How I Became Obsessed with Portugal's Padel Trend

A New Sport for the Whole Family

“Our philosophy is friendship,” says Labisa Palmera, a leading coach, as he hands me an unusual solid racket with perforated holes. This is my first attempt at playing padel, a sport that's rapidly gaining popularity in the UK and expanding across key holiday destinations. While younger people are picking up tennis rackets to play on public courts following Wimbledon, more savvy sports enthusiasts—both young and old—are choosing to spend part of their summer break on padel courts in their chosen holiday spots, possibly making new friends along the way.

Spain has been the dominant force in this emerging sport, which is a mix between tennis and squash, originally invented in Mexico. However, nearby Portugal is also beginning to recognize the appeal of padel. I've come to Pine Cliffs Luxury Collection Resort, a sprawling 72-hectare cliffside family-friendly resort in the Algarve, known for its Moorish touches, Portuguese tiles, and a stunning inner courtyard in the main hotel. The resort offers a wide range of activities, including the prestigious Annabel Croft Tennis & Padel Academy, a nine-hole golf course, a state-of-the-art gym, an award-winning spa, yoga, Pilates, and most importantly, a recently expanded padel facility.

This year, due to increased demand, one of the tennis courts has been converted into three padel courts, bringing the total to four. These courts are equipped with glass back walls and metal fencing enclosures, ideal for trying out the sport with my Gen-Z daughter, Grace, to see how intergenerational it is.

Palmera, co-founder of the first padel club in Albufeira, recalls, “It’s been a huge phenomenon in Spain, and 12 years ago it went crazy in Lisbon. Now, so many people, aged eight to 80, are playing padel and you don’t need many lessons.”

Padel is not only great exercise but also known for its sociability, as many generations play together. It's perfect for a family holiday.

Reported to be the fastest-growing racket sport globally, with over 25 million active players in 110 countries, the Lawn Tennis Association recently revealed that participation in the UK has more than tripled last year, with over 400,000 players in Great Britain alone. Former Wimbledon champion Andre Agassi was seen playing padel with David Beckham, while sporting superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and singer Shakira have all reportedly caught the bug.

The premise of padel is simple: you only play doubles, it is scored like tennis, you serve underarm, and receivers can return the ball either as they would in tennis or off the wall after it has bounced.

“The thing about padel is that it’s great for the whole family,” says Palmera. “People need fewer lessons than tennis to know how to play. At the end of an hour, they have learned how to play doubles. We’ve found that 40-55-year-olds who have done no sport in life found that they could do padel. The difference is that it’s a really sociable game, not too competitive, easy to learn, and the whole family can do it,” he enthuses.

While it may not be highly competitive, that depends on who you play. A family game can be just a bit of fun, but there are also experienced players who slam the ball as if their life depended on it. Weekly tournaments take place, and the academy can pair solo players with others of similar abilities and organize fun clinics for all levels.

Certainly, padel requires less court coverage than tennis, being a third of the size of a tennis court, and beginners can quickly pick up techniques such as the all-important lob, the volley, the ‘chiquita’ (placing the ball at the opponent’s feet), and the position and timing needed to hit a ball off the glass wall.

I hadn’t played tennis or squash for years and by a certain age, I felt I was done with these high-intensity sports. So, I took up pickleball, an easier relative of padel, with a group of like-minded mid-lifers. But I was keen to try a new multi-generational pastime that might engage my grown-up children.

On a holiday where I didn’t want to spend my time pounding the treadmill in a sweaty gym alongside my much fitter daughter, I found padel to be a good choice. Playing as partners, Grace was told she had a great volley. As the more experienced racket-sport enthusiast, I was informed my backhand was a killer. So far, so good.

On the second session, Palmera teamed us up with Irish sisters Isabella, 14, and Molly, 12, who he said were good at tennis and would make suitable opponents. Indeed, despite our age difference, the games went to deuce, and we had a fun-filled match, as lobs were practised and volleys smashed.

Finding a sport you love doesn’t make exercise a chore on holiday, and the same goes for healthy eating, as we discovered in many of Pine Cliff’s 15 restaurants, each with a unique setting that makes you feel like you're in a different resort. We dine under the trees in a beautiful lemon grove, enjoy freshly-caught sea bream and other catches of the day looking out on to the Atlantic Ocean at the resort, and feast on 'art on a plate' sushi and other Japanese delicacies at Yakuza, a restaurant in partnership with Olivier da Costa, one of Portugal’s most recognized chefs.

Tangy ginger breakfast shots devoid of alcohol, acai bowls, and other delicious, nutritious fare with nuts, organic honey, and lashings of fresh fruit will set you up for a day of sport or leisure, even if you just want to lounge in the grassy area under the shade of the pine trees—there are between 4,000 and 5,000 around the resort—which provide a more natural and cooler alternative to huddling around the multiple swimming pools.

We’re here in peak season, but the park-like green space makes the whole development seem roomier and less busy. I prefer to swim in the sea, and a lift takes us down to a wooden walkway between the cliffs, which leads to Falesia Beach, known for its long stretch of golden sand and the distinctive burnt orange cliffs that frame it, named the “world’s best beach” by Tripadvisor users in the 2024 Travellers’ Choice Awards.

Here, thrill-seekers can pound the waves on jet skis or try their hand at paddleboarding, while families have fun with bodyboards riding the surf of the refreshing Atlantic. We try other sports during the week—tennis with head coach Brunno Cappelletti Rocha, whose patience with us is admirable; golf, where we hit (and miss) a few balls on the driving range; and yoga of the gentler kind, thanks to our teacher, stretching my many unused muscles. It can be done in a studio or on the beach.

A sports massage at the sumptuous Serenity – The Art of Well Being spa, housing 13 treatment rooms, hydrotherapy pool, various sauna and steam rooms, and other wellbeing delights, irons out my aching limbs and prepares me for the next sporting challenge.

But for me, padel is the star. Back in the UK, we’re looking for a court nearby where we can practise our volleys, perfect our timing when the ball bounces off the glass wall, and nail that chiquita.

Travel Facts

Two adults can stay in Pine Cliffs Hotel Deluxe Room with Resort View from £326 per night (based on September 2025 stay). Adult tennis or padel weekly coaching courses at Pine Cliffs start from £300 in off-peak season (Nov-March) and £326 in peak season (April-Oct). Junior tennis and padel camps start from £265 off-peak season and £291 peak season.

For more information and to book, visit pinecliffs.com or call +351 289 500 100. Serenity – The Art of Wellbeing spa also offers a range of treatments and wellness offerings.