Need suggestions for a good tennis resort - east coast

[SoCalJay]

My wife and I are looking for a tennis resort on the east coast with clay courts (HarTru is fine) and a nice beach. I've had my eye on South Carolina but am open to going wherever, really. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ncgator]

I would suggest Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina.

 

[PMac]

I would second Kiawah or you could also look into Wild Dunes. WD is closer to Charleston for easier access to sites and good restaurants.

 

[dr325i]

Boca Raton Resort...

 

[SoCalJay]

Thanks a lot guys! Any tips about booking at these places?

 

[RobFL]

What are your priorities for this trip?
--quality of tennis instruction?
--the beach and overall quality of the resort?
--ability to get a good game at your level every day in addition to instruction?
--what month because heat/humidity vary greatly here in the Southeast?

Depending on your priorities, you might get a very different answer for best choice.

I'd put Amelia Island and one of the tennis resorts on Hilton Head like Palmetto Dunes on your list. Saddlebrook has a good reputation but it is not right on the beach, just close. I hit at Wild Dunes a couple years ago and would not recommend there for tennis. It looked like they were de-emphasizing tennis. Golf and beach I would recommend WD, just not tennis.

My home club is Tops'l Racket & Beach and we have Sandestin next door, on the beach in the FL Panhandle. I could give you the pros and cons of our area if you like.

 

[SoCalJay]

What are your priorities for this trip?
--quality of tennis instruction?
--the beach and overall quality of the resort?
--ability to get a good game at your level every day in addition to instruction?
--what month because heat/humidity vary greatly here in the Southeast?

Depending on your priorities, you might get a very different answer for best choice.

I'd put Amelia Island and one of the tennis resorts on Hilton Head like Palmetto Dunes on your list. Saddlebrook has a good reputation but it is not right on the beach, just close. I hit at Wild Dunes a couple years ago and would not recommend there for tennis. It looked like they were de-emphasizing tennis. Golf and beach I would recommend WD, just not tennis.

My home club is Tops'l Racket & Beach and we have Sandestin next door, on the beach in the FL Panhandle. I could give you the pros and cons of our area if you like.

Thanks for the response, Rob. We mostly just like to hit together and relax by the pool or on the beach so quality of the resort and the beach are at the top of the priority list. Good clinics are a definite plus but we're not terribly concerned with availability of competition (I'm a solid 4.0 and my wife is a lower end 3.5). We would be booking for probably August or September.

 

[caugas]

My wife and I are looking for a tennis resort on the east coast with clay courts (HarTru is fine) and a nice beach. I've had my eye on South Carolina but am open to going wherever, really. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you are looking for a quite community try litchfield beach SC,
19 Hard tru courts, daily round robins, good instruction - very cheap weekly all you can play deal

 

[McLovin]

If you are looking for a quite community try litchfield beach SC,
19 Hard tru courts, daily round robins, good instruction - very cheap weekly all you can play deal

We were just there last week. I had read about the round-robin play on TT and swung by to inquire. Its a really good deal:

$15 for three 40-min round-robin matches. They do a good job of pairing you w/ either equal skill level, or 'combo' pairings (I'm a 4.5, and I played w/ a 3.5 vs two 4.0s, so essentially an 8.0 combo match, then w/ a 4.0 vs. another 4.5/4.0 pairing). Also, if you are interested in singles, they'll set you up in the final 40-min session if there are others your level.

Beach was clean, the resort was very reasonable, and good local restaurants nearby. We enjoyed the area so much, we've already decided to go back next year.

 

[tennis_tater]

What are your priorities for this trip?
--quality of tennis instruction?
--the beach and overall quality of the resort?
--ability to get a good game at your level every day in addition to instruction?
--what month because heat/humidity vary greatly here in the Southeast?

Depending on your priorities, you might get a very different answer for best choice.

I'd put Amelia Island and one of the tennis resorts on Hilton Head like Palmetto Dunes on your list. Saddlebrook has a good reputation but it is not right on the beach, just close. I hit at Wild Dunes a couple years ago and would not recommend there for tennis. It looked like they were de-emphasizing tennis. Golf and beach I would recommend WD, just not tennis.

My home club is Tops'l Racket & Beach and we have Sandestin next door, on the beach in the FL Panhandle. I could give you the pros and cons of our area if you like.

We are looking to stay at either Tops'l or Sandestin Beach Resort at the end of August. Can you let me know some of the pros/cons of their tennis programs?

 

[osutennis24]

We are looking to stay at either Tops'l or Sandestin Beach Resort at the end of August. Can you let me know some of the pros/cons of their tennis programs?

Can't speak for Sandestin as I've never been there

but Tops'l has very good tennis programs. Some of it may depend on your level. They usually have a Round Robin on Saturday's and Wednesday's during the Summer season, many clinic's throughout the week, and have 3 great pro's if you're looking for any private lessons.

Some of the cons may be that if it's not busy (like many other guests at the property) it could be hard to find matches (but that depends on your level). Also be careful who you book through if you go to tops'l. I know some people who stayed on property still weren't allowed access to the tennis facility because it's a private club. But if you book through Wyndham (who owns the facility) then you will have no problems. It's when you go through some other companies that people have had trouble