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While the boys enjoyed tranquility of one kind, we entered an oasis more suited to our concept of nirvana.
Golf & Spa Getaway
Whether you prefer Old Florida-style golf or want to try a remote course that doubles as an Audubon sanctuary, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel can provide a dream vacation for the golfer on your trip. While the guys are out golfing, the girls can enjoy massages, detoxifying body wraps, four-layer facials, even a full-body immersion in therapeutic mud from the Dead Sea for the ultimate, pampering getaway.
By Nate Huff and Juliette Reynolds
Whether you prefer Old Florida-style golf or want to try a remote course that doubles as an Audubon sanctuary, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel can provide a dream vacation for the golfer on your trip. While the guys are out golfing, the girls can enjoy massages, detoxifying body wraps, four-layer facials, even a full-body immersion in therapeutic mud from the Dead Sea for the ultimate, pampering getaway.
By Nate Huff and Juliette Reynolds
What could be better than a round on the links and a day of pampering at a spa? Here’s a sampling of what’s on offer for a golf and spa vacation in The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel.
Sanibel (and Harbour) Sands
Guys' Golf
The Dunes Golf and Tennis Club, a one-of-a-kind layout twisting through Sanibel Island’s mangrove marshes. Taking the term “target golf" to a whole new level, the Mark McCumber redesign seemed at times to be nothing more than a collection of small, floating fairways in a sea of lakes and brackish bayous.
The course’s short risk/reward holes kept my driver in the bag much of the day, requiring Zen-like club selection to avoid sending ball after ball into the encroaching waters (did I mention water comes into play on every single hole?). On holes like the 314-yard 12th, where both the tee shot and the approach must clear expanses of water, a brief lapse in concentration can be costly – as in “two lost balls and a double bogey" costly.
As my focus faded and my ball supply dwindled, I took refuge in the scenery. From alligators and turtles to great blue herons and osprey, it comes as no surprise that the course’s pristine setting is sanctioned as a wildlife preserve by the Audubon Cooperative Society.
Girls' Spa
The spa at Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa sits on the edge of the property, and Kara and I reached it by traversing a mangrove-canopied boardwalk. One of the largest spas in Lee County with 29 treatment rooms, the 40,000-sq.-ft. space has been recently renovated.
Shells feature prominently in the décor, with piles of the gorgeous, natural baubles at the base of soothing fountains. There’s an indoor pool, sauna, steam room and spa, as well as superbly appointed locker rooms, complete with vanity products and showers.
Now to the treatments. The array is mind-boggling, but I chose the Sea Escape Facial and Hand Treatment, while Kara had the four-layer facial.
First my hands and lower arms were exfoliated, massaged, masked and moisturized, then placed inside warming mitts. Mmmmm.
Next, the four-layer facial consisted of cleansing, exfoliation and two masks, which were intriguing. One, a bright turquoise layer, turns rubbery and comes off in one piece. The second one, placed on top of the first, is painted on, heats up, then hardens like concrete. It also comes off in one piece. Afterwards, we feel, and look, years younger.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Guys’ Golf
Morning brought us to Raptor Bay in Bonita Springs, a Raymond Floyd-designed masterpiece connected to the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa. A WCI-run facility, every inch of the 6,702-yard, par 71 layout is impeccably conditioned, from the lightning-fast, undulating putting surfaces to the velvet-smooth fairways.
What sets Raptor Bay Golf Club apart is that it’s quite literally set apart from the houses and condos that encroach on so many Florida courses. In fact, Raptor Bay blends so harmoniously with the natural surroundings that it carries the distinction of being the first resort course in the world to receive Audubon International’s Gold Signature Sanctuary Certification.
However, while the tranquil lakes, pristine wetlands and cypress hammocks may create a Zen-like setting, playing the course is no stroll in the park. Not a bunker can be found on the tightly winding layout, but miles of coquina and sand waste areas line fairways and encircle greens, making accuracy more necessity than preference.
Girls’ Spa
While the boys enjoyed tranquility of one kind, we entered an oasis more suited to our concept of nirvana. The Stillwater Spa at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa is a world-class pampering facility, with a menu of services comparative to the wine list of a five-star restaurant.
For total body relaxation, it’s hard to go wrong with the 75-minute Aromaceane treatment. The journey begins with an invigorating dry body exfoliation and leads into a full-body immersion in therapeutic mud from the Dead Sea. The blissful experience continues with an herbal scalp massage or foot reflexology, while a choice of aroma essences detoxify, tone or relax… on the outside chance you need to be any further relaxed.
If you go…
The Dunes Golf and Tennis Club, 239-472-2635
Raptor Bay Golf Club, 239-390-4600, www.coconutpoint.hyatt.com/property/
Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa, 239-466-2156, www.sanibel-resort.com
The Stillwater Spa at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa, 239-444-1234, www.coconutpoint.hyatt.com/property/
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