Rancho Valencia

This award-winning resort boasts gorgeous rooms, excellent tennis and fitness programs and an exemplary attention to detail throughout.

• The incredible tennis program for adults and children
• The tranquil yoga pavilion
• The automatic delivery of freshly squeezed orange juice to guest rooms each morning

Each of the 49 sprawling casitas at this Rancho Santa Fe resort offers vaulted ceilings, hand-painted tiles, a four-poster bed, indoor and outdoor fireplaces and a plunge pool. Guests may find it hard to tear themselves away from the beautiful hacienda-style suite, but touring the grounds will surely pay off. This truly special property has an outstanding tennis program—at any time, former pro Robin Wright can be found giving lessons on one of the 18 tennis courts. There are several pools—two saline pools, the main pool and the adults-only spa pool—and The Spa, where guests can arrange for treatments from a citrus and rosehip oil body scrub to quirogolf massage, which uses golf balls to massage and relax muscles and improve flexibility.

Come dinner, the Pony Room bar does fantastic salads, burgers and flatbreads along with signature margaritas (the bar boasts 100 types of tequila), craft cocktails and wine. Veladora, the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, features everything from Hudson Valley foie gras and Kusshi oysters to filet mignon and vegetable green curry with red rice.

Couples wanting a romantic weekend away or families keen to play tennis together and relax by the pool. Rancho Valencia also makes for an easy long-weekend getaway, situated only a 35-minute drive from San Diego International Airport.