Picking between a padel trip and a tennis trip isn't really about which sport is better. It's about who's coming.
Two club tennis players on a couples' break want something different from eight mates where half have never held a racket. So this page skips the rulebook comparison and looks at the four things that actually decide the trip: how fast a mixed group gets going, whether you'll find a court when you land, what happens with the head count, and what each of you pays per hour.
The short version
| Padel holiday | Tennis holiday | |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed-ability group | Easier. Weaker players can hide in a pair | Harder. Gaps show quickly in singles |
| Courts abroad | Spain alone has about 17,000 | No like-for-like count I could find |
| Group size | Built for four. Plan in multiples of four | Works with two, three or four |
| Court cost per head (La Cala, Málaga, daytime) | About €4 an hour with four players | €6 singles, €3 doubles |
| Best for | Groups, couples who like company, beginners | Pairs who both play, singles fans |
The detail behind each row is below.
1. The learning curve when your group is mixed
Most holiday groups aren't level. There's usually one person who plays every week, one who played at school and one who's only there for the pool.
Padel is kinder to that group, for two reasons in the rules.
The serve is low. Under the padel rules hosted by the LTA, the ball must be hit at or below waist level when you serve (Rule 6). So nobody in the group has to learn a big overhead action before they can start a point.
You always play as a pair. In my view this is the bigger one. Put your strongest player with your weakest and the game still works. The good player covers more court, the newer player gets plenty of balls, and the walls give everyone a second go at shots that would be gone on an open court.
Tennis can do this in doubles too. But if a couple of people in the group want singles, I think the gap between a club player and a beginner shows within a few points.
If anyone in your group is starting from zero, send them our beginner's guide to padel before you fly. And if you want the full sport-against-sport breakdown, it's in padel vs tennis.
2. Will there be a court when you land?
In Spain, padel courts are not hard to find. The FIP counted about 17,000 in its February 2025 report, and our padel in Spain guide breaks that down by region and explains how to book one as a visitor.
I couldn't find a matching count of tennis courts in Spain from a source I trust, so I won't pretend to compare. What matters for planning is simpler: if your hotel's padel court is booked up, check the clubs nearby before you give up on a game.
Some resorts have both sports on site, which suits a split group best. La Cala Resort near Mijas, in Málaga province, lists three padel courts as well as tennis. The tennis pair and the padel four can book the same morning and meet for lunch.
3. Doubles by design: get the head count right
Padel's rules are written around two pairs. The regulations talk about "both pairs" and "the four players" all the way through, and every price list in this guide assumes four on court.
So the head count matters more than you'd think.
- Two of you: tennis is the easy option. For padel you'll need to find two more players at the club or through a booking app.
- Three of you: tennis wins. Two play singles, one rotates in.
- Four or eight: padel is perfect. One or two courts, everyone plays every game.
- Five, six or seven: awkward for either. With padel, either someone sits out each set or you find extra players to fill a second court.
My advice: if you're organising a group padel trip, plan the numbers in fours from the start. It makes every booking simpler.
4. Cost per player per hour
Court prices vary by venue, time and season, so I'm not going to give you a national average. Instead, here are two real price lists that put padel and tennis side by side.
La Cala Racquet Club, Málaga province. Padel is €24 for 90 minutes (€28 at night). Tennis is €12 for 60 minutes (€17 at night). Rackets for either sport are €10 each to rent. The page doesn't say for how long, so I've counted that as €10 per racket per booking.
Minthis resort, Cyprus. Padel is €30 an hour, tennis €35 an hour, with rackets and balls included and a maximum of four players per court. The list is dated August 2026.
Here's what that works out at per person, per hour. The maths is mine.
| Per player, per hour | Padel (4 players) | Tennis singles (2) | Tennis doubles (4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Cala, day, own rackets | €4.00 | €6.00 | €3.00 |
| La Cala, night, own rackets | €4.67 | €8.50 | €4.25 |
| La Cala, day, hiring rackets | €10.67 | €16.00 | €13.00 |
| Minthis, rackets included | €7.50 | €17.50 | €8.75 |
Three things stand out.
Padel is cheap per head because four always share. On both lists, tennis singles costs more per person, because the court is split two ways.
Tennis doubles can match padel. At La Cala, four people on a tennis court pay less each than four on a padel court. If your group plays doubles tennis happily, cost isn't a reason to switch.
Racket hire can cost more than the court. At La Cala, hiring four padel rackets for a session costs more than the court itself. If you're playing every day, bring your own or pick a place where they're included.
Coaching follows the same pattern. Minthis prices a 55-minute private lesson at €70 for one player and €110 for four, court included, for padel or tennis. Split four ways, that's €27.50 each. In my view, a shared lesson on day one is the best money a mixed group can spend.
So which should you book?
Book a padel holiday if:
- There are four or eight of you
- Your group mixes regular players with near beginners
- You want everyone playing properly from the first session
- You care about cost per head
Book a tennis holiday if:
- It's two of you and you both already play
- You love singles
- You want a long coaching block on one game
Book a resort with both if the group is split. Nobody has to compromise.
I've played padel abroad in the Algarve, Malaga and Madrid. Whichever trip you pick, plan the evenings as carefully as the court times.
What to bring for either trip
The full list is in our padel holiday packing list, so just two things here.
Grip socks. Ours have non-slip grip to reduce movement inside the shoe, and nothing about that is padel-only. Padelism grip socks are £14 and come in UK 4-7 and UK 8-11, so one order can cover both of you.
Something good for after. That's where I come in. Our heavyweight tees are 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, cut oversized and unisex. Size down for a regular fit, or keep your usual size for the oversized look. Any two £48 tees from the 2 for £90 range come to £90 at checkout. If you'd rather start with a full set, The Essentials is the four pieces I'd pick first: the Mk1 Box Hoodie, the Sunday Padel Club Sweatshirt, the Heavyweight Fleece Joggers and the Padel & Pints tee. UK orders of £75 and over ship free.
FAQ
Is a padel holiday cheaper than a tennis holiday? Per person on court, it was cheaper than tennis singles on both price lists in this guide, because a padel court is split four ways. At La Cala, padel works out at about €4 each per hour in the day, against €6 each for tennis singles. Tennis doubles can be cheaper still.
Is padel or tennis better for a group with mixed abilities? In my view, padel. The serve is hit at or below the waist, and you always play in pairs, so you can team your strongest player with your newest one and still have a good game.
Does a padel trip work for two or three people? Tennis copes better with two or three people. For padel, plan in fours. With five to seven, someone sits out each set, or you find extra players for a second court.
Is it worth hiring rackets on a padel trip? For one or two sessions, yes. For a week of daily play, add it up first. At La Cala, four hired padel rackets cost €40, more than the €24 court, if the hire is charged per booking.
