PGA National Resort & Spa

Description:

• This rambling resort, the national headquarters of the PGA, is a premier golf-vacation spot -- but its top-rated Mediterranean spa could be a destination in itself. With five 18-hole courses on more than 2,300 acres, golfers and other sports-minded travelers will find plenty to keep them occupied -- such as croquet, tennis, sailing, a health and fitness center, and that sublime spa. Constant updating has kept the grounds and buildings in like-new condition. The par-72 Champion Course, redesigned in 1990 by Jack Nicklaus, is the resort's most valuable asset. Guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, bordering on residential, with immense bathrooms. Club cottages are especially nice, offering great privacy and serenity. This is not a beach resort, however. Six outdoor therapy pools are surrounded by gorgeous mineral pools. Don Shula's award-winning steakhouse is the hotel's best and most popular restaurant. In 2006, the Honda Classic golf tournament made the resort its official host venue. The tourney is in February.

  Facilities: 7 restaurants and lounges; 9 pools; 5 18-hole tournament courses plus the PGA National's Academy of Golf; 19 clay tennis courts; aerobics studio; 5 tournament croquet lawns; 5 indoor racquetball courts; Mediterranean spa; watersports equipment rental; concierge; car-rental desk; salon; limited room service; babysitting; laundry

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010