Travel

The Best Break La Vida Boca

  • Delta Sky
  • |
  • January 24, 2018

by Karen Feld

vidaboca

Late as usual, I dash past priceless antiques, hand-woven tapestries, tranquil gardens and sparkling fountains en route to my room at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, a plush pink resort on 356 acres in the heart of Florida’s Gold Coast.

My mission: to retrieve my racket in time for a private tennis lesson on one of the 30 clay-based courts. It’s easy to see why Chris Evert holds her annual charity tournament at the tennis center, and why Patrick Rafter has trained here for tournaments. After I’ve warmed up my serve and ground strokes with the pro, the tennis concierge arranges a doubles match.

If I were a golfer, the resort’s two 18-hole championship courses would beckon. And if I were a student of that poobah of South Florida architecture Addison Mizner, I’d merely wander around gazing at the details of his Moorish masterpiece.

Instead, I indulge myself in a hot stone massage at a poolside cabana overlooking the Atantic Ocean, compliments of the Spa Palazzo. A skilled therapist places warm, smooth basalt stones on pressure points along my back. As she ever so gently massages my back with them, the heated stones relieve tense musces one by one.

www.bocaresort.com

Boca Raton Resort & Club

501 East Camino Real

Boca Raton, Florida

888-498-2622 or 561-447-3000

To replace the calories shed at the tennis center and the spa, I adjourn to Lucca, one of the resorts seven restaurants. The innovative Tuscan-style restaurant offers views of the Intracoastal Waterway. Savoring a dish of fresh papardelle pasta with porcini mushroom sauce, I feel as though I’m dining in an Italian villa. But my thoughts soon drift to early morning exercise on the beach, and my aching muscles transport me back to my room for an early evening.

Shortly after sunrise, a personal trainer meets me on the resort’s exclusive half-mile stretch of private beach with a glass of fresh juice and a warm-up that awakens every muscle. Then we briskly walk along the water’s edge before I bound to the course for yet another stellar day on the clay.

-KAREN FELD


Escape-o-Meter
Boca Raton Resort & Club
Location Less than 30 miles from Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale airport. Shopping nearby, or just buy Ralph Lauren in the resort’s Boca Boca shop.
Pampering Modeled on a castle, the resort treats the likes of Bill Clinton and Liza Minelli — and lesser-known guests as well — like royalty.
Weather Expect summer weather with a hint of fall in the evenings. Average maximum temperature: about 86F. Average minimum: 76.
Gear Be sure to pack golf, tennis and beach wear. Resort casual in the evening. Sport jackets for men — and not “Miami Vice”-style.
Money Rooms range from $195 per night for a standard room to $6,200 per night for the Presidential Suite.

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