First Members-Only Indoor Padel Club Arrives in Miami Beach

Has the swankiest padel club on Earth arrived in our backyard?

The recently opened Sunset Padel at 1880 West Ave. in Miami Beach's Sunset Harbour neighborhood has features that its well-heeled clientele expect: Mondo Turf surfaces, sleek linear lighting, a personal stretch specialist, concierge service, and more.

It's the brainchild of entrepreneur and DJ Gianluca Vacchi and partners Chris Paciello, Michael Stern, and Rafi Gibly. The group has also spearheaded such luxurious Miami projects as Mercedes-Benz Places and 888 Brickell. This marks their first padel endeavor.

"We are all huge padel lovers, and we've seen the incredible growth of the sport through the last few years," Gibly tells New Times. "We've been on the lookout for a perfect location and for something indoors. With this opening and its firsts, we do have a bit of a unicorn here."

With four indoor state-of-the-art courts, Sunset Padel provides a padel reprieve on rainy and windy days. "In exploring this project, though, we understood the biggest reason people want to play indoors is the sun," Gibly explains. "The sun magnifies that much more off of the glass in padel, and, with the South Florida sun, no one wants to play midday. At Sunset Padel, you can play early, late, and whenever you want."

The club is outfitted with terracotta accents, wood paneling, and dark-colored courts. Other amenities include changing rooms with spa-inspired showers, a pro shop with premium rackets, and a juice bar. Pablo Ibáñez, the famed former World Padel Tour player, has been hired as sports director and will lead lessons and clinics at the facility.

Sunset Padel is a members-only club, so the biggest hurdle is joining. Beyond founding memberships, select "premier memberships" are on sale for $350 per month, but Gibly says there is currently a 500-plus person waiting list. As of press time, premier membership applications are still being accepted via sunsetpadel.co.

Additionally, if you know a member of Sunset Padel, they are allowed to bring up to three nonmembers per reservation. A final route is to book a private lesson, which costs $250 per hour per person.

Gibly says that as Sunset Padel develops, it will unveil more clinics, become a hot spot for private events (e.g., birthday and corporate outings), and participate in Miami's biggest annual spectacles, like Formula 1 and Miami Art Week.

"We really have the mindset of being a true country-club atmosphere," Gibly says. "I've been to some of the highest-end padel facilities on Earth, from Europe to Dubai, and this is really on another level."

Sunset Padel. 1880 West Ave., Miami Beach; 305-432-7807; sunsetpadel.co.