Four Seasons Resort & Club, Las Colinas

Set on 400 sprawling, landscaped acres in the northern suburb of Irving, the Four Seasons Las Colinas feels like a country club with top-notch facilities.

• The wide range of sports facilities from golf courses to tennis and squash courts
• The private villas on the golf course
• The sense of being at a resort just 20 minutes from downtown Dallas

About a 20-minute drive from downtown Dallas (and a convenient 10 minutes from the Dallas Fort Worth airport), the Four Seasons Las Colinas, set in a verdant semitropical landscape, has been the resort getaway for wealthy Dallas residents since it opened. Some parts of the hotel, like the Spanish Colonial–influenced, nine-story brick main tower and the large lobby, with its dark wood-paneled screens and straight-edged chandeliers, still recall the 1980s (the Four Seasons took over in 1985), but overall, the hotel has invested millions in updating the rooms and facilities.

The resort also functions as a country club of sorts including two golf courses (one of which is championship level and has hosted PGA tournaments), a huge sports center with tennis, squash and racquetball courts, jogging tracks and a state-of-the-art fitness center, two large outdoor swimming pools and a 16-treatment-room spa. With all this going on, the 431-room resort is bustling, especially in the summertime, but guests also immediately feel part of the Dallas scene.

More intimate and exclusive than the 315 rooms in the tower are the accommodations in two-story villas clustered around the championship golf course. The North Villa complex is comprised of 34 suites that feature an understated design with light-wood furnishings, comfy leather- and velvet-covered chaises, large bathrooms (with separate tubs and showers and L’Occitane products), plush carpeting and the occasional piece of modern art. Upper-floor suites come with spacious balconies, while those on the lower floors have patios overlooking the greens. Service, as you would expect, is seamless and friendly. Don’t be surprised to find some very young, eager faces among the host of staffers; insiders refer to the resort as the University of the Four Seasons, and many of the company’s hires get their start here.

Because of its location, removed from central Dallas, in the wealthy neighborhood of Las Colinas, and its focus on golf and fitness, the resort attracts an unmistakably active crowd—the gym is busy as soon as it opens, at 5:30 A.M. Some 40 fitness classes are offered every week, ranging from Pilates and power yoga to spinning and cardio dance, and the tennis and squash pros are among the city’s best. The large spa, with 16 treatment rooms, was Four Seasons’ first health facility and the company still often uses it to test new therapies. The rest of the top-notch menu also employs natural ingredients, including the organic Eco-Escape facial with French Equavite products.

Golfers and families looking for a large-scale resort outside of the city with activities for kids of all ages.