Padel in Alicante — a Volle Guide
The apartment looks straight down into Plaza Santísima Faz. Tables fill before ten, chairs scrape against stone, and the sound of the old town starting its day comes straight up through the window.
Alicante moves at a pace we didn't expect. Slower than Valencia, closer to the water, and built around a rhythm we fell into within a day: the beach first, then the rest of it. Five days here was just long enough to start relaxing, having time for padel, beach and great food.
Where we stayed
A modern apartment above the square, in the heart of the old town. Plaza Santísima Faz is a stunning square — palm trees, beautiful old buildings, restaurant tables filling the space below. Everything we needed was a short walk away, including the sea. The apartment opened onto an internal courtyard, and from the living room window we could hear the square doing its thing below — tourists exploring, drinks and meals running late into the evening, the whole soundtrack of the old town without having to leave the sofa.
Mornings on the square
Coffee first, always. A short walk to try different cafes, the old town still half asleep, the square filling slowly around us. Mornings here were quiet in a way that surprised us — tables and chairs packed away, almost nowhere open yet, the whole square waiting for the day to properly start.
It's a small thing, but it set the tone for everything after it. We found our favourite pastries at Aires de Patagonia — the pistachio croissants were heavenly, and we were back most mornings for another.
Where we played
Alicante has become something of a hotspot destination for padel holidays and padel coaching programmes with world class coaches. We chose Bela Padel Academy for the reputation, and because it was the easiest to reach without a car: a tram most of the way from the old town, easy and scenic, then just a few minutes on foot from the station to the courts — enough of a walk in the Spanish sun that men's padel clothing earned its keep before a single ball was hit, light enough for the heat and ready to play the second we arrived.
We took the tram out to Bela Padel Academy twice. Tali had a coaching session with the lovely Gabriela, an Argentinian coach. Rob played a match that turned into most of the afternoon. Bela Padel has the feel of a club built by people who actually play — well kept courts, a good crowd, nothing overdone. It is the kind of place where a match against strangers turns into a standing invitation to come back. This club has a nice social vibe and a terrace welcoming you to stay for a chat afterwards — men's padel clothing right through to the coffee after. Each time we stayed on for a coffee under the palm trees.
Women's padel clothing built for exactly this kind of day earns its keep here — on court in the morning, coffee on the terrace after, no outfit change required.
Gym sessions
Tali found Gym24 in San Juan for a workout, a few streets back from the beach in San Juan. It runs on a day pass, which suited us better than a membership — good range of equipment, fully air conditioned, a chill outdoor area set up for functional training and stretching, and change rooms with everything a girl needs to get ready for a day or evening out. Different kind of session, same principle: the day belongs to movement, whatever form it takes.
Sun and water therapy
Every day we spent a few hours at the beach. It was only five minutes on foot from the apartment to the beach. All we needed was a towel, sunnies and an umbrella.
We started calling it sun and water therapy, half joking, and then not joking at all. There's a version of Alicante that's about courts and matches. There's another version that's just this — sand, salt, the sea.
Where we ate
Central Market did double duty — pintxos standing at the counter, then a slower pass through the stalls picking up what we'd cook that evening. It's less about any one dish and more the whole exercise: buy what looks good, figure out dinner later.
San Juan gave us our one romantic night out, right on the beach — Italian at a table that filled slowly as the sun went down and didn't empty until well past it, the same easy pace as the guide that started this journal. Another night stayed local — a bottle shared on the balcony, the square doing the entertaining for us. Other evenings meant tinto de verano on a terrace in the old town, Toma2 among them, watching the tables fill up around us. The old town handled everything else.
What surprised us about dressing here
Valencia had us moving between venues all day, outfit by outfit. Alicante is more compact — the beach, the court, the market and the square all sit within a short walk of each other, so one good set does more of the work here than almost anywhere else we've stayed. Court to café, and then some — the easiest dressing of the whole trip.
Three things we'd do differently next time
A longer stay. Five days was not enough beach time for us or to get to any club beyond Bela Padel Academy — next time we'd build in the extra days to try more of them.
Book the court earlier in the day. Afternoons at Bela Padel Academy fill up fast once the heat breaks.
Bring less. Alicante rewards travelling light more than most places we've been — one good outfit does more work here than a full suitcase.
