As most golfers know, getting a tee time at the renowned Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, can be an exercise in patience. Even those who have made the trip to the course and wait in the lottery line to receive a possible playing time are often disappointed to learn that the course is completely booked. In honor of Homecoming Scotland 2009, a series of events and celebrations throughout the year in honor of poet Robert Burns’ 250^th birthday, the Old Course Hotel and golf course are offering exclusive, guaranteed tee-off times to its guests as part of the Come Home to Play package.

The package, starting at ,679 per person, includes a three-night stay at the resort, guaranteed tee-time on the Old Course and either the New or Jubilee course, a spa treatment at the Kohler Waters Spa, and two dinners at the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, the Road Hole Grill. (+44 (0) 1334 474371, or email reservations@oldcoursehotel.co.uk and mention booking reference HOMGLF)

—Alexandra Foster

If not for the cactus-strewn landscape of Arizona’s Paradise Valley (a residential enclave of Scottsdale) and the famed Camelback Mountain looming nearby, guests of the newly opened InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa might imagine they were on holiday in the south of Spain. The 34-acre resort was inspired by the old-world village architecture and lifestyle of Andalusia region of Spain, among surrounding areas. In addition to Moorish motifs, courtyards, and numerous antiquities shipped from Andalusia, the resort’s two-story, 31,000-square-foot Joya Spa houses an authentic Turkish bath (hamman). Upon entering the cast-iron gates of the spa—conceived by renowned spa designer Sylvia Sepielli—guests can rinse their hands in the waters of a 17th-century Spanish fountain or enjoy a rooftop swimming pool that overlooks Camelback Mountain. Spa treatments are customized to an individual’s preferences, health, and skin type, using products containing the essence of a local cactus flower that blooms just 12 hours per year. Five of the 19 treatment rooms offer fireplaces, flat-screen TVs, and direct poolside access, where guests can recline in a cabana and order a traditional spa salad, or indulge in Champagne and truffles?or a burger and fries?following treatment. (480.627.3020, www.joyaspa.com)

—Jessica Taylor

The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI, pronounced /?t??ks ?? ?ke?k?s/) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are situated about 600 miles (970 km) southeast of Miami and 50 miles (80 km) south east of Mayaguana in the Bahamas, and have a total land area of 166 square miles (430 km²).^[3] The islands are geographically contiguous to the Bahamas, but are politically a separate entity.

The islands have a total population of about 30,000, of whom approximately 22,500 live on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands. Cockburn Town, the capital, is situated on Grand Turk Island.

Necker Island is a small island in the British Virgin Islands just north of Virgin Gorda, located at 18°31?38?N 64°21?29?W? / ?18.52722, -64.35806. It is owned by Sir Richard Branson, famous for his Virgin brand, and it is part of the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of luxury properties.

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys.

Key West is politically within the limits of the city of Key West, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city also occupies nearby islands and portions of nearby islands.

The island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. In the late 1950s many of the large salt ponds on the eastern side were filled in, nearly doubling the original land mass of the island.

Anguilla (pronounced /æ???w?l?/ ang-GWIL-?) is a British overseas territory in the Caribbean, one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. It consists of the main island of Anguilla itself, approximately 26 km (16 miles) long by 5 km (3 miles) wide at its widest point, together with a number of much smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The island’s capital is The Valley. The total land area of the territory is 102 km² (39.4 square miles), with a population of approximately 13,500 (2006 estimate).

Saint Barthélemy (French: Saint-Barthélemy), officially the Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy (French: Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France. To the northwest lies St. Martin, to the southwest Saba, to the south St. Eustatius and St. Kitts, and ultimately to the southeast Barbuda. Its size is 21 km² with a population 8,450 (census 2007). Its capital is Gustavia. Also known as Saint Barth in French, or St. Barts in English, the collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies, along with Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Martin. It is the only one to have historically been a Swedish colony.

The Island of Hawai?i, also called the Big Island or Hawai?i Island (pronounced /h??wa?.i/ in English and [h??w?i?i] or [h??v?i?i] in Hawaiian), is a volcanic island in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,432 km²), it is larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined and is the largest island in the United States.

Hawai?i is said to have been named for Hawai?iloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. However, other accounts attribute the name to the legendary land or realm of Hawaiki, a place from which the Polynesians originated (see also Manua), the place where they go in the afterlife, the realm of the gods.

Kaua?i or Kauai (pronounced /?ka?.a?/ in English and [kou???i] or [k?u???i] in Hawaiian) is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 552.3 square miles (1,430.5 km²), it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and the 21st largest island in the United States.^[1] Known also as the “Garden Isle”, Kaua?i lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the Kaua?i Channel, northwest of O?ahu.

The island of Maui (pronounced /?ma?.i?/ in English, [?m?u.i] in Hawaiian^[2]) is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles (1883.5 km²) and is the 17th largest island in the United States.^[3] Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest island in Maui County. Three other islands, L?na?i, Kaho?olawe, and Moloka?i, also belong to Maui County. Together, the four islands are known as Maui Nui. In 2000, Maui had a population of 117,644, the third-largest of the Hawaiian islands, behind that of O?ahu and Hawai?i. Kahului is the largest town on the island with a population of 20,146.^[4] Wailuku is the seat of Maui County.