Fabulous Florida golf and tennis at Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa

Arnold Palmer-designed golf.

World-class tennis facilities.

Renowned, full-service spa.

Award-winning restaurants.

One of the best pools you’ll see anywhere.

Located just north of Tampa, Florida, Saddlebrook Resort has all this and a bunch more.

This all-encompassing resort, which is also home to one of the top prep schools for both tennis and golf, also offers more than 500 units of luxury accommodations. It’s the kind of vacation spot where once you valet your car, check in and have a bellhop deliver your bags to your room or condo, you can leave the busy rest of the world behind.

Saddlebrook

Simply walk (or take a golf cart) to the golf and tennis clubhouses, restaurants, bars or spa or explore the rest of the beautiful property. Saddlebrook is about relaxing, working on your game (whether it's golf, tennis or both), enjoying fine or casual dining and relaxing some more.

Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay didn’t design the courses at Saddlebrook Resort aren't for tour players.

They're designed for amateur and recreational players like you. This means that while they are both challenging and well-maintained, Saddlebrook’s two courses – The Saddlebrook Course and the Palmer Course – were built for enjoyment, plain and simple.

The original Saddlebrook Course has a distinct look all its own. With stands of Spanish-mossed cypress trees lining most of the fairways and framing the greens, the 6,500-yard par 70 has 18 unique holes with plenty of doglegs, water on more than half the holes.

Saddlebrook

Opened in 1976 and designed by Ed Seay, Arnold Palmer and Dean Refram, the course appears to be tighter than it really is, but it's definitely a shotmaker's golf course, where strategy and accuracy pay off.

The signature hole is definitely the 425-yard par-4 18th. It, too, often plays into the wind. The tee shot is demanding and if you don't hit it far enough, you can easily have an approach over water from 200 yards out.

(Note: Starting June 11, in an effort to constantly improve, the Saddlebrook Course will be undergoing a brief restoration project. Scheduled to be completed by the end of August in time for the fall season, the improvements include the re-sprigging of five greens, drainage improvements and some other cosmetic improvements. During the work, nine holes will remain open at all times as well as the other course at Saddlebrook, the Palmer Course.)

As for the Palmer Course, it has a distinctly different look from its sibling layout. Also designed by Palmer and Seay, it opened in 1982 and plays to 6,641 yards from the back tees.

The real difficulty in the Palmer Course is in the green complexes. While fairways are generous and feature lots of mounding, the greens are often raised and well protected. And it's also one of the few courses you'll play that ends with a par 3.

One cool thing about the Palmer Course is that it’s one of those layouts you’ll want to play a few times in order to really get to know it. Think of it as your own private course home-away-from-home.

Saddlebrook

And if you're looking to improve your golf game while on property, Saddlebrook Resort has some of the best instructors in the business.

If you’re looking for a place to work on your game this summer, Saddlebrook is offering a killer-low stay-and-play rate for Golf Advisor subscribers.

Here are the details:

• Overnight luxury accommodations at Saddlebrook Resort
• Golf daily at the Palmer Course and Saddlebrook Course (9 holes available summer 2018)
• Golf Advisor Exclusive: Welcome cocktail upon check-in
• Golf Advisor Exclusive: Complimentary same-day replay rounds
• Starting from $117 per person, per night

Be sure to mention Golf Advisor when you make your reservations to receive your exclusive perks.

Did we mention that there's tennis at Saddlebrook Resort? It's among the finest anywhere, in fact – so much so that some of the best players in the world train here.

Whether you're a beginner or seasoned tennis veteran, Saddlebrook Resort has you covered with lessons, drills, gear and 45 courts on four different surfaces, including Har-Tru and even grass.

Saddlebrook

After tennis and/or golf, you can dine at several different restaurants, including Dempsey's Steak House – famous for its prime steaks and table-side Caesar salad – as well as TD's Sports Bar or the casual Poolside Café and Pool Bar. Among the can't-miss items are the carrot cake and Key lime pie, both made from scratch at the resort's own bakery and possibly among the best in Florida.

One of the other features that makes Saddlebrook one of the best resorts in the state is its half-million gallon "Superpool." One of three pools at the resort, the Superpool is an expansive 270-foot-long free-form pool with lap lanes as well as water basketball, volleyball nets, nearby hot tubs and luxury cabana rentals. It’s a perfect summer hangout spot.

And finally, after all that golf and tennis, you might want to check out the 7,000-square-foot European-style Saddlebrook Spa. Treatments feature a full menu of spa and salon services as well as whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, and a courtyard terrace for lounging, sunbathing and dining. Massage techniques range from sports recovery to reflexology and hot stone treatments.

Saddlebrook is conveniently located just 30 miles (less than 40 minutes) north of Tampa International Airport. That puts it just 90 minutes from Orlando and three hours from Jacksonville.

Once more, here is the Golf Advisor-exclusive package Saddlebrook Resort is offering this summer:

• Overnight luxury accommodations at Saddlebrook Resort
• Golf daily at the Palmer Course and Saddlebrook Course (9 holes available summer 2018)
• Golf Advisor Exclusive: Welcome cocktail upon check-in
• Golf Advisor Exclusive: Complimentary same-day replay rounds
• Starting from $117 per person, per night

Be sure to mention Golf Advisor when you make your reservations to receive your exclusive perks.

These rates are pretty tough to beat for value and quality of experience.

Be sure and drop us a line as soon as you return from your Saddlebrook summer excursion and tell us what you thought of the experience!

Happy travels.