Planning a padel weekend with friends: the practical guide

A good padel weekend takes some planning. Between the players' levels, court bookings and the choice of accommodation, a few simple habits make all the difference. Here is the method to gather the group and spend two memorable days, racket in hand.

Building the right group

Padel is played in fours. For balanced, friendly matches, aim for a group of four to eight players of similar levels. Beyond that, plan rotations or two courts in parallel.

Choosing the destination

For a weekend, favour a destination reachable by direct flight or a few hours' drive, with a good density of clubs. Marbella, Lisbon or, closer for French players, the French Riviera, are safe bets.

Booking courts and accommodation together

This is the key step: book your court slots at the same time as the accommodation, and choose a place a few minutes from a club. A single home for the whole group simplifies logistics and lowers the cost per person.

• Block two to three playing slots a day, ideally morning and late afternoon.
• Check on-site equipment rental for those travelling light.
• Plan recovery time between sessions: pool, lunch, nap.

Setting the budget

Padel stays cheap once the court is split four ways. The shared accommodation is the main expense: by choosing it close to the clubs, you also save on transport. Split the costs in advance to avoid fiddly accounting on the spot.

A padel weekend's success comes down to one detail: sleeping ten minutes from the club, not forty.

The departure checklist

Before leaving, check that everyone has booked their slots, that the accommodation is confirmed, and that each player knows their level to build balanced teams. The rest is just the game.