I am just in the door from 5 days in Mallorca at Camp Nadal! To say it was one of my top life experiences is no understatement. From the time I got dropped off at the airport last Wednesday until the time I got into my bed on Sunday night I enjoyed every minute of my time away. I am no mean tennis player by any standard, I play class 5/6, and my idols of old were Martina and Steffi, which is giving away my tender age of 54, but when my pal mentioned 4 nights in Mallorca playing some tennis I couldn’t resist.
A gang from my club had been to La Manga back in February and had a brilliant time; dancing ‘til the small hours of the morning, eating in Michelin star restaurants, and staying in their own villas. My experience on the other hand in Camp Nadal was quite different, and just as good.
We got the 4.30p.m. flight from Dublin direct to Palma, which took just over 2 hours, and landed at a civilised time, 7.30pm local time. Check-in was painless, as we did it online, and just had to drop off the bags. All you needed arriving into Mallorca was your Covid cert. The only delay in the airport was security, it took about an hour, and the fast track was closed.
The Rafa Nadal Camp is about 45 minutes east of Palma outside a village called Manacor. There were loads of taxis at the airport and the trip out was so picturesque. This cost around €65. We were both blown away by the facility when we arrived as it is a new build with the teenagers academy in a separate building to the adult accommodation. Everything felt cool, contemporary, bright and spacious.
We were booked into a 2 and ½ day total tennis camp, which included 2 hours tennis coaching in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. An hour long physiotherapy session after the first day, which was the best session I have ever had, was also included, as was the use of all the spa and wellness facilities and breakfast, which we had two of a day. This cost around €875, which included 4 nights.
Our room was on the first floor over looking the courts, which was incredible. The a/c was such a bonus after the sessions on court, the beds were super comfy, and the bathroom high end. You could also choose a room on the other side with a mountain view but we were glad to watch whatever action was on centre court.
As we arrived at around 9 p.m. we decided just to have a light meal and a glass or two of wine on the terrace. We could not believe how inexpensive the drinks were compared to back home; €3 for a glass of wine or beer. Wakeup call was at 7a.m. the next morning so we hopped into bed at around 11.30p.m.
The first day on court was amazing. The ratio of coach to trainee was 1:3 and the tips we both got at these sessions were incredible. The gang in my camp were mainly men in the 30+ category, not that I am complaining, and all intermediary standard. However, by the end of the afternoon session I actually thought I was going to collapse. I am not sure whether this was a result of the heat, the fitness levels or playing for 4 hours against men 20 years my junior but as I lay on the physio’s table later on that day I was never more grateful of the sports massage I received.
The following day was just as good and we opted to spend the late afternoon in the spa where the Turkish baths, saunas and Ice plunges worked their magic. In between the morning and afternoon session we had 4 hours to tuck into a hearty breakfast, lounge by the pool and/or nap!
The food in the facility was superb where most evenings we decided to go a la carte but there was a 3 course buffet for €21, which included a range of tapas to start, 3 or 4 main choices and a selection of desserts. We never really ate lunch as we had a small pre breakfast before the 8 o’clock tennis session followed by another after.
Don’t worry if you forget anything as there is a super tennis shop on site and another bigger one 100 meters down the road. Don’t worry if 4 hours a day is too much tennis as there are other options one being Total Fitness Tennis which is 2 hours tennis, 1 hour personal trainer. Don’t worry if 2 ½ days isn’t enough as you can do it for a week. Don’t worry you are going to enjoy this camp whatever way you do it!
We finished off our trip with a day/night in Palma which was the icing on the cake. After all the exercise and relatively good living we though we would finish our trip off on the back streets of Palma tasting their delicious tapas and enjoying their wonderful Mediterranean way of life.
If tennis is your thing, whether you are brilliant or a beginner, this is definitely worth a go. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants another top notch life adventure filled with all the goodness a great trip has to offer. For more information contact Stephanie@thetravelsuite.ie.
