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et’s face it, Bandon Dunes isn’t a bring-everyone-in-the-family type of place. For times when your vacation goal isn’t 36 holes per day—and when your “foursome” comprises spouse and kids—you need a destination that offers a variety of options for different ages and tastes. Following are seven of our favorite such resorts, guaranteed crowd-pleasers that hit the sweet spot between golf getaway and pure family fun.
Los Cabos, Mexico
Surf lessons right out front. Tacos on the beach. Snorkeling, kayaking, pickleball and tennis. An afternoon massage under a palapa. And, yes, golf at the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Palmilla Golf Club, which stretches from the One&Only’s Sea of Cortés–front setting to the desert arroyos and mountains just inland. Your home base for this multifaceted Mexican getaway is a sprawling hacienda of tile and stucco and palms, where friendly people bring you cold drinks along one of the rare swimmable beaches in the area. And while first-rate resorts may be common in Los Cabos, few cater to both families and golfers quite like the Palmilla. oneandonlyresorts.com
Sicily, Italy
The White Lotus isn’t something you want to watch with the kids, but if the HBO show’s second season got you excited about Sicily, take la famiglia to this epic golf-and-beach resort on the Italian island’s southern coast. Part of Rocco Forte Hotels, the sprawling property is home to three 18-hole courses, including the highly acclaimed East Course, which was recently redesigned by Kyle Phillips. The sporting options extend to a full soccer pitch, on which Verdura hosts academies for young athletes (ages 6-14) led by top players like Italy’s Gianluca Zambrotta. The resort also offers training academies for tennis, padel, fencing, flyboarding, muay Thai and much more. After a day of sparring or riding the surf, retire to one of Verdura’s Mediterranean-view villas, which, with three or four bedrooms and private pools, are perfect for the whole clan. roccofortehotels.com
Kona-Kohala Coast, Hawai’i
King’s Pond might just be the world’s best swimming pool. The massive lava-rock aquarium—filled with nearly 2 million gallons of saltwater—is home to thousands of tropical fish that are native to the Pacific waters bordering this 865-acre resort on the Big Island. Guests can grab a snorkel and swim with the vibrant array of species, an activity that can easily eat up an entire afternoon. As can a visit to the pond’s new marine center, which offers educational opportunities and eagle-ray feeding sessions, and was opened as part of the resort’s recent $100 million renovation. The undertaking also saw the addition of ocean-view villas and the Hualālai Golf Hale, a 3,000-square-foot practice facility to complement the property’s Jack Nicklaus course. (Hualālai also has a private Tom Weiskopf course.) In addition to golf, the resort offers tennis, pickleball, and a wealth of watersports ranging from snorkeling and paddleboarding to high-speed adventures in a rigid inflatable boat. fourseasons.com
Auchterarder, Scotland
Gleneagles is pretty much everything you dream about Scotland in one place. Fly-fishing, horseback riding, axe throwing and archery. Rare single malts served from a Scotch trolley. Falconry and gundog training in the fields and forest. Off-roading driving courses for both adults and children (the latter in specially made Land Rover replicas). Gardens, mazes and, of course, golf. Such good golf, in fact, that you might lose your motivation to make the one-hour drive out to St Andrews. Not to worry, as you will be happily anchored at Gleneagles’ century-old palace of a hotel, which has been exquisitely restored and is equipped with everything from clubs for both teenagers and young children to a new spa and a Michelin two-star restaurant. gleneagles.com
Nassau, Bahamas
If you think waterparks are for kids, you haven’t been to Baha Mar. This sprawling development on Nassau’s Cable Beach in the Bahamas is home to three hotels, more than 40 restaurants (from chefs including Daniel Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson), over 30 boutiques and art galleries, and just about everything else you could imagine being at a beachfront resort in the Caribbean. But it’s Baha Bay—a “luxury waterpark” located next door—that pushes this place over the top. The 15-acre playground flows with wave machines, lazy rivers, massive drop slides and plunges, and an elegant beach club with spacious private cabanas. As for Baha Mar’s golf, it’s on the Jack Nicklaus–designed Royal Blue, a classic Caribbean track where the perks include PXG rental clubs. Plant your clan at Rosewood Baha Mar, guests of which enjoy non-reciprocal access to the other hotels’ pools and beach clubs, as well as complimentary entry to Baha Bay. rosewoodhotels.com, bahamar.com
Colorado Springs
An American classic, this Colorado Springs resort can be as rough as it is refined. The early 20th-century pink palace at the center of it all houses luxurious suites, lake-view fine-dining venues and historic bars and ballrooms that might just call for black tie. Just outside, however, is a Rocky Mountain playground of zipline courses, hiking and biking trails, a zoo, a falconry academy, and facilities for laser tag, geocaching and tomahawk throwing. Not to be outdone, the Broadmoor’s two golf courses are worthy of a trip all on their own. The East Course, designed by Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, will play host to the U.S. Senior Open in 2025. broadmoor.com
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Orlando, Florida
Orlando isn’t just for kids—especially at the soon-to-open Conrad hotel at Evermore Orlando Resort. Evermore is a new 1,100-acre community that borders Walt Disney World and will eventually include a whopping 10,000 bedrooms. Most of that will be in the form of vacation rentals that range from two to 11 bedrooms. The Conrad, which is scheduled to open in February 2024, will house 433 guest rooms and suites, including 10 massive family suites. Resort guests will have access to Evermore’s Links Course and the in-development Grand Cypress Course by Nicklaus Design. The community will also offer a 20-acre beach complex, a lagoon, multiple restaurants and, of course, a complimentary shuttle to the Magic Kingdom next door. hilton.com, evermoreresort.com
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