Although located just 35 minutes from Walt Disney World and 30 minutes from downtown Orlando, the Mission Inn Resort & Club has rarely registered on tennis vacationers' radars. Its address in a town with the peculiar name of Howey-in-the-Hills sounds more Appalachian than Floridian even while the resort's name evokes Spanish-era California.
On September 27, 2008, all that changed, when former world No. 1 Justine Henin and her coach Carlos Rodriguez stood at a lectern on Court 2 to announce that their 6th Sense Tennis Academy was opening an American branch at this family-owned 190-room resort in the lake district of northcentral Florida and that renowned fitness guru Pat Etcheberry would be joining them.

Overview

"It's the beginning of a great adventure for us," Henin said as she introduced the project. The fact that it all came together here, at this quiet, low-key hacienda-inspired resort can be traced to its Bolivian-born long-time tennis director Cesar Villaroel. At one time, he and his brother had run a tennis academy, first in Orlando and later at the resort. But in recent years, his focus had shifted to caring for convention groups, who made up substantial percentage of the guests, and for local members. He needed a challenge, and he had a vision of establishing the 1,000-acre Mission Inn as a major player in developing the next generation of tennis players and golfers.
As it happens, it was the golf aspect, rather than tennis, which debuted first. After interviewing numerous candidates, Villaroel found Gary Gilchrist, who had formerly run the golf academy at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida. "We spent the whole day together talking about what the academy should be," Villaroel remembers. "Unlike everyone else, he never asked how much money he'd be making." The Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy at Mission Inn launched early in 2008 and quickly signed up 20 full-time students, housing them off campus and enrolling them in the local Montverde Academy, a private school that was willing to modify class schedules to leave afternoons free for training.
For help finding a tennis component, he turned to Pat Etcheberry, who had trained some of his academy kids. It was Etcheberry who ultimately put him in touch with Henin and Rodriguez and then himself bought into Villaroel's vision, leaving the world-class tennis and training facilities at Saddlebrook Resort to be part of this budding operation. The very minimalist nature of what's here—two hard and six Har-Tru courts without a tennis pro shop and a sparsely equipped fitness center—daunted neither he, Henin nor Rodriguez, the last of whom summed it up this way: "I know we'll start small, but the vision is big."

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 352-324-3101

Two elements underlie the philosophy of the academy and its tennis operations: for those ages 4 to 9, they use mini-tennis (the precursor to what is now being called QuickStart here in the U.S.) to introduce the game since this is the way Henin got her start; and they're determined to treat everyone with compassion and respect, regardless of their innate playing ability. "We are going to try to have the same consideration for all the players even if they are low level, high level, medium level," says Rodriguez of their approach. "The player is not a number, the player is not a bank account, he's a human being first."

Tennis Staff. Justine Henin herself will come and go, spending perhaps two weeks a year at this academy. Carlos Rodriguez expects to be a more integral part, estimating that he'll spend as much as 35 weeks a year. Their full-time on-site director is Alain de Vos, himself a Belgian who worked as Rodriguez' assistant and helping to coach Henin before stints in South Africa and the U.S., where he coached Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Meghann Shaughnessy.
Tennis Programs. The programs run the gamut from training for ATP/WTA/ITF players to customized programs for adults and everything from intensive weeks and summer camps for juniors to a live-in full-time tennis academy.
Courts & Fees. There are two hard courts immediately adjacent to the inn and an additional 6 Har-Tru courts (two of these with lights) in a parklike setting near the spa and golf pro shop roughly half a mile away. Court fees: $20/court/hour or $10/person/day on clay, $15/court/hour or $8/person/day on hard, with a surcharge of $10/hour with lights.
Caveat: On paper, the academy has an ambitious roster of programs. As with any new operation, however, its ability to populate those programs with participants may vary from week to week. Given that, it's reasonable to phone ahead and ask how many people they're expecting for your program during the period you're thinking of vacationing and what they'll do if only a very small number sign up.

Your Call

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 Mission Inn Resort & Club or 6th Sense Tennis Academy. If you've taken a tennis vacation there, I'd like to hear your reactions.

Other Recreation

Golf Courses. There are two 36-hole courses at the Mission Inn: El Campeón, one of the oldest courses in Florida, and Las Colinas.

El Campeón: Built in 1926 from a design by Scottish architect Charles E. Clarke, it is notable for having more than 85 feet in elevation changes, giving it rolling fairways and undulating greens. Length: 4,811-7,003 yards. Par: 72
Las Colinas: Wide-open fairways and gently rolling hills combine with large undulating greens to create a course that accuracy. Length: 4,931-7,217. Par: 72.
Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy: A short-term and live-in academy for juniors.
Bird Golf Academy: Customized instruction with low student:teacher ratios.

Spa & Fitness Center. The 6,200-square-foot Spa Marbella opens in November 2008 with five treatment rooms . There is currently a long, narrow fitness center in the golf clubhouse with a dozen pieces of cardio equipment facing windows on the foliage outside as well as freeweights, dumbbells, and half a dozen Cybex workout stations.

And ... There is a small swimming pool and hydrospa behind the inn, as well as sand volleyball courts, jogging and cycling trails, a trap and skeet range, and a nearby lake with a marina for fishing and charter-boat rentals.

Lodging

The rooms are spacious, with two queensize beds in heavy wooden frames with high-backed wooden headboards, armoire with traditional TV, rough stucco walls painted a pale yellow, botanical prints, a safe, a coffeemaker, free wireless access, a sofa, screened in patio with views of golf course, tennis courts, or countryside, a smallish marble-tiled bathroom with single sink in granite surround and tub/shower combo. There's also a coin-operated guest laundry on the first floor of each of the two inn buildings.

See Also

If you like the quiet, low-key atmosphere of the Mission Inn with customized tennis programs, also check out:

• Daufuskie Island Resort and Breathe Spa, South Carolina
• Inn at Manitou, Canada
• Port Royal Racquet Club, South Carolina
• Sunriver Resort, Oregon

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Although the resort is open year-round, the best period for tennis runs from late September into May.

Rates.

The lodging options include deluxe hotel rooms, suites, and 2-bedroom villas (the last may require a minimum 7-night booking).

Travel Instructions. By Air: The Mission Inn is 50 miles northwest of Orlando International Airport (MCO). Shuttles and rental cars are available. By car from the airport, take Beachline Expressway 528 west to Florida's Turnpike north to Exit 285. Turn left on US 27 south, traveling one block before turning left onto SR 19 north. Continue to Howey-in-the-Hills, 6 miles. The resort entrance will be on the left.

General Tourist Information. For general tourist information about Howey-in-the-Hills and other attractions of Florida's Lake County, visit the Lake County Visitor Information web site.

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