The Best Florida Tennis Resorts: Places I’ve Played (& Places on My List)
Nowhere does tennis like Florida. Seriously, Florida has to be one of, if not THE epicenter of tennis in the world. The weather is always perfect for tennis! So it’s no wonder that people coming to Florida on vacation want to play tennis.
Best Florida Tennis Resorts
I’ve stayed at several great tennis resorts in Florida plus I’ve done a TON of research and I have a pretty long list of places that I’d like to go. So if you’re planning a Florida tennis vacation, here’s the lowdown on the best Florida Tennis Resorts
Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne
I planned an entire trip to Key Biscayne mostly just to stay at the Ritz Carlton and have easy access to the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Center. It’s about a 2 minute walk from the resort and it’s a top notch facility. They have 11 clay courts and run a pretty impressive schedule of clinics, drills, round robins, and lessons throughout the week. You can view their schedule here.
You don’t have to be a resort guest to play here (the club has memberships and you can also play as a drop in). Drills and clinics pretty much fill up everyday so I strongly suggest making reservations in advance. The first day of my trip I showed up without calling ahead and it was already full.
It cost $40 for the 1.5 hour adult clinic I participated in. I brought my own racquet, but you can rent for $7/day in the pro shop.
Besides the scheduled drills, you can also arrange for private lessons or just reserve a court to play on if you’re traveling with other players ($15/person for the day including a can of balls, water, towels, etc.). And the resort/club arranges different adult camps throughout the year (both pre scheduled where you can join an existing group and customized for your own group) so call directly if you’re interested in those details.
They also have three courts specially designed for “Padel” (supposedly the premier facility in Miami) which looks like it’s played on a mini tennis court with artificial turf, plexiglass walls, paddles, and tennis balls. It’s supposed to be a mix between tennis and squash. That could be fun to learn how to play.
What I liked about playing tennis here was that it’s a good mix of people on vacation and people who live in the area (either full time or seasonally). It felt more like your local tennis club (where everybody knows everybody) than a lot of places I’ve played tennis on vacation. But it wasn’t cliquish at all…everyone was very welcoming to the visitors and kind of tracked who was there on vacation and how long you’d be there. And it seemed like others who were there on vacation were really taking advantage of the tennis center (like they had come to Key Biscayne/the Ritz specifically for the tennis and were doing clinics every day and even lessons as well).
Find more info about the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Center on Key Biscayne here.
And read all about my trip to Key Biscayne (plus more details about the Ritz Carlton) here.
***Want to save major $$$ on a fancy beach resort? My favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free nights at some of the island’s most high end resorts. My go to hotel brand is Marriott so I use this Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card to rack up points for a lot of my trips to Florida. If you pay for your monthly expenses on the card and are responsible about paying it off every month, the points add up really fast. Plus, if you sign up through my link, you’ll get THREE bonus free nights to use. In Florida, use your points at some of my favorite Marriott properties like the Swan Reserve at Walt Disney World, the Vinoy in St. Pete, the EDITION Miami Beach, the JW Marriott Marco Island, and the soon to open St. Regis Longboat Key.
Omni Amelia Island Resort
I’ve been wanting to go to Amelia Island FOREVER and I finally visited a few weeks ago.
The Omni Amelia Island Resort is home to Cliff Drysdale Tennis, a 23 clay court complex that hosts a whole roster of programs including tennis vacations.
On this trip, I actually stayed down the road at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island since I had some Marriott points to burn and while you’ll have to drive to the tennis center, it’s super close.
Overall, Amelia Island is totally different from any other place I’ve ever been in Florida. Located on the far northern side of the Atlantic coast, it’s just a stone’s throw from Georgia and honestly you’ll feel more like you’re in the lowcountry of Georgia or South Carolina than Florida.
Trees dripping with Spanish moss, a historic downtown with great shopping and dining, a wild beach perfect for long walks and searching for shark teeth, plus boat tours through the marsh…it’s a totally different type of Florida vacation, but it’s still a perfect tennis getaway.
30a (Seaside, Watercolor & Rosemary Beach)
30a is one of my top spots in Florida that I head to when I want an old school beach vacation. This scenic highway along the panhandle’s emerald coast stretches from Destin to Panama City Beach and is lined with the cutest little beach towns you’ve ever seen. There aren’t any big resorts here and it’s mostly all vacation rentals but there are a few boutique hotels now.
On my last trip to 30a, I visited every single tennis club/center so I could give YOU the lowdown.
