Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/819918
B ehind the main clubhouse at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, a slim footbridge crosses a lush gorge filled with vines, palms and flow- ering shrubs. Honeybees and hummingbirds glide above the wild tangle of green, pausing briefly on blossoms before soaring off into clear Southern California skies. Here in the quiet community of Rancho Santa Fe, where streets wind along eucalyptus groves and golf greens, it's easy to forget that downtown San Diego is just 25 miles away. The tranquility at Rancho Valencia has attracted past guests ranging from businessman Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton to actress Rene Russo and basketball great Michael Jordan. And, it's just one reason that the Relais & Châteaux proper ty received five-star Forbes Travel Guide and AAA Five Diamond ratings in 2017, and earned a best American resor t nod from U.S. News & World Report in 2015. Set on 45 sun-drenched acres, Rancho Valencia serves as a self-described "sanctuary of good living" with luxurious accommodations, thoughtful well- ness programs and impeccable service. Eighteen plexi-pave courts and robust tennis programming (the late Monterey Peninsula tennis pro John Gardiner helped shape the resort's early offerings) established Rancho Valencia's reputation as a sport and fitness destination. Recent spa updates and new elemental wellness treatments designed to purify and promote long-term vitality underscore that commitment. Walking paths connect the tennis and wellness facilities with the rest of property, skirting along citrus and olive groves, Florida fig trees, bird-of-par- adise clusters and bright bougainvillea blooms. Courtyard fountains and col- orful tiles play up the Mediterranean atmosphere of the all-suite resort, which welcomes guests in 49 private casitas. RANCHO VALENCIA RESORT & SPA R a n c h o S a n t a F e , C a l i f o r n i a B Y R E N E E B R I N C K S D E S T I N A T I O N S C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 191 Photos: Courtesy of Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa