Whenever I travel, I like to keep up my exercise regimen, and a future column will deal with my sometimes ludicrous efforts to find gym facilities in out-of-the-way places. Tennis courts are much easier to find, and much more fun, because of the tremendous variety of settings in which one can bat around that little yellow ball.

Some of the most awesome settings for tennis are in the mountains. In Aspen , Colorado , I stayed at the sumptuous Gant Hotel ( www.oldcontinent.com/usa/co/aspen/gant.htm ), where the tennis courts are under the shadow of soaring Aspen Mountain . As you're waiting to receive the serve, it's almost impossible not to lift your eyes to the impressive peak that looks so close, you think you could walk there. But best not be distracted — at that altitude, the ball flies through the air with the greatest of ease, making all of us lowlanders look like beginners! We solved the problem by choosing the clay courts, where the ball is only a little faster than on hard courts back home.

Another mountain hideaway, the Sugarbush Health and Racket Club in Warren, Vermont , has courts that are charmingly terraced down a gentle slope toward the gym. You walk along the road, then cross a flower-decked bridge and wander along a path to find your assigned number. This setup means it is almost impossible to hit a ball into a neighbor's court; instead, balls alarmingly disappear into leaf-shielded streams (we did successfully retrieve two balls, the second rather damp but still usable).

The strangest mountain tennis playing I have done is at Ascutney Resort

(www.ascutney.com) in Brownsville, Vermont (see www.photoandtravel.com/spotlightjan.html for my write-up of the resort). The two hard-surface courts behind the gym afford views of natural beauty to the player facing away from the facility, but what distinguishes a game there in early summer is a natural hazard: caterpillars. Apparently attracted by the warm surface, the fuzzy little critters travel busily to and fro, and are impossible to discourage. While stepping on them doesn't really interfere with the game, more tender-hearted players are reduced to tossing them through the fence (harder than it sounds!) only to have them reappear tenaciously. It's a delightful indication that summer has really arrived.

While I love playing outdoors amid natural sights and smells, the city can be an interesting backdrop also. In San Diego , as in many cities, the Marriott Hotel and Marina San Diego (travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-357921-marriott_hotel_marina_san_diego-i) sports a rooftop facility that gets you out in the sun and up above the traffic. The six courts on the fourth floor are shielded from the wind but still afford a lovely view of the city (you can't really see the water, however). I feared for lost balls that would be really, really lost, but the surrounding fences are high and the only danger was that the entertaining views would distract from my focus on the game.

I also have played tennis in some spectacular island settings. One stunning place is the Club Med on the French island of Martinique (for a discussion of fun ways to spend a day at Club Med, see my March column, www.photoandtravel.com/spotlightmarch.html ). The courts are right next to the beach, so as you run about, you catch different, tantalizing scenes of white beach, turquoise ocean and colorful windsurfing sails. The facility is beautifully maintained, although it curiously has a low metal railing between courts, so random balls can too easily find their way into a neighbor's game. The French are rabid tennis players, so this event is not always greeted with delight, but your ball is usually returned with good humor.

On the neighboring island of Guadeloupe , tennis courts with views abound. One of the most curious is the single court at La Toubana (for a discussion of the vacation delights on Guadeloupe, see my May and June articles, www.photoandtravel.com/spotlightmay.html , www.photoandtravel.com/spotlightjune.html ).

The court is set down in a tiny valley carved out on a cliffside, which nicely protects it from ball-snatching wind, and also gives it a curiously jungle-like feel. Lush palms set in tangled undergrowth rise on two sides of the court, giving the player looking that way the sense s/he is looking on a primeval rain forest. The opponent, on the other hand, looks over the red roofs of the cabins that are scattered down the cliffs toward the sea, with the brilliant blue sky as a backdrop.

One quirk of this court is the fact that its chain fence no longer quite reaches the ground in a number of places. Balls have a tendency to roll under the fence and up the hillside behind it, frequently eluding the reach of a tennis racquet. And a giant tree droops over the court from above, once in a while snagging your too-enthusiastic lob. Lines tend to be faded, also.

My most thoroughly exciting travel tennis experience, however, was at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel ( http://asiatravelnet.com/indonesia-hotels/denpasar-bali/nusa-dua-beach-hotel-and-spa.htm ) in the exotic island of Bali (for a write-up of that trip, see my November article ( www.photoandtravel.com/spotnov.html ). That visit was out of this world, and the tennis was an amazing part of it. The courts are covered in a special sand imported from Australia , giving it an almost turf-like feel, although it can also be somewhat slippery. Like everything at this resort, however, the service is first class — the attendant will bring you a ewer of cold water and neatly rolled sweat towels, then station himself at the net and play ball-boy. The courts are in excellent shape; as you leave, you pass a juice bar and a tempting lap pool. Tennis anywhere is fun, but in Bali it's really a ball!

Happy Traveling!