Rosemary Beach Racquet Club
I stayed at The Pearl in Rosemary Beach on this trip and the tennis courts are just a quick walk down 30a. This is the biggest tennis facility on 30a with 8 courts, all Har-Tru (green clay).
My favorite thing about this place is the observation deck. Besides the upper viewing deck, there’s a porch on the back of the pro shop which has plenty of seating and good views. Overall, this place probably has the best setup for watching matches or lessons/drills. The courts are all pretty open and there’s a lot of seating.
The club is open to the public. Guests renting cottages in Rosemary Beach (through the Rosemary Beach Cottage Rental Company) or staying at the Pearl get complimentary court time. There are also drills focused on doubles strategy (for all levels) offered daily ($38 for guests and $30 for members). Clinics are limited so be sure to call ahead to reserve your spot.
Find out everything you need to know about playing tennis at Rosemary Beach here.
Seaside Tennis
The Seaside Tennis Center is the least convenient place to play tennis on 30a UNLESS you’re staying close enough to walk there. There is zero parking (but plenty of bike racks!), and it’s pretty secluded and hard to find.
Once you do find it, it’s pretty quaint (like everything in Seaside). They’ve got 6 Har-Tru clay courts and run clinics most days. You can also customize your own tennis vacation if you’re traveling with a group.
If you don’t want to rent a house, The Court is a super cute boutique hotel that just recently opened.
Find out everything you need to know about playing tennis at Seaside here.
WaterColor Tennis
Surprise, surprise, but WaterColor Tennis ended up being my favorite club on 30a. I ended up meeting the tennis director in the pro shop and everyone was just super friendly and chatty.
WaterColor has the smallest facility on 30a (not by much though) with 5 Har-Tru clay courts. But they do have a parking lot and it’s pretty out of the way so only people playing tennis are parking there (the Rosemary Beach lot is right on 30a and I have a feeling it gets used as overflow parking for people who are there to shop and eat).
Even though they only have 5 tennis courts, they have TWO pickleball courts and after a bit of research it looks like they’re currently the only public pickleball courts on 30a!
The club is really cute. The pro shop looks like a beach cottage and has a charming wrap around porch with plenty of chairs. They also have the best pro shop out of all the facilities. It’s nice inside and they stock a lot of brands and have everything well arranged.
There’s not a great website for WaterColor tennis, so I recommend calling the pro shop to find out their schedule and reserve a spot in advance.
For more info on where to stay on 30a, read this post.
Side Note: If you’re looking for a rental car for your trip, I LOVE Discount USA Car Rental. They’re seriously the only company I ever use. I started using their sister company (Discount Hawaii Car Rental) on my Hawaii trips almost 10 years ago and now I use their main site for all of my other trips. They’ll give you the very best prices, you don’t have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. It’s a no brainer. Click here to check rates for your trip.
More Florida Tennis Resort on MY LIST
I haven’t stayed or played at these places yet, but they look really great and I hope to visit soon!
I drove by the Ponte Vedra Inn when I was driving A1A last year, and I LOVE this area and definitely want to come back to stay and play here.
I used to stay at the Colony Tennis Resort on Longboat Key every summer when I was a kid, and while it’s been closed for a long time now (soon to reopen as the new St Regis), the Club at Longboat Key is a top notch tennis resort just down the road.
It’s nice and modern and you’ll be hard pressed to find better beaches in Florida than they have here.
Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables
I love a historic hotel and the Biltmore in Coral Gables looks pretty dreamy! They have 10 courts and daily programs plus a great location for exploring Miami.
The SanDestin resort area is HUGE with multiple resorts, hotels, condos, and vacation rental communities. It’s its own city. And their tennis program is top notch! They have 12 clay courts, 3 hard courts, and 6 pickleball courts plus a full schedule of clinics, tournaments, and lessons plus a matching service if you don’t have a partner (or opponent).
Want to Read More Posts about Florida? I’ve got plenty!
Check out these destinations: Miami (Things to Do Besides Party & Where to Stay) // Key Biscayne // Sanibel & Captiva // Longboat Key & Anna Maria Island // Marco Island // 30a // St Augustine // Amelia Island // St Pete Beach // St Petersburg // Fort Myers // Dunedin // Crystal River & Weeki Wachee Springs // Honeymoon Island & Caladesi Island State Parks // Tarpon Springs // Matlacha & Pine Island // Apalachicola
Trying to narrow it down? Siesta Key vs Anna Maria Island // St Pete Beach vs Clearwater Beach // Sanibel vs Marco Island // Destin vs Panama City Beach // Destin vs 30a // Key Biscayne vs South Beach // Seaside vs Rosemary Beach
Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells
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