Tennis At Enchantment
Great package at Arizona's #1 Resort (Travel + Leisure pick)
www.enchantmentresort.com
This is your opportunity to rate and review the resorts and camps you've visited. As material comes in I'll post it here, so you can read what others think.
So far, I haven't received any written feedback on La Costa Resort & Spa. If you've taken a tennis vacation there, I'd like to hear your reactions.
Familiar as the site of the WTA Acura Classic each summer, La Costa Resort & Spa has a long tradition of caring about tennis 
and of pampering the guests of its spa. But this is a far different La Costa than the one I first visited back in the 1980s. Over the last several years, more than $140 million has been spent to transform the resort. That includes shift to Spanish Colonial architecture—all white stucco, wrought iron, red tile, and open plazas—and multiple enhancements, from a handsome Feng Shui-aligned spa and adjacent Chopra Center for Ayurvedic treatments to redecorated rooms and a handful of new restaurants, including some with outdoor seating. It is so different, in fact, that I was momentarily confused about the location of the lobby but thoroughly taken with the improvements. It's vastly more open and inviting.
In the transition, the tennis club did away with its two grass courts. Still the facility remains relatively large, with four red clay and 13 hard courts, one of the latter a sunken stadium. Mike Casey has just taken over as tennis director, bringing his videotaped "Extreme Tennis Makeover" with him from his former post at La Quinta Resort & Club. "We're trying to create more programs for hotel guests and members," he told me. He has already expanded the daily clinics and introduced weekly cardio tennis sessions and has plans for more leagues and what he calls a "boutique" junior academy. As I learn more about the specifics on the programs he'll put in place, I'll post it here.
Not surprisingly, as someone know for his celebrity connections, he's looking to lure more marquee players to the resort, particularly over holidays when he plans versions of his "Mike Casey Celebrity Workshops," which have featured former tour players like Mary Jo Fernandez or fitness guru Denise Austin doing free clinics and demos for anyone who happens to be staying there. "I would like to bring back the glory days when tour players and Hollywood stopped by," he says.
Pro Shop: 760-438-9111
Tennis Programs. The tennis staff offers the usual clinics, private lessons, game matching available for adults as well as cardio tennis. Courts & Fees. The resort has 13 hard courts—one of them a stadium—and 4 red clay courts (7 with lights) arrayed below an attractive clubhouse containing an expansive, apparel-stocked pro shop. Court fees: $15/person/day.
July 31-Aug. 8, 2010: Mercury Insurance Open
www.mercuryiinsuranceopen.com Phone: 760-930-7032
This event, which replaces the Los Angeles Women's Tennis Championships on the Sony Ericsson WTA calendar, marks the return of women's professional tennis to La Costa.
There is no shortage of tennis resorts with spas—use my Search page to find others—but for comparison's sake, also look at:
La Costa offers both rooms and suites. Rates do not include taxes, parking, or a $20/day resort fee.
Seasons. Year-round.
General Tourist Information. There are three sources of information: in the immediate area, visit the Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau website (or contact them at 400 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad, CA 92008, phone 800-227-5722); for this part of the county, visit the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau website or contact them at 360 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, CA 92025-2600. Phone: 800-848-3336; and for the county as a whole, visit the San Diego County Convention & Visitors Bureau website or contact them at 2215 India St., San Diego, CA 92101. Phone: 619-236-1212.