Condé Nast Traveler called padel “the new it-girl amenity at luxury hotels.” Casa de Campo® had already built four courts for it — next to eleven Har-Tru tennis courts, a hard court, and a bank of pickleball courts that didn’t exist three years ago. The resort markets the result as “the largest racquet center in the Caribbean,” and for once the superlative holds up.
What the resort’s own website doesn’t tell you is which villas put you a two-minute golf-cart ride from the first serve, what an hour on a clay court actually costs in 2026, or when the courts are quiet enough to walk on without a reservation. This guide fills those gaps — the honest, specific version a villa specialist would give you over coffee.
What’s Actually at the Racquet Center
The facility sits on the eastern side of the resort, a short hop from the Marina and the main villa neighbourhoods. It was renovated and rebranded from “La Terraza Tennis Center” to the “Racquet Center” to reflect what it has become: not just a tennis club, but a three-sport campus for tennis, padel, and pickleball under one terraced patio with a pro shop, bar, and pool overlooking the play.
The Tennis Courts
Eleven fast-dry Har-Tru clay courts form the heart of the place, plus a single hard court for players who prefer a quicker surface. Two of the Har-Tru courts are individually fenced show courts, viewable from the brick-terraced seating — the ones used when tournaments bring touring professionals to La Romana. The rest are scattered in twos and threes through landscaped gardens of flowering shrubs and mature trees, which is part of why the layout is so often called one of the most beautiful in the world rather than simply one of the biggest.
Every court is floodlit. Play runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, so an early game before the heat or a cooler evening match are both on the table.
Padel
Padel — the enclosed, doubles-focused racquet sport that has swept European resorts — arrived at Casa de Campo and kept expanding. The Racquet Center now runs four padel courts, the most recent two opened in a single weekend to meet demand. It is the easiest of the three sports to pick up cold: glass walls keep the ball in play, the court is smaller, and a first-timer can rally within minutes. If your group has mixed ability, padel is where everyone has fun on day one.
Pickleball
Pickleball is the newest addition. Casa de Campo was among the first major Caribbean resorts to build dedicated, regulation pickleball courts, and the facility has grown since. It is the sport to book if you want low-impact, social, fast-to-learn play — particularly good for multi-generation family stays where grandparents and teenagers can share a court.
What It Costs in 2026
This is where the resort’s marketing pages go quiet and where a villa guest most wants a straight answer. Here are the published 2026 rates at the Racquet Center, in US dollars, before tax.
Tennis
- Court rental, daytime: $39 per hour
- Court rental, evening (after 6 p.m.): $49 per hour
- Private lesson with the Tennis Director: $159 per hour
- Private lesson with a Tennis Pro: $75 per hour
- Semi-private lesson with a Pro (two people): $95 per hour
- Hitting partner: $65 per hour
- Group clinic (minimum three players): $45 per person, per hour
- Ball machine: $29
- Racquet rental: $19
Padel
- Court rental, daytime: $45 per hour
- Court rental, evening: $49 per hour
- Private lesson with a Pro: $89 per hour
- Group clinic (minimum three): $39 per person, per hour
- Racquet rental: $10
Pickleball
- Court rental, daytime: $45 per hour
- Court rental, evening: $49 per hour
- Private lesson: $89 per hour
- Group clinic (minimum three): $35 per person, per hour
- Racquet rental: $10
Rates are subject to change and exclude local tax, but they give you a reliable budgeting figure: a couple can play an hour of daytime tennis with rented racquets for under $80, and a family of four can fill a morning clinic for a fraction of what a single resort excursion costs.
Booking a Court From Your Villa
Courts can be reserved up to one month in advance — worth doing in high season (December through April), when the show courts and prime morning slots fill first. During peak periods, reservations must be made on the hour. For night play, book at least four hours ahead so the floodlit court is confirmed and staffed.
Every player checks in at the pro shop before walking onto a court, so build five minutes into your plan for that. The Racquet Center office takes bookings directly on extension 5940, but the simpler route for a villa guest is to let your concierge or villa host handle it — they book courts, lessons, and equipment as a matter of routine and can line up a hitting partner or a pro at your preferred time without you making a single call.
