Pickleball is taking the sports world by storm, becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the world - alongside padel tennis. Bringing together tennis, badminton, and ping pong, pickleball is fun, social, and fast-paced.
Make the most of the pickleball courts with our inclusive intro to pickleball sessions, social pickleball, free play, and weekly pickleball tournament.
The lowdown
Proud to sponsor the England Seniors Pickleball team at the English Open tournament
Play at Messini, Alana and our two new clubs in Mauritius and Sicily
Easy to play and pick up
Combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis
Coaching and equipment included
For players of all ages and abilities
Inclusive
What is pickleball?
Pickleball was invented in the USA in 1965 by three friends to entertain their children and named after the family's dog, Pickles! Pickleball arrived in Europe in 2011 and has been gaining in popularity ever since.
Even though pickleball is like tennis, it is much more accessible. The court is best described as similar in size to a badminton court with a slightly modified tennis net. The games can be played in singles or doubles and players use solid paddles to hit a plastic ball with small holes over the net.
The ball is much slower than a tennis ball and the service is underarm, so you have a game that is easier to play than tennis and suitable for all ages. Come and give it a go!
Inclusive
How to play pickleball
In Pickleball, the ball is served underarm, and the player serving starts on the right side of the court. The serve is hit diagonally to the opponent's service court. The ball must bounce before it is returned, and the serving side must also let the ball bounce. After which, you can volley or let the ball bounce before hitting it. There is a non-volley zone near the net where players are not allowed to volley the ball.
Points can be scored by both the serving and receiving sides and the first team to reach 11 points with a two-point advantage wins the game.
Inclusive
Pickleball equipment
The paddle looks a little like a larger version of a table tennis paddle – it has a solid surface and no strings. Like tennis rackets, they come in different shapes, sizes, and weights.
The balls are plastic with holes and come in different colours, typically yellow or white.
The equipment is easy to use for all ages and abilities and is lightweight.
Inclusive
Are pickleball lessons included?
Pickleball is an inclusive activity at Messini Beach Club in Greece and Alana Beach Club in Croatia, Neilson x The Ravenala Attitude in Mauritius and Neilson x Mangia's Torre del Barone Resort in Sicily. We have 6 courts at Messini, 2 courts at Alana, 4 courts at Torre del Barone Resort and Ravenala Attitude, all with 'intro to pickleball' coaching sessions included on your holiday. They are a great introduction to the game.
If you want to continue playing, you can book a pickleball court for free play.
In addition to pickleball, we have a daily programme of tennis coaching for all abilities at Messini, Alana, Ravenala Attitude and Torre del Barone Resort plus social tennis, and extras such as super drills (available as a supplement).
Inclusive
Can children play pickleball?
At Messini Beach Club, we offer a 30-minute pickleball session each week for children aged 6 and above during school holidays. At Alana Beach Club, the 30-minute session is exclusively for our Waveriders (14-15 years) and TAG (16-17 years) groups.
Children over the age of 14 can join the adult sessions. Additionally, if you book a court for free play, the whole family, regardless of age, can join in for a fun game of pickleball.
There's also a fantastic range of inclusive kids' clubs for all ages, offering activities like paddle boarding, dinghy sailing, tennis, beach games and so much more.
My wife and I have been on other all inclusive breaks, but Messini Beach was head and shoulders above. The resort is big and clean and very tidy. This especially so when bearing in mind we were there...
My wife and I have been on other all inclusive breaks, but Messini Beach was head and shoulders above. The resort is big and clean and very tidy. This especially so when bearing in mind we were there the last week of the season. The staff were fantastic and enthusiastic, especially on the tennis courts, where over the weeks tuition, we progressed dramatically. So if you like an active break, including tennis, pickle ball, sailing, paddle boarding, water skiing, cycling, table tennis, wall climbing, swimming and decent food, this is the place. The accommodation is very ample too.
There is something very special about the small hotel/ beach club Bucca. Having stayed before I was really worried that the evening A la Carte (or lack of it) in the evening would spoil my holiday. I...
There is something very special about the small hotel/ beach club Bucca. Having stayed before I was really worried that the evening A la Carte (or lack of it) in the evening would spoil my holiday. I really did miss it, however once I dealt with the buffet as a menu rather than as a buffet, I managed to feel as though there was a little bit more variety.
So if it’s something that worries you don’t go for a bit bit of everything make a choice and stick to it!. undoubtedly there is a similarity now between lunch and evening meals and it removes one of the differentials between missini and Bucca. I didn’t meet anybody there who preferred the buffet so hopefully Nielson‘s will listen to customer feedback. There are some definite highlights though, the ice cream is truly delicious, the fresh fruit, aubergine imman and variety of vegetable all stand out. Fish however was a bit of a disappointment and was always over cooked (with the exception of the salt baked salmon.
Cocktail tasters were so tiny we didn’t bother with them- a small ice cream might ve a better alternative.
The activities we took in this time were much more varied. Having recently given up Netball I was looking for an alternative sport and picked up a racket for the first time since at school (50 years ago). They are much lighter than they used to be! The instruction was patient kind and encouraging and it’s fair to say that I am now something of a tennis convert. My other half went to pickle ball which was thoroughly enjoyed and seemed to be very popular amongst the other guests too. He went to Windsurfing classes and progressed well , however it was felt by most in that group that it would be better to start classes in the morning a little bit later to enable there to be a little bit more wind and possibly to have lunch therefore a little bit later too. That would give the benefit of people being able to be a beginner on watersports and a beginner on racquet sports. Maybe something to think about. I enjoyed the competitive sailing and due to unseasonably high winds managed to hang out of the edge of a cat which I thoroughly enjoyed (according to the helm we hit 18 mph) very exciting stuff. I also enjoyed the yoga and Pilates. However, I’m not sure if I’ve been brand-new to either of these the instruction would’ve been quite enough to keep me safe. I also discovered my ‘granny’ breast stroke was all wrong too!!All in all I can’t think of a holiday that would better this one- unless it skipped the evening buffet!
