3 January 2020

Join us in Mallorca in March or build your own 2020 Rafa Nadal Academy break. Either way, save 5% on all holidays!

Tomorrow is ‘sunshine Saturday’, the most popular day of the year for people in the UK to book their holidays. If you love tennis and want to compete or get coaching, there is no friendlier, better value-for-money or more enjoyable place than the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallora

The Rafa Nadal Academy is tennis heaven! A short hop from the UK, it offers outstanding value for money and amazing facilities: the gym, huge array of fitness classes, indoor and outdoor pools and fantastic spa are all free. It's close to beautiful beaches and you can hire a car at the airport of a bike from the Academy (we recommend the slightly more expensive road bikes). The staff could not be friendlier and the food is excellent! If you are after a tennis holiday, look no further.

WHEN TO GO

If you want to compete, come in March. There are two tournaments, and Local Tennis Leagues will be going!

The RNA Senior Tournament 1-8 March
This is very much aimed at the Local Tennis League type of player. There are singles and doubles competitions and lots of opportunities to arrange friendlies between matches with other people. To avoid recreational players playing top flight juniors, it's designed for the over 30s, but if you are an ordinary player under 30 and would like to go, just email us at info@localtennisleagues.com and we will check with the organisers. Included in the week is breakfast and dinner, a talk from the Academy staff about the Rafa Nadal method, a group coaching session, and free entry to the Rafa Nadal Museum. Prize for the Winner: A short break tennis programme + sports equipment. Runner up: 25% discount on the sports programme + sports equipment. This tournament is deliberately run back to back with the ITF Seniors so you can do both!

ITF Seniors Tournament 8-15 March
ITF tournaments tend to attract a higher standard of player, you must be over 35 to play. As with RNA tournament, there are singles and doubles competitions (these are organised in 5 year categories, ie 35-40 mens singles, 40-45 womens singles etc). There are no prizes (though there is a usually a small framed certificate) but you get ITF points!   
All players competing in Seniors Tournaments require an IPIN membership from the ITF. As of 1 January 2020, players are no longer required to pay an annual fee for an ITF Seniors IPIN. Instead, players will pay USD$6 at each tournament they play during 2020.

Coaching breaks
The Academy runs weekly and short break coaching packages all year. Prices vary with the time of year but the coaching is outstanding! LTL does not accompany any of these breaks but they are ideal for both groups of friends or individuals - this is a very friendly place!

HOW TO GET THERE

Flying to Palma is the easiest way to get there and flights are currently very cheap, (from £24.99 with Easyjet)! But check out Money Saving Expert’s Travel Section for deals and how to get the best from airlines, eg 19 Easyjet tricks. Generally, it's cheaper to book ahead so there is a ticket release dates and rather than going direct to an airline, it recommends checking at least two price comparison sites: Kayak and Mombondo are among its favorites.
Beware the extra cost for cabin baggage/tennis rackets. There is some advice on Money Saving Expert and also here https://www.epiruslondon.com/blogs/tennis-hacks-blog/the-definitive-guide-to-flying-with-tennis-rackets and here https://travel-made-simple.com/carry-on-size-chart/ but always double check the small print!

TRANSFERS

A taxi from Palma airport to the Rafa Nadal Academy cost approximately E65-E72. Try https://www.palmaairport.info/taxis-palma-airport/ or https://www.mallorca-taxi.com/en For the March tournaments, we can help co-ordinate taxis so players can share if we know airlines/arrival times.

If you want to explore when you are there, (the beaches are lovely), hire a car:  LTL player and Rafa Nadal Academy regular Adam uses Rentalcars.com. "I then choose a car where you can select Rentalcars full insurance. Car hire is about £4 a day and then insurance around £50 (For a week and about £60 for 2 weeks ). You then don’t need to worry about any scratches before or after hire and don’t need any extra insurance from car hire company which is usually relatively expensive.  The car is then picked up from the terminal from one of the usual main car hire companies like Hertz or Sixt." 

Another player booked a car via the Ryanair website, paid in full and received a voucher to present to the car hire company at the airport. However, the car hire company at the airport wouldn't accept it and demanded further payment which was quite high. After several awkward email exchanges, he got a refund but would not book a car from Ryanair again.

 

The cheapest option is to take the train Get the airport transfer Bus number 1 to Palma train station (E5), a train to Manacor (E4.5) and then a get a taxi (E4.50) to the RNA (it's about a 20-25 uphill walk from the station).

 

HOW TO BOOK & COST

Book at https://www.rafanadalacademy.com/en
Use our promo code LTL5 to secure your 5% discount!
Both the March tournaments cost the same: with our discount this is E531.05 per person for two people sharing or E844.55 for a single room

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

tournament@rnsportscentre.com / (+34) 654 048 358 or contact us (we are not a travel agent or tour operator but our advice is free!~)