Camila Duarte on building camps that feel like a long dinner party
The Buenos Aires-born host now runs padel weeks in Lisbon and Tenerife. Her rule: the coaching gets you there, the table brings you back.
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Camila Duarte grew up playing padel on a rooftop court in Buenos Aires, moved to Lisbon a decade ago and now runs small-group padel weeks in Portugal and the Canary Islands under the name Mesa Larga. Her camps are known for two things: serious coaching and very long dinners. We caught her in Lisbon between a morning clinic and a market run.
From rooftop to Lisbon
How did padel start for you?
My uncle had a court on the roof of his building in Almagro. In the nineties everybody in Buenos Aires had a court somewhere. I played with my cousins after school, mostly lobs, because that is what Argentines do first. When I moved to Lisbon, padel was just starting here, and I found myself explaining the walls to friends every weekend. One weekend became a small group, and the small group became a business.
Why the name Mesa Larga?
It means "long table". From the beginning, the most important moment of the day was not on the court. It was at the table at night, when twelve people who did not know each other on Monday are laughing like old friends on Thursday. The coaching gets people to come. The table is why they come back.
What makes a good camp
What do you look for in a coach?
Patience, languages and the ability to make a drill feel like a game. I work with two coaches from Argentina and one from Lisbon. All of them are excellent players, but that is not why I hired them. I hired them because they can explain the same thing five different ways until each person understands.
How do you keep groups balanced?
We are small: twelve players maximum, three courts. Everyone sends me a video of themselves playing before they book. Not for judging, just so I can see how they move. It is amazing how much a thirty-second clip tells you.
Lisbon versus Tenerife
How are the two destinations different?
Lisbon is a city camp. We play in the morning, and in the afternoon people walk the hills, visit museums, eat pastries. The courts are near the river, and the light in spring and autumn is perfect. Tenerife is a sun camp. We go in winter, when Europe is grey. The courts are in the south of the island, it is warm every day, and in the afternoons people swim or hike. Different moods, same table.
What surprises guests most?
How much they improve when they relax. People arrive tense. They want to fix everything in five days. By Wednesday they have eaten well, slept well, made friends, and suddenly the bandeja works. It is not magic. A relaxed body plays better padel.
Looking ahead
What is next for Mesa Larga?
Maybe Sicily. I love the idea of padel in the morning and a long lunch under a lemon tree. But slowly. I do not want to become a factory. If I cannot sit at every table, it is too big.
Your advice for a first-time camper?
Bring an open mind and an appetite. Tell the truth about your level. Pack two rackets, because something always breaks on day two. And always stay for dessert. The best conversations about padel, and about everything else, happen after the coffee arrives.