Surfing, Horse riding, rafting, golf and sailing: five of the best sporty hotels...
Surfing in the Maldives
The Six Senses Laamu in the southern Maldives you can mix luxury lounging with some serious surfing - and you’ll likely have the breaks all to yourself. There are four wave breaks within five minutes of the resort, including the gloriously consistent Yin Yang - a reef break that produces hollow barrels for experienced surfers and safe deep-water walls for beginners.
International Surf Day at the Six Senses Laamu. Photo Six Senses Laamu
One-on-one tuition is on hand if you are a novice or want to hone your style. An International Surfing Day is held around the summer solstice, with competitions, celebrations of surf culture and a Lobster Barbecue. The surf season is April-October, www.sixsenses.com/Laamu
Horse Riding in the USA
Discover the great outdoors on horseback at the superlative Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana. There are vast tracts of wildflower meadows, high-country lakes and grassy ridges to explore, plus more than 50 horses to choose from, and a tremendously experienced crew of wranglers.
The gorgeous rolling countryside around the Rock at Ranch Creek. Photo Rock at Ranch Creek
The riding lessons for children and adults. And for a day out of the saddle, the resort has a four-mile stretch of private creek with some of the best fly fishing in the state. The Ranch at Rock Creek
Adrenaline on Bali
Bali is best known as an idyllic relaxation and pampering island, which the COMO Shamhala Estate – just outside Ubud - caters for magnificently. But the island has a wilder side too, with volcanoes, jungles, canyons and some raging surf.
Rafting on the Ayung River. Photo Como Shambla Hotel
So the estate has devised a devilish programme of activities to test guest’s strength, endurance, and appetite for adrenaline. It means mountain biking to the rim of a 1,700m high volcano, hiking through three jungle gorges, canyoning over rocks and through vegetation and waterfalls, surfing the big breakers of the Bali Sea, and diving on exquisite reefs. Como Shambla Estate
Sailing off Antigua
Balmy temperatures, strong breezes and an inveterate yachting culture have made Antigua the sailing capital of the Caribbean. And there’s no better place to learn the ropes of a 40ft yacht than at the discreet and exclusive Carlisle Bay hotel.
From dinghies to privte yacht charters, Carlisle Bay is the place to sail. Photo Carlise Bay
Its ‘Ondeck’ three-day sailing courses run from picturesque Falmouth Harbour, just a 15-minute drive away. You’ll cover all you need to know about yachtsmanship, with plenty of time at the helm, and a RYA Start Yachting certificate at the end. The courses are suitable for adults and children aged 11 or over. Carlisle Bay
Golf in Sicily
The crisp-lined modernism of the Verdura Golf & Spa Resort is the ideal base at which to pep up your game of tennis. It’s set in an inspiring 230 hectares of little-visited southwestern Sicily and provides top notch private coaching using six floodlit clay courts.
A shot on the 16th hole. Photo Verdura Resort
And away from the courts you’ll discover an arrestingly minimalist spa, 60m infinity pool, four outdoor Thalassotherapy pools, two Kyle Phillips–designed 18-hole championship golf courses, and nearby is the charming town of Sciacca and the ancient ruins of Agrigento. Verdura Golf & Spa Resort
