Healthy vacations - tennis resorts, fishing clubs, favorite camping locations

Black Enterprise, July, 1992 by Dari Giles

If museum-hopping is not for you, try an invigorating tennis, camping or deep-sea fishing getaway.

TENNIS

For those who want a truly invigorating and active holiday, try a tennis vacation. Although you can take lessons at a nearby tennis school or camp, if you want your instruction to include enticing beaches, luxury accommodations, fine cuisine and other sports, head to a tennis resort.

Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic (Premier World Marketing, 2600 SW, Third Ave., Miami, FL; 800-877-3643). Jet into the heart of the world-renown resort of Casa de Campo, which is surrounded by 7,000 acres of lush, green grass and palm trees and bordered by a shoreline that extends over the horizon. Once settled in your casita (a room with balcony), grab your racket and drive a golf cart over to Casa's La Terraza Tennis Club. Perched on a hillside overlooking the Caribbean Sea are 13 perfectly manicured, composition clay courts.

Weekend and full-week tennis packages are available and include strategies, drills and competitive play for beginners to advanced players. As the Caribbean's most sports-oriented luxury resort, Casa also offers two world-class golf courses, skeet shooting, horseback riding, polo, water sports, a complete fitness center and more.

Tennis packages must be purchased as a supplement to Casa's "Leisure Time Package." The tennis supplement ranges from $55 for one day to $150 for three days and $280 for six days. It includes unlimited court time day or night, one hour of play with a junior pro, a one hour lesson with a pro, use of ball boys and a one hour organized group lesson/clinic. A full sports plan, including other activities along with tennis, is available for $105 per day.

Club Med, Paradise Island, Bahamas, (P.O. Box N 7137, Nassau, Bahamas; 800-CLUB-MED). The Club Med Paradise Island resort is perfect for couples and singles who want tennis and comfort on a budget. One price includes all fees, activities, meals and comfortable rooms.

The "Intensive Tennis Program" offers tennis 'round-the-clock for all levels of players. Play on any of the 20 courts--including eight lighted ones--until the wee hours. Each two hour instruction session involves a specific stroke, volley, serve or technique. (I learned to slice or block my service return on the first serve and attack on the second. And, was ingeniously instructed to step toward servers during their first serve--an intimidating technique that can cause a fault and win an easy point.) Finding a game on the off-hours was easy; guests are friendly and many are there to get in as much tennis as possible. You can literally play until you drop!

Famous for its tournaments, which pit players of equal levels against each other in men's, women's, doubles and singles events, the resort's clay courts face the Nassau harbor and the sunsets are spectacular. Their "summer camp" approach to a tennis resort may not suit everyone's taste, but some will enjoy it. There are no facilities for children, but those over 12 can stay at the resort. Club Med also offers this program at their resorts in Sandpiper, Florida; Ixtapa and Sonora Bay, Mexico.

The seven-day tennis package includes a daily four-hour tennis clinic, tournaments, parties and free court time for a weekly rate of $899 excluding air fare, and $1099 to $1459 with air fare depending on the U.S. point of departure. American Airlines has direct or connecting service the from most major cities to over 30 destinations in the Caribbean. But, bring your own balls. Video analysis is also offered.

Roy Emerson Tennis Week; Palace Hotel, Gstaad, Switzerland, (Leading Hotels of the World, 800-223-6800; in New York City, 212-838-3110). During the summer months, the ski resort of Gstaad, Switzerland is also the playland for tennis. Besides Gstaad's annual Swiss Open, the other major attraction is the Roy Emerson Tennis Week at the Palace Hotel.

Roy Emerson, former singles and doubles champion of every Grand Slam Tournament (Wimbledon, the U.S., French and Australian Open), is a humorous, charming, and highly skilled tennis director. On four clay courts that sit at the base of the monumental Swiss Alps, he held a captive, happy audience of intermediate and advanced players in the palm of his hand. For 2 1/2 hours each morning and afternoon, Roy and a host of well-trained professionals help experienced players fine-tune their craft. Strokes are worked meticulously, the instruction is positive and the students--mostly European--friendly.

The week included three meals a day (full pension) of the finest French cuisine, served on a terrace with a view of the mountains. Alpine air makes the ball float, so you'll need to hit with a topspin to keep the ball within the base line. For those who can't make it to Gstaad, Roy is the tennis director at the Williams Island Florda Riviera in North Miami Beach, Fla. (305-935-5555) from November to April.

Packages include a daily five-hour instructional clinic (one to four teacher/student ratio), three meals, one massage, use of indoor/outdoor swimming pools, sauna and more. There is a fee for extra court time. But, after five hours of tennis, there are few takers. The clinic runs from June 21-27 or June 27 to July 3 and costs $2540 SF.