From Susan Breslow Sardone,
Your Guide to Honeymoons / Romantic Travel.
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La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

More and more couples are choosing honeymoons that make them healthier as well as happier. La Costa is a 400-acre luxury resort located in the heart of Southern California, and here attention to detail and commitment to guests' well-being is the philosophy.

The aim of La Costa's Life Fitness and Longevity Center goes beyond revitalizing visitors: It helps structures a plan for the future that focuses on fitness, nutrition, weight control, and stress management. Inside the health and fitness center are separate men's and women's spas and locker rooms. Co-ed exercise gyms contain work-out equipment and room for supervised exercise classes. Soothing waters include whirlpools, Roman pools, heated swimming pools, and a water complex complete with a koi-filled lagoon and waterfall.

Golfers are attracted by two 18-hole championship courses. On the South Course's 5,545 yard 17th hole, they play into Pacific breezes. The North Course winds up and down through a picturesque coastal canyon. All levels of playersfrom beginners to PGA Tour professionals hone their skills at the La Costa Golf School.

On the 23-court Racquet Club, players lob and volley on grass, clay, and hard courts. Seven of the courts are lit for night play. A stadium-court amphitheater is the setting for daily clinics, lessons, and work-outs. There's a well-stocked pro shop, and a restaurant overlooking stadium court.

Six restaurants are on the premises, along with a 180-seat movie theater that shows first-run films nightly. In the Champagne Room, different French-California dishes are on the menu daily, and the table appointments are made luxurious with the tasteful blending of crystal, sterling silver, and bone china.

Bordering the golf courses, Racquet Club, and Spa are 395 deluxe rooms. In addition, there are 75 one- and two-bedroom suites and two elegantly furnished Presidential suites. For reservations, call 800-854-5000.

The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, California

The Lodge at Pebble Beach is poised on Carmel Bay on the Monterey Peninsula, one of the most beautiful locations in America. It's accessible via the picturesque 17-Mile Drive, a privately maintained scenic route that follows the Northern California coastline and looks out upon its native wildlife: sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions. At another twist in the road, the much-photographed Lone Cypress stands.

Pebble Beach claims four of the world's leading golf courses. Each is a par-72, 18-hole course with a distinctive character: Pebble Beach Golf Links, site of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Tournament, is adjacent to The Lodge. Designed in 1987 by Robert Trent Jones, Tom Watson, and Sandy Tatum, The Links at Spanish Bay covers 195 acres. Spyglass Hill Golf Course, named by Golf Digest as one of the top 40 courses in the country, challenges with its par-4 hole #16. And the Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey, founded in 1897, is the oldest still in use west of the Mississippi.

The Beach & Tennis Club stands next to Stillwater Cove near The Lodge. Inside, it features plexi-pave tennis courts, a pro shop, a heated swimming pool, lounge, a fully equipped exercise center, and locker rooms for both men and women. There are also private rooms for massage, steam baths, and saunas.

Riders trot over to the The Pebble Beach Equestrian Center. More than 34 miles of bridle paths extend into every corner of the 5,300-acre Del Monte Forest. The winding trails are also open to walkers and joggers, providing an inspirational setting for exercise.

Dining can be a relaxing and elegant experience after a hard day of play. The Cypress Room serves 29 varieties of fresh fish. Seared Pacific coast salmon medallions with creme fraiche and cilantro is one example of the California-style cuisine. Club XIX serves French fare in a handsome cherrywood room. For those who get hungry before bedtime, milk and fresh-baked cookies will be delivered by room service upon request. Of the resort's 161 luxury guestrooms, 140 contain fireplaces.

The Lodge at Pebble Beach is a short, scenic drive from the Big Sur coast, downtown Carmel, and Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Bay. Traveling further south, one reaches another world-class destination: San Simeon, the castle of William Randolph Hearst. For reservations, call 800-654-9300.

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