Escapes: European-flavored fitness getaway - Get Fit

Shape, May, 2002 by Carole Jacobs

For springtime in Europe without the jet lag or price tag, check out the Four Seasons Resort Aviara. It's located in Carlsbad, a Victorian seaside town only 60 miles south of Los Angeles, but with spanish-Colonial architecture, Tuscan dining, Moorish spa treatments and Peruvian flutists serenading you poolside, you may have trouble deciding which country you're in.

Settle into your luxury room, then get set to play. There's a 22-acre beach, high-tech fitness center, paved oceanfront bike path, tennis courts and championship golf course. Just a short stroll away, Bavarian-style downtown Carlsbad will extend your European fantasy. A major flower-growing region, it's also the perfect place to catch spring fever: May through July, the hillsides are carpeted with blooms.

From $275 midweek, double occupancy; (800) 332-3442, fourseasons.com/aviara.