We have been visiting La Manga Resort Club to enjoy the wonderful sports facilities for a number of years and always feel really excited to arrive on site in the sunshine anticipating the fun we will have either on the golf course or on the tennis court. So you can imagine how exhilarated we felt as we arrived in resort for our Easter holiday visit to see the transformation of the tennis centre following its £1 million renovation project and rebranded as “The Raquets Club”.

We were not to be disappointed.

The first thing we saw on our arrival were the 7-brand new, gleaming padel courts and the sound of tennis balls on the solid, small, chunky tennis bat as well as the laughter. The laughter was certainly a lasting memory of our week in the sun. Having never played padel before we did not really know what to expect. Would my strange mix of tennis and squash racquet skills be of any use on the padel court? Would my wife and children’s wonderful take back and follow through ground strokes swing end in either smashed racquets or shattered glass as it pummelled the back wall? The answer was yes, certainly squash players will quickly take to the game and no, it is amazing how quickly you can adapt when you are having a fantastic time! As a family of 4 we played doubles padel every day and by the end were completely hooked. We even took a family lesson with padel Head Coach David Pey, a passionate, incredibly knowledgeable coach who really improved our tactical understanding of the game. Amazing rallies, incredible angled shots and laughter, so much laughter!!

The enjoyment of the padel was accentuated by the fact that you can then take a drink in the wonderful new tapas bar right next to the courts. An exciting, energetic match was relived in minute detail over a glass of ice-cold beer for the parents and delicious fresh fruit smoothies for the children and we were not alone the bar was a buzz of post-match chatter with voices from around Europe discussing their best shots, funniest moments etc.

Let’s not forget the tennis though. The Racquet Club looked stunning in the Spring sunshine, freshly swept European red clay courts blended beautifully with the clubs well-tended, rich green vegetation and azure blue skies to create an inspiring natural environment. All 28 courts have been refurbished, (including 4 new Astroturf and 4 resurfaced hard courts) and it is not difficult to see why The Racquet Club at La Manga Club Resort is regularly chosen to host Spain’s Davis and Fed Cup matches as well as being the training camp for many of the sport’s super stars.

The setting certainly helped inspire the many people on court, from young to old, beginners to elite level players to bring their “A- Game” though this was also in no small part to Head Coach Miguel and his team of 13 highly qualified, experienced, and friendly coaches. They really are an inspiring team. We opted to be again put through our paces by Miguel and had an amazing private lesson on hitting back hands away from the volleyer in a game of doubles. The hard work we were undoubtedly doing was easily forgotten as Miguel expertly combined positive reinforcement comments with incredibly useful tactical and technical tips. Though we chose a private, one hour lesson we have also experienced at first hand the wonderfully sociable “Adult 5-day, 10 hour Academy” and cannot wait to try the brilliantly named “Weekend Warrior” 8 hour package taught over Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. We also loved the afternoon social tennis tournaments which were held everyday and were again a chance to pit our newly polished skills in a friendly, sociable environment and meet fellow tennis lovers.

Though the state of the art 450m2 indoor fitness suite and outdoor fitness facilities were not quite finished for our trip we cannot wait to head back to The Racquets Club to try these out.

La Manga Club Resort is not solely about the tennis though and during our trip we also took in the wonderfully historic and beautiful cities of Cartagena, (20-minute drive) and the regions capital Murcia (45 minute drive) as well as playing an 18 hole round of golf on one of the 3 championship standard, on site golf courses and visiting the nearby Mar Menor with its beautiful Mediterranean beaches! We took in several wonderful restaurants from authentic tapas to contemporary Indian cuisine and lively sports bar there really is such a wide range of bars and restaurants to suit every taste.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, all too soon it was time for us to head back to the UK after our 5-night stay which seemed to fly by in a heartbeat and on the 30 minute transfer back to the airport the laughter from the padel courts was still ringing in my ears.

 

 

 

Tips

1. You must give padel a try, you will be hooked!
2. Make sure you get a tennis lesson with Miguel or one of this fantastic team, it will improve your game.
3. If you are looking for a more sociable experience whilst improving your tennis skills, then sign up for one of the Adult Academy groups.
4. I would strongly advise a cold beer in the wonderful terrace next to the padel courts. There is nothing quite like the taste of Estrella, with delicious tapas, under the Spanish sun, having just had a great match.
5. Don’t forget to take a day or half a day trip off site to one of the areas many attractions such as the stunning beaches or fabulous historical cities for a real taste of Spain.

 

Why not get in touch now and find out how we can tailor make your own wonderful  tennis holiday to the amazing La Manga Club Resort in Southern Spain.