One detail worth knowing in advance: the center operates published cancellation, no-show, and tardiness policies, and peak-season slots are held firmly. If your plans are weather-dependent — an afternoon storm is not unusual in summer — book a morning slot rather than risk a wash-out fee, and let your host confirm the cancellation window when they make the reservation. It is a small thing, but it is exactly the sort of detail the resort’s own booking page leaves you to discover at the desk.
The patio above the courts is part of the appeal rather than an afterthought. The pro shop, a bar, a swimming pool, and shaded seating all overlook the play, so the non-playing half of your group has somewhere comfortable to sit with a drink and watch — which makes the Racquet Center a genuinely sociable outing rather than a chore for the one tennis enthusiast in the family.
Lessons, Clinics, and the Junior Academy
The center keeps over 25 tennis professionals and junior pros on staff, led by a Tennis Director who came up through the French Tennis Federation and the ITF circuit. That depth matters: whether you want a single technical lesson, a doubles clinic for your group, or a steady hitting partner for the week, there is someone qualified and available rather than a single overbooked coach.
For families staying longer, the Junior Tennis Academy trains children from age five upward in structured, skill-graded programmes — roughly $90 per month per child, running afternoon sessions on a Monday-Wednesday, Tuesday-Thursday, or Wednesday-Friday rotation, with sibling discounts of 10 to 20 percent. It is a genuine programme, not a babysitting drill, and a good reason families with junior players gravitate to Casa de Campo over a standard beach resort.
You can also build your own tournament. With a minimum of eight players the center will set up a private bracket — a popular move for golf-and-tennis group trips and milestone-birthday villa parties.
Which Villas Put You Closest to the Courts
Proximity is the whole advantage of staying in a Casa de Campo villa rather than a hotel room: you are minutes from the courts by golf cart and can play before breakfast without leaving the resort. The villas nearest the Racquet Center sit in the eastern neighbourhoods around the Marina and the central resort core, where a cart ride to the pro shop is a matter of two or three minutes.
If racquet sports are a priority for your trip, tell us when you enquire and we will match you to a villa within easy cart distance of the courts — alongside everything else on your list, from a chef-equipped kitchen to a pool the kids won’t leave. You can browse the full collection on our accommodation page, or read more about the facility on our Racquet Center guide.
When to Play
Two factors shape the best playing windows: heat and crowds.
On heat, the Caribbean sun is strongest from late morning to mid-afternoon. The Har-Tru clay plays cooler than hard court, but most guests still prefer a 7:00–9:00 a.m. start or an evening session under lights from around 5:00 p.m. In summer (June to September) the early slot is not optional so much as essential — book it the day before.
On crowds, the courts are busiest in the December-to-April high season and around the resort’s tournament dates, when touring players and serious amateurs descend on the show courts. If you want a quiet, walk-on game, the shoulder months of May and late November are ideal, and even in peak season the padel and pickleball courts turn over faster than the tennis clay, so a same-day slot is usually findable.
The Pro Shop, Stringing, and What to Pack
The terraced pro shop is the operational hub: you check in there, rent racquets and ball machines, and pick up anything you forgot at home. Tennis racquet rental is $19, padel and pickleball racquets $10 — so there is no need to fly a heavy bag of gear across the Caribbean if you are a casual player. Serious players who travel with their own racquets can have them re-strung or re-gripped on site rather than playing a fortnight on a dead string bed.
A few practical packing notes a specialist would actually give you. Clay courts ask for flat-soled court shoes; trail or running shoes slide on Har-Tru and chew up the surface. Bring more than one shirt per session — humidity in La Romana means you will go through them. A wide-brim cap, sunglasses, and reef-safe sunscreen matter more here than the racquet you choose, because the sun, not the competition, is what ends most matches early. Water is available courtside, but a refillable bottle saves you trips back to the bar between games.
If you are travelling with children for the Junior Academy, pack proper court shoes for them too — the programme runs daily for weeks at a time and sandals will not last.
