La Playa means "The Beach" in Spanish, and staying at La Playa Beach & Golf Resort in lovely Naples, Fla., puts one so close to the sugar white sands rimming the Gulf of Mexico that you feel like you can stand on your balcony in the morning and help the pelicans and ospreys locate their fishy breakfasts in the azure waters below.
But "The Beach" only begins to describe this luxurious, 140-room property, as it is also home to Spa Terre, with its full slate of spa treatments in an exotic setting, and Baleen, which offers exquisite fine dining to go with the prime sunset watching opportunities that helped put Southwest Florida on the map.
Amidst all this casual luxury and sexy South Beach-like atmosphere, one might overlook the "& Golf" portion of the property's name, which would be a mistake for anyone who considers teeing it up an essential element to any Florida vacation. For a short ride inland brings one to La Playa Golf Club, a par-72, Bob Cupp-design measuring 6,902 yards from the back tees and 5,221 from the forwards (with three sets in between), available exclusively to resort guests and club members.
Originally constructed as the public Palm River Country Club, the course went private/resort and was renamed in 2002, and currently does a maximum of about 18,000 rounds per year.
Exquisitely landscaped and conditioned, La Playa can challenge all skill levels from the respectively chosen tees. Water is omnipresent, as one realizes right away while standing on the first tee and looking out at the fairway of the par-5 opener as it arcs left between the lake on one side and mounds and vegetation on the other.
Elsewhere, dense shrubbery might have fellow high-handicappers longing for basic rough, but straight hitters will love the visual treat that Cupp has created through the combination of mounding, landscaping and H2O. Speaking of the latter, there are few forced carries, and on many holes the degree the hazards come into play depend largely on which of the five sets of tees you are playing.
The par 3s range from the lengthy (246 from the tips) No. 3 to the short (133 from the tips) but optically challenging #12. Pars 5s include the aforementioned, 495 yard No. 1 to the 567 yard No. 6, which features a "clear the water crossing or lay-up" dilemma on its second shot. The memorable closing hole is a 401-yard par 4, with the clubhouse serving as a dramatic backdrop.
From there, it's drinks and a snack on the veranda facing the 18th green, or back to The Beach, perhaps for a soothing after golf massage offered by SpaTerre. Either one will quickly return you to a hedonistic state no matter what score you posted, and have you refreshed and ready to enjoy another of those perfect Southwest Florida sunsets to put the ideal capper on the day.
For information and rates, visit www.laplayaresort.com, or call (800) 237-6883.
