Intimate Meetings: Doing More With Less

Five Properties Perfect the Small-Group Getaway

Chris Duthie | Photos: © Chris Duthie

Intimacy, thank goodness, is not one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Smaller, more intimate properties are ideally suited for breakout-sized conferences or groups, and when golf is part of the mix, they also can be super-productive.

Smaller destinations also have intriguing considerations, including locking in customized services and, even better, never again fighting crowds or those cranked-up public address systems coming from next-door conferences.

Essentially, it’s doing more with less, as evinced by these five no-guilt stalwarts:

CASA PALMERO—Pebble Beach, Calif.

Tucked just off the first tee of vaunted Pebble Beach Golf Links is the 24-room Casa Palmero. An integral part of Pebble Beach Resorts, the “resort-within-a-resort” offers guests immaculately landscaped grounds, soothing fountains and richly detailed Mediterranean-style architecture.

Comforts include cozy and spacious accommodations; access to spa, library, billiards, swimming and tennis; plus guest privileges at Pebble’s celebrated golf courses—the Links, Spyglass Hill, Del Monte, Spanish Bay and the Peter Hay executive nine. pebblebeach.com.

ESEEOLA LODGE—Linville, N.C.

The 24-room Eseeola Lodge effortlessly represents Southern charm and grace with luxurious yet rustic accommodations, premier guest services, riotous gardens, formal seven-course gourmet meals, easy highway access and stellar views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Serving guests since 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Lodge’s first-class comforts include spa, swimming, croquet, exercise room, Har-Tru tennis, hiking, fly fishing, canoeing, hiking and sporting clays. Plus, there is nearby Linville Golf Club, a 6,780-yard Donald Ross design that is ranked among America’s better resort venues by Golfweek magazine. eseeola.com.

LAS VENTANAS AL PARAISO—Los Cabos, Mexico

For 12 consecutive years, Las Ventanas al Paraiso has earned Five Diamond status from AAA and, for good measure, the 83-suite resort was just named the number-one hotel in Mexico by U.S. News & World Report. Its ultra-private, ultra-luxe amenities include an award-winning spa, fitness center, three open-air restaurants, exquisitely appointed accommodations and lush desert gardens—all set against a fabulous Sea of Cortez backdrop.

Guests further enjoy private butlers, detailed guest services, tennis, horseback riding, sport fishing, scuba diving, sea kayaking, wind surfing, desert ATV tours, and daily fee golf at nearby Cabo Real (designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.), Cabo Del Sol (Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf) and Palmilla (Nicklaus). lasventanas.com.

Pictured above: Las Ventanas al Paraiso, © Chris Duthie

Pictured above: Cabo del Sol Golf Club, © Chris Duthie

LODGE AT KOELE—Lanai City, Hawaii

Situated amid Lanai’s central highlands, the 102-room Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele is celebrated for its verdant forests, rolling hills and lush grasslands. Uncompromising elegance, amenities and customer service are so pervasive that the clifftop property recently earned a top Best Resorts in Hawaii Reader’s Choice award from Condé Nast Traveler.

At the forefront are wondrous services and facilities anchored by the Jack Nicklaus-designed Manele Golf Course and the Greg Norman/Ted Robinson-crafted Koele Golf Course. It also features two tantalizing restaurants, richly appointed suites, tennis, swimming, sporting clays, horseback riding, off-road touring, library, croquet, lawn bowling, hiking and an array of nearby beach activities. fourseasons.com.

LODGE AT VENTANA CANYON—Tucson, Ariz.

The Lodge at Ventana Canyon is a 50-suite, don’t-miss destination that has won just about every award worth winning, including the AAA Four Diamond Award for 18 consecutive years. Its Santa Catalina Mountains location brims with saguaro cacti, lush riparian areas and massive granite outcroppings, complemented by architecture that utilizes mahogany, fieldstone, slate and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Guest distractions include lighted tennis, fitness center, swimming, hiking, fine dining, 600 preserved acres of lush desert and a 36-hole, environmentally sensitive golf playground that was crafted by Tom Fazio. thelodgeatventanacanyon.com.

Pictured above: Ventana Canyon, © Chris Duthie

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Chris Duthie is a contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.