Prior to meeting my husband, almost 8 years ago, I had never visited California. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to discover such wonderful places during each visit to California. Last weekend, during a visit to Southern California, my husband and I had the opportunity to discover a surprisingly amazing place to visit; but, most importantly, we found another wonderful resort with tennis!
Our first order of business for the weekend after flying into Los Angeles from New Jersey, was to do the Hollywood Sign hike. When researching the Hollywood Sign Hike, we realized we could do it on our own; however, we came across an Airbnb experience during a search on the internet that advertised a Hollywood Sign Hike to the Top with Tom. The 5 mile Hollywood sign hike lived up to all the hype!
(Tip: Parking is very limited at the base of the hill, for the Hollywood Sign Hike. Many people find that taking an Uber to the base is best.)
In researching resorts with tennis, we found The Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey . On our first day, as we waited for our mid morning court time, we watched the Cardio tennis clinic on the courts, from our room, overlooking the marina and the tennis courts. Even from 12 floors above the tennis courts, it looked like everyone was having a great time, with the high energy tennis Pros running the clinic. It made us want to join in! We decided to find out more about the tennis at the resort. When we arrived for our tennis court time, we had the opportunity to speak to Chris Ojakian, who runs the Ojakian Tennis at the Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey (Elite Racquet Sports). He explained the type of tennis programs that were available, and warmly encouraged us to register.
It was easy to register online for the Ojakian Tennis (Elite Racquet Sports) at the Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey. Upon registration I received immediate confirmation. On Sunday, I participated in the Mimosa Sunday, tennis program. The Director of Ojakian Tennis (Elite Racquet Sports), Chris Ojakian, divided the two courts into 4 groups of 4 (men and women). He even played in! Two hours flew by, each court playing out points, and then playing games against the other teams. The Tennis Teaching Professionals, were super enthusiastic throughout the program. The Marina Del Rey tennis players were warm and welcoming, not to mention fabulous tennis players. Each time we switched sides, the teammates would high five each other, and say encouraging things. As promised, there were mimosas for participants, mainly enjoyed after the two hours of tennis! This experience made me realize that I would love to come back to this resort, to play tennis.
(TIP: You do not have to stay at the Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey to take advantage of the Ojakian Tennis offerings; however, you do need to register for the programs in advance!)
From hiking to the top of the Hollywood sign, to finding an outstanding, challenging tennis program, there are many places in California to experience a balanced vacation. I cannot wait to return to the fabulous resort, the Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey, California.