By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 3, 2023

An iconic shadow casts inspirational light across the red clay.

Beneath the larger-than-life image of Rafael Nadal unleashing his signature shot, we’re schooled in the king of clay’s methodology at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in Costa Mujeres, Mexico.

More: Wimbledon Preview

Tennis Now was among a group of about 10 media members from North America invited to play in group clinics on the eight red clay courts at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre last week. The coaching team at the RNTC put our enthusiastic group of recreational players through some of the same drills 14-time Roland Garros champion Nadal does during his clay-court training. Four of the courts are covered, which was vital for our survival given the sticky 90-degree temperatures and physicality of the clinics.

We reported on our tennis clinic experience with head pro Alex Praderas last week. The Alex Praderas Q&A with his explanation of the Nadal clay-court methodology is here.

Today, we recount the entire resort experience in Costa Mujeres.

This is high-performance tennis training in a tropical paradise on the grounds of two five-star resorts—the TRS Coral Hotel, which is for adults only, and Grand Palladium Resort & Spa, catering to families. The tropical resort is about a 50-minute drive north of the Cancun International Airport.

Reality TV show fanatics will recognize the TRS Coral Hotel as the striking setting for season two of the Netflix Series Love is Blind.



We first visited before the coronavirus crisis began ravaging North America back in March of 2020 and were impressed by the evolution of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in our return last month.

The trip was much more than tennis.

The buzz begins at check in.

A front-desk staffer wraps a black "TRS Coral Hotel" wristband around your left wrist that is both your waterproof room key and your pass to virtually all the amenities and dining on site. There’s a message embedded on the wristband—“Honoring your freedom”—and to reinforce that thought another staffer serves liquid liberty—a glass of cold champagne and a complimentary baseball cap—as you complete check-in.

The staff is inviting, attentive and all bilingual, so you feel welcome immediately.

Throughout the resort all staffers refer to visitor as “family” rather than “guests.” It’s part of the resort’s aim to make you feel as comfortable as if you’re staying in a beach-side resort with extended family. That extends to the personalized service: Each floor of the resort comes complete with its own butler to help you with anything and everything from dinner reservations to sunscreen to directions. The butler uses What’s App to send daily reminders with schedules for all of the restaurants and buffets on site, daily group exercise programs, bar locations and special events.

As you walk into a suite that’s larger than some New York City studio apartments, you’re struck by the size of the bathroom which features full walk-in waterfall shower, private toilet with its own phone and a jacuzzi tub.



The Palladium TRS Coral Resort is a popular place for both marriages—there’s a chapel on site—and honeymoons. In fact, we checked in a day after a colorful two-day Indian wedding and met a few honeymooners.

It all adds to a sun-drenched positive vibe while empowering you take a deep dive into the Nadal tennis training. Though our resort rooms, overlooking the pristine pool which features a floating bar as well as standalone bar, are so spacious and striking it’s a buzz just being pool side.

Favorites

The beach, a few steps from the pool, is pure tranquility. The resort resides north of the Yucatan Peninsula and both beach and water are pristine. It’s not only clean, there are hammocks and lounge chairs covered with umbrellas throughout the grounds.

A cool feature: the sand at the TRS Coral Hotel beach doesn’t burn your feet even during the 90-degree days we spent there. A local explained to us there’s a specific mineral that keeps the sand comfortable and cooler than other beaches. So even in searing heat you can walk barefoot on the beach without burning your soles—though don’t make the mistake we did of trying to navigate the boardwalk connecting resort to beach without shoes as your feet will feel the heat.

The physical tennis clinic sessions will definitely drain your legs and lungs, fortunately there’s pleasurable replenishment.

After our first clinic, all four members of our group were so sweat soaked it looked like we’d all been dunked in a pool. We were driven to the Zentropia Palladium Wellness & Spa, which we learned is a restoration capital of Cancun.



