How to organise a padel weekend abroad

Fix the dates before anything else

Put two options in the group chat with a deadline and go with the majority. Every trip that dies, dies here. For Mallorca, aim for a Friday-to-Monday in May, June, September or October and book flights as soon as the dates are fixed; direct flights from most UK airports take around two and a quarter hours.

Stay together, near the courts

A finca or a hotel block within ten minutes of the courts saves an hour a day of herding. If the group is eight or more, one house with a pool beats four hotel rooms every time: breakfast together, the evenings on the terrace, one minibus.

Book the courts before the flights land

Good clubs fill their evening slots with locals. Block your courts for the whole weekend in advance, in ninety-minute or two-hour sessions, and get balls and hire rackets sorted at the same time.

Pick a format that keeps everyone playing

An Americano is the answer for most groups: short matches, rotating partners, a running score, and nobody sits out for long. For sixteen or more, split into two boxes by level and bring the winners together. A one-day tournament against local players is the upgrade, and the thing people talk about afterwards.

Plan the non-players' day too

Someone always comes who doesn't play. Give them a boat, a beach club or a spa morning, and a fixed time and place to meet for lunch. Happy non-players make for a happy weekend.

Or hand it to us

Everything above is what we do, for one fee, with someone on the island while you're there. Tell us the dates and the group on WhatsApp and we'll come back with the plan.