Having recently written about our holiday to Greece with Mark Warner at the Levante Beach Resort, this post is all about the tennis. Sure you don’t have to play tennis but if you enjoy the game, the facilities and coaching really are second to none. Apart from anything else playing means you have a great excuse to indulge in all the delicious food on offer!
We’ve holidayed with Mark Warner twice before as a couple but this was our first family holiday. And the first time we’ve visited Levante Beach Resort which is a five-star custom-designed resort located on Afandou, Rhodes. We obviously wanted to spend it together but we were also keen to pick up a game that’s been somewhat neglected since POD arrived.
Knowing we would be rusty having not played for over four years, we signed up for the classic tennis course from the UK. We booked POD into Mini Club for a few hours each morning too so we could both play. We weren’t sure whether she’d enjoy it but we needn’t have worried, she absolutely loved it!
The facilities at Levante Beach Resort include a purpose-built tennis centre with six Astroturf courts. All standards are welcome and there’s a superb team of professional coaches that can help you improve your game. Unsurprisingly we needed a lot of improving having not played for so long!
The day after we arrived, we attended a ‘festival of tennis’ session where we got the opportunity to speak to the coaches about our game. We’d rescued our neglected rackets from under the bed but HEAD tennis rackets and balls are available if you don’t have one. There’s a bar at the tennis centre if you’re in need of refreshments (in addition to the resort shop).
There are two different group tennis courses adults (and children over 14) can attend – the classic course and the academy course. We booked ourselves on the classic course which is 4x 1 hour lessons and costs £80 if booked from the UK.
The academy course is fantastic if you really want to focus on improving your game. It provides 6 hours of tennis (4 x 1½ hour lessons) plus a 45 minute private lesson, a faults and fix it report and a speciality shot clinic. The price is £150 if booked from the UK. We know this course is great as we did it on a previous holiday and the results were amazing.
Mark Warner also offers private lessons, packages and intensive tennis weeks held at specific times of year. JD also did a serving clinic to brush up on his serving skills. He did too as he was awarded with a ‘best server’ certificate at the end of the week.
In addition to the courses, you can book a court to play on whenever you fancy it and join in with social tennis. Social tennis takes place at 5pm six days a week and it’s a great opportunity to practice the skills you’ve learnt earlier in the day. As we just had POD in Mini Club for a few hours each morning, JD would play social tennis while I looked after her. There’s an outdoor playground near the courts so POD loved spending time there.
Up until I was pregnant we played tennis 3-4 times a week but it’s amazing how quickly you forget how to do something when you’ve not done it for a while. All the coaches at the Levante Beach Resort are excellent though and it wasn’t long before everything started to click into place. It was also rather lovely to do something together as a couple too, we don’t get to do that very often normally.
POD hadn’t played tennis before but she got to try it out on her first day of Mini Club. Now four years old, she’s the perfect age to learn, we were amazed to see her step into a volley and hit the ball though.
She took this shot just 15 minutes into holding a racket.
It was wonderful to see and she really enjoyed it too. If you ask her what she liked most about her Mark Warner holiday, her first response will be the tennis. Closely followed by ice-cream no doubt!
We did a few Mini Tennis Drop Ins which are designed for 3 to 5 year olds (lessons for 6 to 13 year olds are also available). These are sessions that take place before Mini Club between 8:30am and 9am. You can book them from the UK but we booked them on resort.
As we were at Levante Beach Resort in the off peak period at the start of the season, we were lucky that POD got one-to-one coaching. This meant the Mini Tennis Drop Ins were even more valuable.
Her coach ‘Frosty’ is experienced in teaching children her age so he was able to find interesting ways to keep her attention. Placing tennis balls on her feet was a great way to stop POD spinning round although she did cotton on to the fact it could be quite an entertaining game too!
There was the odd occasion when her concentration slipped slightly.
