50 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} even attempted) a racket sport since high school badminton, I bring along my 22-year-old daughter who took tennis lessons as a child. I’m counting on her competence as a distraction if I turn out to be completely hopeless. I shouldn’t have worried. Kevin proves to be an excellent teacher, with a knack for delivering clear directions with the dramatic sunset view of coastal cliffs, white-topped waves, lush golf greens and peach-tinted fog. We also have a great view of the hotel’s bagpiper, who plays a nightly serenade to the setting sun. Sated, we head to our room, the gleaming marble bathroom’s soaking tub the perfect balm for tired muscles. Throughout our visit, the Ritz Carlton’s vaunted hospitality is on full display. Everyone at the Ritz is referred to as a lady or a gentleman—the staff, the guests, probably even the dogs—and treated accordingly. No visit is complete without a stroll along the property’s coastal trail, so after indulging in roomservice breakfast the next morning, we head out to stretch our legs and fill our lungs with fresh ocean air before heading home. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: RITZ CARLTON HALF MOON BAY and confidence-building praise. He swiftly takes us through the basics and before we know it, we’re doing well enough to play an entire singles game. A miracle has happened: I’m having fun. I now know where to find the kitchen, how to dink and that the rules for when a ball is out are much more forgiving than they are in tennis. I may not be fully converted, but now I understand why people like pickleball so much. And you can’t beat the location of the Ritz Carlton’s outdoor courts. The Coastside’s cool breezes and fog-filtered sunlight have never felt more welcome than when you’re darting around the court working up a sweat. We reward ourselves with a three-course dinner at Navio (five, if you count the amuse-bouche and delectable mignardises), savoring the exquisitely prepared dishes and attentive service along have a ball ritzcarlton.com
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