After watching so much tennis the last couple months, I was so eager to play. It had been about 8 months since I had been able to play because of wrist surgery, but my doctor cleared me to play, so I started researching tennis coaches and holidays in Australia. I had about 1 week of time to play with and with my mom's help, I found a tennis holiday through Play Tennis. Rhys McDougall runs the program and offers 3 and 5 day packages for individuals and groups. He has is a lot of experience, playing for Australia teams and coaching in different parts of the world.
I did a 5 day package and received 2 hours of private lessons per day and hotel accommodations for 5 nights. I was also able to join clinics and social play at local tennis clubs. The coaching that Rhys gave was exceptional. He gave me so many techniques and strategies that helped my game and strokes immediately. I felt like I had better knowledge of them after the first day and really felt like I improved by the end. His style of coaching is hard to beat and the way he explained things really got through to me. I wanted to stay longer and am already thinking about when I can go back again!
There are many options available and if you are interested in something like this, you should consider it. Wimbledon watch and play packages are something that sound really cool too! Here is Rhys' website. There are some great testimonials and tennis tips on here:
Rhys and I.
Everything is within walking distance or only a short drive away from the hotel area. There are 2 tennis courts on the property and a few other clubs about 5 minutes from away. I was able to meet him at the hotel or the other courts to play and check out the area after. The hotel has lots of restaurants and shops attached to it too and was super convenient. Salt Beach, right in front of the hotel, is beautiful and pristine; I walked down it each morning and saw few people, making it really relaxing and peaceful. There are several small towns around and they are all really fun to spend a few hours exploring. Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, and Byron Bay are all a short 30 minute drive up or down the coast too - must sees while you are in the area.
Here are the websites and some pictures of the hotel and surrounding area.
Mantra courtyard area.
Cudgen Creek.
Salt beach, directly in front of the hotel.
A lot of wildlife is around the area.
A Spiced Passionfruit Mojito at the local tapas bar.
Cabarita.
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