Every now and again she watched a little tennis. The exhibition game between the coaches was one such occasion although being four meant she struggled to sit still for the entire time! It was a brilliant game, some amazing tennis and unsurprisingly lots of banter.
POD did get to support her coach ‘Frosty’ who won the game with Sam, the Head of Tennis. Here they are immediately after the game just before she showed everyone her belly.
Tipsy tennis is highly entertaining and exactly as it sounds. Taking place in the evening, it involves playing tennis after a few drinks using children’s rackets and balls. And only playing in the service boxes! It was the perfect end to a fantastic holiday and whilst I have a fair bit of work to do to get my game back, it’s certainly heading in the right direction thanks to the coaches. So Frosty, Sam and Callum thank you!
Other posts about the Levante Beach Resort:
Postcards from the Levante Beach Resort
What to expect from a Mark Warner Holiday
Childcare at the Levante Beach Resort
Watersports at the Levante Beach Resort
Sounds fabulous, and a lot of fun. It must have been nice to do something, just the two of you, and something you used to enjoy so much. Love the photos of POD, looks like she had a lot of fun too 🙂
This brings back memories of doing the same a few years ago when we did a MW holiday. Lots of fun in the sun and you really improve. Pod looks great in that photo with all the coaches, like a proper star!
Thanks for linking up with me over on Country Kids.
I played again last weekend for the first time in ages. I struggled to start with, but it was coming back by the end of the session.
Brilliant! My children did a tennis course last year and loved it – I must rescue our rackets from under the bed too!
I wouldn’t mind having a friendly tennis knock a round
This sounds absolutely brilliant, for all members of the family. And it sounds as if your little one may be a future tennis star!!
i used to love tennis as a kid and the kids look like they are having a great time which is how it should be
What a fantastic looking place to play some tennis. x
Aw bless her what a fabulous experience this was x
My two are dying to learn tennis – they’d love it even more if they were learning in the sun 😉
Wow bet she had a great time, how lovely for her.
Helen X
Well done Pod, she looks like she had fun. I’m afraid tennis is way to energetic for me, I’m more of a badminton girl myself, although I’ve not played in years. Tipsy Tennis sounds fun though.
Tennis holds such a special place in my heart because when i went on my honeymoon, my husband and i played tennis before dinner every night. We had a competition to see who would win the most by the end of the week! I love it 🙂 I am so looking forward to the summer because we have courts a few mins from our house in the park and during summer, they are open for the public 🙂
This brought back memories, I can’t remember when I last played! Pod looks like she’s enjoying it though!
Well done POD! I used to love tennis and remember the lessons I had at school well. Tipsy tennis, eek that must be interesting.
The academy course sounds great, I used to play as a young teen but haven’t done for years. It would be great to get back into it again. x
I really wnat my children to get into tennis, I think it’s such a great sport and this looks like the perfect place to learn to play!
aww Charly we are looking at booking in with Tennis, last time we just booked ourselves onto a court everyday but this time I would like some lessons i think! .. was that £80 each?
I love tennis, although I haven’t played in years and would definitely need several lessons! It’s great how quickly POD picked it up and amazing she had so much one-to-one coaching – you must have been so proud to see her do well. I think I’l be looking into lessons for my Monkey soon! #Countrykids
Impressed by POD’s tennis. They obviously have just the right way to engage a 4 year old. #CountryKids
I took tennis as my PE in my university and I suck big time in it =P
But its a nice sport and my son is taking it as an extra curricular activity in school! Its so nice to see that POD is liking the game and looks like she is having a great time =) #countrykids
Your posts on tennis really make me want to get back to it. I’ve not played in about 13 years, although I’ve played some squash for a few years since then. I really want to get N to classes, but struggling with the times available near us – they seem to clash with swimming, or are straight after which he’d not cope with, or straight after nursery on a Friday which is his knackered day. Maybe I should try him with a couple of private sessions to see how he gets on.
We are not sporty – but the children love tennis at school. Kaz x
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