Play Rugby on the Costa del Sol, Marbella, Sotogrande & Gibraltar

Prior to our arrival in Spain we made a number of specific requests to our ground handler. Specific items were removed from the hotel rooms to make them ‘school child’ friendly including room-room telephones. Hotel rooms were equipped with linen on the beds, spare pillows and blankets in the wardrobes and towels in most bathrooms (those without towels were rectified very quickly).

Upon arrival at the airport we were met by Guy Leleu who escorted us to our coach. The driver helped load bags onto the coach which was modern, clean and in excellent working order (seat belts, air conditioning) The journey to our hotel was smooth and was of the expected timeframe. During the journey we were given keys to the hotel rooms (two per room, one for each pupil) and they were labelled correctly as per the list of rooming we sent out prior to departure. This made handing out the room keys very simple and the process of checking in very quick. Upon arrival at the hotel the pupils were able to go immediately to their rooms where they collected a large bottle of water each. This was an additional feature arranged by Guy to ensure pupils had drinking water after a long journey.

Travel arrangements throughout the trip were generally very good. For all but one of our excursions we were in a modern and luxury coach. For one journey we were in an older coach that had some problems with seat belts. These faults were rectified immediately by the company but we then returned to using our original coach. On the majority of journeys the coach remained on location with us, allowing pupils to leave items they didn’t need on the coach (including valuables) and also meant they could return to the coach without issue if they forgot something. On every journey the coach was on time and parked in a very suitable location to ensure the safety of those passengers boarding and disembarking.

The fixtures scheduled for us were against Bayside School in Gibraltar and Marbella Rugby club in Spain. The standard of opposition was very difficult to gauge due to our schools inexperience. However, the fixtures were of an excellent standard for our requirements and allowed the boys to play very competitive rugby (playing by rules they were used to in England) in a friendly and safe environment. Levels were fairly equal across our three teams (U12, U13 & U14) and our final results were: U12 – played 2, won 1, drew 1; U13 & U14 combined A team – played 2, won 1, lost 1; U13 & U14 combined B team – played 2, won 2. This match of standard allowed a positive but challenging standard of rugby for all sides and was safe to the point where we had no injuries of any kind throughout our 6 fixtures.

The training session at Los Pinos was excellent. The facilities were perfect for rugby training and there was more than enough space to accommodate our large squad throughout the session. The two coaches were obviously experts in their field and offered training that was suitable, beneficial and productive. The boys were kept active for the majority of the session but lower coach to player ratios would have ensured that players were waiting in lines for less time during some parts of the session. The boys were given ample water breaks and the sessions were well paced and progressive. The boys respected the coaches as they gave them clear boundaries and had high expectations of them.

The activities at Tarifa beach were a very late addition to the Itinerary, replacing Whale Watching that was deemed to be unsuitable due to the weather conditions and size of the group. In hindsight this was one of the best decisions of the trip as the beach day activities proved a resounding success. The boys took part in surfing, stand up paddle boarding and kiting. Most of these activities were new to the majority of our group and allowed the boys to be active, sociable and to learn new skills. Many of the boys were taken well out of their ‘comfort zone’ and showed considerable individual achievement. For many of these boys these activities would have taken great courage and they would have felt huge pride at their achievement. All boys learnt at least one new skill during this day and many would have learnt lots of new skills. The activities did not prove a barrier for those that were non-swimmers as the instructors adapted activities and put precautions in place. The overall experience for staff and players was excellent. Instructors were highly trained, extremely knowledgeable and very passionate in their delivery. They were patient with all players, irrelevant of their ability and potential and were excellent in their delivery of instructions throughout. Our only problem we encountered with this venue was the lack of changing space afterwards and the lack of fresh running water to rinse off sea water and sand before getting back into the coach. The weather did not help this and we acknowledge that this compounded the problem. All the equipment used was in excellent condition and was suitable for the ages in our group. The location of the activity was beyond our expectations and the whole day was a resounding success.

The Estepona Paintballing was a fantastic day out. The equipment was very high quality and we felt the additional paintballs the boys could purchase were very good value. The layout of 3 separate areas worked well allowing us to split our group into three and giving the boys three separate games. Being spread out in smaller groups gave them a very good experience and for some players this was their first time experiencing this activity. The facility was well managed and the safety briefing was clear, concise and covered all aspects of the game. Any problems with the equipment were resolved immediately and allowed boys to get straight back into the game.

The hotel far exceeded anything we could have expected. The rooms were all very clean, modern and well equipped. The beds were comfortable and the bathrooms were spacious and practical. The hotel staff were very friendly, patient and always willing to help. All the staff were fluent in English (or English speaking) and this meant the players felt comfortable approaching them and were able to converse easily. The hotel staff were visible and hard working at all times during our stay and were keen to serve and please. We were never kept waiting when we had a query or a request and everything was dealt with efficiently. Rooms were cleaned on a daily basis and where necessary linen changed. The swimming pool was clean and suitable for children and staff were quick to assist in making the players experience as good as possible (putting out the slide etc).

Food and drink in the hotel was exceptional. Every single meal that we ate in the Hotel was served hot, was nutritious and was clearly hand made with fresh ingredients. Not a single child or staff member complained once about any meal we were served and on inspection after almost every meal we saw clean plates. All the boys were well fed and no one was every hungry. The food was served with excellent portion sizes, catered for all food types and was healthy. The evening meals were always 3 courses and this was perfect after a hard days activity. Breakfast was self service but staff were always on hand to help when needed and to keep stocks replenished. The choice of menu was varied every day, original but at the same time the food was recognisable for English children and was very popular. Finding food that appeals to so many in such a large group is very skilful.

There were a variety of evening activities on offer at the hotel including karaoke, cards, television and ‘chill out space’. The hotel was very suitable for a group this size, however we were often worried about pupils accidently breaking valuable items or damaging decorative features.

I cannot recommend this trip highly enough and would certainly consider returning to this destination again. Guy made it a very special trip for us and one that the boys will remember all their lives. From a teacher’s perspective the hard groundwork was done before we arrived, as requested, and this meant things ran very smoothly during our stay. The attention to detail paid to our requests by Guy was really very much appreciated and we cannot thank him enough for the time and effort he put into making this tour so successful.

Stacia Long
Teacher in charge of Rugby
Graveney School