 6,766-yard, par 71 link-style golf course offering panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. Departures begin April 2016. Rates start at $132,000 for a group of 12. magellanjets.com or fourseasons.com
Caesars Palace: caesarspalace.com or caesarstravelagents.com/home.aspx
Enchantment Resort: enchantmentresort.com
or preferredhotels.com/travel-professionals
St. Regis Princeville Resort: stregisprinceville.com or starwoodpro.com
Terranea Resort: terranea.com
or destinationhotels.com/travel-professionals
Turnberry Isle Miami: turnberryislemiami.com or travelagents.marriott.com/travelagents/signin.mi
