Set on a plateau overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon, a restored waterway and wildlife preserve that shelters over 100 species of shorebirds, this luxurious property has 329 guest rooms (including 44 suites), each with a private balcony or landscaped terrace overlooking the ocean, gardens, or golf course. The resort’s Arnold Palmer-designed layout, 10 years in the making, is a beautifully landscaped, 7,007-yard course sculpted through three valleys, with numerous water hazards in play. Kip Puterbaugh’s Aviara Golf Academy, home to a TaylorMade Performance Lab, is one of the nation’s most highly regarded golf schools.