Padel

For those who like to play padel, there is a padel centre just outside Rawai in the direction of Kata.

There are three courts available every day. It is possible to book, play by the hour, or have a membership card with probably regular rates.

It is possible to play at night.

The price per hour is 800THB/hour for the court, i.e. 200THB/person. If you don't have a racket, several models are available on site.

There are no equipment constraints except for the shoes which must be tennis style.

I add below the website of this Padel centre:

PADEL PHUKET

For those who are not familiar with this new sport at all...

Padel is a sport that combines several racket games, such as tennis, squash, table tennis and pelota. It is derived from tennis and is played on a smaller court (20mx10m), framed by transparent walls and fences.

The scoring is the same as in tennis and the balls used have a slightly lower pressure. It is only played in doubles and you must serve underarm. Its biggest difference from tennis, however, is that the balls can be played after bouncing off the walls or mesh, in a similar way to squash.

I recently played this new game, just to test it. For me, who played tennis for a long time, as well as squash, badminton or table tennis: it is true that there are many similarities, especially between tennis and squash.

Adaptation: You have to get used to the racket, that's maybe the hardest part... and it's normal: it's like when you come from tennis and you want to play table tennis... the length of the racket is completely different, an adaptation is necessary. During my first moments of play, I tended to hit in the void... 

For some this adaptation can be quick, for others a little less. However, if you come from table tennis, this problem of racket length will be less...

Tactically: As in tennis, it is better to take possession of the net.

Physically: As the court is much smaller, the strokes are much less violent. This sport is less tiring than tennis, and much less demanding than squash or badminton... (with the same level of play).

I think that if you are a racket enthusiast, give it a try... chances are you will like it.

My conclusion: After a first two-hour trial with 3 very nice partners, I would say that it is mostly a mix of tennis and squash... since you use the walls (squash). I don't see any similarity with table tennis and even less with badminton.

Service: there is no service on site. Bring your own water bottle, towel and change of shirt. However, you can borrow a paddle... depending on the model you have to pay a "rental" fee (100THB)

The only small problem is to find 3 other partners...