An amazing multi-service space, the spa is dedicated to relaxation offering aqua therapy, massage therapy, beauty treatments and a unique thermal area where a specialist took our group through a series of treatments heating up and cooling down the body before we splashed into the revitalizing pool.

The circuit we did of dry and wet sauna, hot jacuzzi, ice cabin, which as it’s name suggests is indeed a box of ice complete with icicles hanging and the extreme hot and cold baths were among the best recovery we’ve ever experienced after tennis.

The pool is embedded with various water massage stations. Standing beneath one waterfall you could feel the tension from your neck and shoulders washed away like a fire truck’s water hose washing away a chalk mark on a sidewalk. The entire spa treatment reinforces the importance of recovery after tennis—particularly if you’re over 40 as most in our group.

You walk into the spa feeling slightly exhausted and walk out feeling exhilarated.



The design of the TRS Coral hotel can make you feel you’re floating on water from the moment you step out of the balcony. Guests have the option to stay in some of the ground floor Swim Up Suites—rooms connected by a pool right outside the balcony.



You can splash into relaxation without even visiting the pool or the beach.

It’s a five-star resort so the food and drink are exceptional.

The expansive breakfast buffet loaded with the freshest fruit, eggs of all varieties, bread, bagels, crepes, croissants and a full selection of sliced salmon makes waking up wonderful. Though if you wash it down with too many mimosas, the afternoon tennis can be even more challenging. During the entirety of every breakfast, a musician performed on a small stage. During one breakfast, we probably ate three listening to the saxophone player play pitch-perfect the solo from Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street while wearing shades as streaks of sun showered through the wide windows.

Challenges

The resort is carved out of a jungle so if you visit in June, as we did, you will feel the steamy heat and you will sweat.

At times, it felt a bit like swampy New York City days amid the August swelter where heat and humidity wrap you like a wet blanket. The difference here is the breeze off the beach makes you feel a lot cooler and comfortable and the pools that surround you are replenishing waters.

Because of the heat you must drink more water than perhaps you think you need because you lose water quickly.

Don’t come to camp expecting to learn Rafa’s electric sliding skills on red clay. Given the age—most of us are over age 35—the focus is getting your body behind the ball and striking on balance not sliding.

Though we were in a jungle, we didn’t feel under assault from mosquitoes as you may expect. That may well be because of the staffers spraying the grounds constantly. When our group visited the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre for clinics or lessons before you even step out on the court the staff strongly urges everyone to use the bug spray they have in their pro shop. It works, we did not get a single bug bite the entire time we were on court.

If you’re prone to self-indulgent periods like me, then perhaps the biggest challenge is balancing immersing yourself in all of the available pleasures without drowning in them. For instance, when you check into the resort, staffers serve you champagne, when you arrive in your room, the butler brings a complimentary bottle of your choice (Rum, Vodka, Whiskey) so 10 minutes into your arrival you can really let loose if you don’t pace yourself. There’s a sports bar on site open 24 hours so the party never ends for the persistent.

Reaction

Overall, this is high-intensity red clay tennis based on Rafa Nadal’s methodology in a high-end beach-side resort paradise.

It’s almost impossible not to have a good time here. If you can’t find your favorite pleasures here, then you may be the kind of person who’d find fault with the fruit selection in the garden of eden.

Our trip here gave us a little bit of a Mexican insight on why Rafa himself loves his native Mallorca so much. After training so hard on the red clay, the pristine beach, inviting water and the warmth of the people and the site make it ideal place to destress.

The trip also reinforces the fact tennis is about movement and relationships.

It’s the relationship between your body and the ball, the connection between your intent and contact point, the ongoing rapport between the eyes, the mind, the feet and the hands and of course the communication between coach and player, the RNTC coaches emphasizes throughout our clinic that really help you summon your best tennis.

If you can handle the heat and the tequila, the TRS Coral Hotel and Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre is an alluring and tranquil place to bathe in pleasure, plug into bliss and move your game to a more complete place.