The Best Destination Pickleball Vacations

Destination pickleball has become its own travel category. These are trips where the pickleball is the reason, but the location is worth going for on its own.

Domestic favorites: Palm Springs / Coachella Valley (peak season Nov–April, dry heat, dozens of resorts with courts), Naples FL (home of the US Open, warm winters), Scottsdale AZ (year-round outdoor play, top instructional camps), Telluride CO (mountain summers, small-group camps at altitude), and Sanibel/Fort Myers FL (resort-camp packages).

International: Costa Rica (multiple camps in Guanacaste and Manuel Antonio, year-round warm weather), Cabo San Lucas (fast-growing pickleball scene, all-inclusive resort packages), Portugal's Algarve (April–October, growing European pickleball hub), and the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana resorts adding pickleball to tennis programs).

Format matters. 'Play-and-stay' packages bundle lodging, meals, and 3–5 hours of daily instruction. Pure camps assume you handle lodging separately. Play-and-stay is usually the better deal once you factor in resort dining rates.

When to book. Winter destinations (FL, AZ, CA, Caribbean) sell out 6–9 months in advance for Jan–March. Summer mountain camps (CO, UT, VT) book 4–6 months out.

Cost expectations: $2,500–$5,500 per person for a 5–7 day package including lodging and instruction, before flights. Add 20–30% during peak season and holiday weeks.

One tip most people miss: destination camps tend to over-schedule day one and under-schedule day five. Save your energy — most people burn out by day 3. Better to play 80% every day than 120% for two days and limp through the rest.