What an ace holiday

11:19am Saturday 21st June 2008

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FOR the next fortnight, Britain will go tennis mad. From Monday, all eyes will be on SW17, as the top seeds battle it out for the coveted Wimbledon crowns.

Closer to home, local courts will suddenly fill up, as fans dust down their rusty racquets for their annual tennis match.

If the sight of Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer on Centre Court and a set of fun tennis at your local club re-ignites your passion for the sport, why stop there?

Summer has arrived, and if you haven't yet made plans for a getaway, then you could always consider a tennis holiday.

Lakitira is a luxury four-star beach resort in the Greek isle of Kos, which has been named the best tennis resort by Ace magazine for the past two years.

With weekly flights from Manchester Airport, a week of tennis on the edge of the Aegean sea is but a four-hour plane journey away.

The resort is run by Mark Warner, which specialises in activity holidays for families. Childcare is offered in the day time and evening, allowing adults the chance for some precious me-time, as well as an opportunity to make the most of an array of sports, from volleyball and football, to aerobics, waterskiing, sailing, canoeing as well as tennis.

For those travelling without children, there is an adults-only beach and pool, and part of the hotel is designated child-free.

As a recent convert to tennis, I was determined to improve my game. The tennis centre boasts 11 courts and a team of top coaches, as well as tuition packages to suit all levels.

As an improver player, I chose to attend the Tennis Academy - eight-hours of tuition spread over four days, which included four 90-minute group coaching sessions as well as a 45-minute private lesson and a shot' clinic on serving. It cost an extra £100.

My husband, Nick, is an experienced club player and took up the private coaching package of three individual lessons for £70.

We both found the tuition to be excellent.

There were three of us - all women of a similar level - in the academy (the maximum number is six) which afforded plenty of hitting time with our coach, Paul Ryder. Methodically, we worked on improving our forehand, backhand, volleying and serve, and we picked up plenty of good tips. By the end of the week, we were all playing more confidently.

If you don't fancy lessons, the tennis coaches also organise a social every afternoon, providing a great opportunity to meet other holiday makers for a set or two - and to meet potential partners (and opponents) for the weekly tournaments.

Hoping to make the most of my tennis academy lessons, I entered the ladies' singles and doubles tournaments, then was invited to take part in the mixed doubles draw too with a fella, Chris Cobley, who I met at the social tennis afternoon. He was from Bubwith, near York, and an ex-chair of the local tennis club. He was a darn good player and we went on to win the competition.

The tennis centre also offers sessions with Boris, its ball machine. It's well worth hiring for half an hour or so, so you can practise your groundstrokes, or simply to have a good workout.

It is estimated that you can burn off 500 calories an hour playing singles, which is just as well considering that all-you-can-eat, buffet-style meals are included in your holiday package.

Most deals are on a half-board basis, but you can pay extra for lunch. For breakfast, you can feast on breads and pastries and a wide selection of cereals, fruit and yoghurt or opt for bacon, sausage and egg. Lunch and dinner were similar affairs, with plenty of fresh salads as well as hot dishes, with vegetarians well catered for. Puddings were plentiful, much to the delight of our five-year-old daughter, Eva, who must have wolfed a swimming-pool load of jelly during her stay.

Also included in the holiday package are childcare packages. Eva went to Mini' club for five mornings, where she played with four and five-year-olds, taking part in art activities as well as supervised trips to the pool and beach for taster sessions on surfing, sailing and kayaking.

There is also a crèche for babies, a toddler club, a junior club for six to nine-year-olds and a Kidz' club for ten to 13-year-olds.

In the evening, childcare staff also offer a crèche service, where you can drop off your under-fives while you dine in peace (they watch videos then go to sleep in little camp beds until you come to pick them up). There is also a supervised evening entertainment programme for children aged six to 17, where they play sports and watch films.

Accommodation at the resort is either in the hotel, which has had a recent refurb and boasts smart rooms with plenty of storage, or in white-washed traditional villas, which are more basic in design, but more spacious.

A regular bus service runs from the hotel to the nearest town, Kardamena, about two miles away, and you can also take advantage of bus trips to Kos town, birthplace of Hippocrates.

But with everything on your doorstep within the resort (there's a mini mart and a beauty salon on site, too), you really don't need to venture further afield.

We'd never been on an all-inclusive resort holiday before, let alone an activity one, but agreed it was one of the best vacations we'd had.

Mark Warner reports that seven in ten people who visit its resorts come back for more.

And after seven days at Lakitira, it's easy to see why.

• Find out more about Mark Warner holidays at www.markwarner.co.uk or telephone 0871 703 3880
• To find out more about getting into tennis, finding a local club and coach, or organising a tennis holiday, check out the following websites:www.lta.org.uk and www.socialtennis.com