Tournaments and the Competitive Scene
The two fenced show courts exist for a reason: Casa de Campo has a long history of drawing touring professionals and serious amateur events to La Romana, and the Racquet Center is built to host them. For a guest, this has two consequences worth planning around.
The upside is atmosphere. Time your stay near a tournament and you can watch high-level tennis from the brick-terraced seating with a drink from the bar, then play your own match on an adjoining court an hour later — the kind of access a stadium ticket never buys you. The trade-off is court availability: during event weeks the show courts and prime morning slots go first, so book early or lean on the padel and pickleball courts, which stay more open.
If you are bringing a group, the build-your-own-tournament option (minimum eight players) turns an ordinary villa holiday into something your guests remember. The center sets the bracket, supplies the courts, and you supply the rivalry — a popular centrepiece for golf-and-tennis group trips and milestone birthdays.
Padel and Pickleball: Why They Belong on Your Itinerary
Tennis is the headline, but the two newer sports are often what turn a casual afternoon into the highlight of a trip — precisely because nobody in the group needs to already be good.
Padel rewards placement and teamwork over power. The enclosed glass court keeps the ball alive off the walls, rallies last longer, and a mixed-ability foursome stays competitive in a way tennis rarely allows. It is the single best choice for a group with one keen player and three beginners, and the $45 daytime court rate split four ways is the cheapest fun on the property.
Pickleball is even gentler on the body — a smaller court, a lighter ball, and underhand serves mean less running and less strain, which is exactly why it has become the sport multi-generation families book together. A grandparent and a teenager can share a competitive game, and an hour’s clinic at $35 per person teaches a complete novice enough to play properly by the end.
Between them, padel and pickleball are why the resort rebranded the whole facility as a Racquet Center rather than a tennis club: the point is no longer one sport for the dedicated few, but three sports the whole villa can enjoy.
Tennis as Part of a Wider Casa de Campo Stay
Few guests come to Casa de Campo only to play tennis, and the Racquet Center is positioned so you don’t have to choose. The same eastern-resort location that puts the courts minutes from the villas also sits close to the Marina’s restaurants and the resort’s three Pete Dye golf courses, so a morning on the clay, a round of golf, and dinner by the water fit into one day without a long drive between any of them.
That clustering is the quiet argument for a racquet-focused villa stay over a tennis-only resort package elsewhere. You get the courts, the coaching, and the tournaments, but also a private pool, a full kitchen and staff, and the Marina, beach, and golf within a few minutes’ cart ride — all from a base that belongs to your group alone. Tennis becomes one excellent thread in a much larger week, rather than the only reason you came.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to play tennis at Casa de Campo?
A daytime tennis court is $39 per hour in 2026, rising to $49 after 6 p.m., before tax. Racquet rental is $19 and a ball machine is $29. Private lessons range from $75 per hour with a Pro to $159 with the Tennis Director.
Do I need to book a court in advance?
You can reserve up to a month ahead, which is wise in the December-to-April high season. In quieter months a same-day booking is usually fine, especially for padel or pickleball. Night play needs at least four hours’ notice, and all players check in at the pro shop first.
Can beginners play, or is it only for serious players?
Both. With more than 25 pros on staff and three different sports, a complete beginner can take a padel or pickleball lesson and rally the same afternoon, while advanced players get show courts, hitting partners, and tournament-level coaching.
Is there tennis for children at Casa de Campo?
Yes. The Junior Tennis Academy trains children from age five in structured monthly programmes (around $90 per child) with sibling discounts, and group clinics for kids run at $35 per person per hour.
How far is the Racquet Center from the villas?
The villas in the eastern resort neighbourhoods, near the Marina and central core, are a two-to-three-minute golf-cart ride from the courts. We can match you to a villa within easy cart distance if racquet sports are a priority for your stay.
Related Reading
- Things to Do at Casa de Campo: The Complete Guide
- Casa de Campo for Families: The Complete Guide
- Casa de Campo Golf Guide: All Three Pete Dye Courses Compared
Planning a tennis-focused stay? Tell us your dates and we will match you to a villa minutes from the Racquet Center, with court bookings and coaching arranged before you land.