HUDDERSFIELD Giants are heading for some winter sun as they begin the final countdown to Super League X.
Head coach Jon Sharp and his full senior squad will jet off to Portugal on January 15 for a week of warm-weather training.
The Giants will be based at the Browns Sports and Leisure Club at Vilamoura on the Algarve, which is rated as one of the top training bases for professional sportsmen in the world.
The trip abroad - they return on January 22 - is in stark contrast to the last pre-season camp when Sharp took his players to the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.
That proved a highly successful move, with the Giants making a dream start to their last Super League campaign when they won five out of their first six fixtures.
But Sharp believes a trip to such a world-class base makes far more sense.
"We were really pleased with our camp last season," said Sharp.
"It was an environment that was very isolated and we had no distractions.
"The facilities were very basic, but it served its purpose.
"But we felt we needed more this time around, and what Browns has to offer is second to none.
"Football manager Stuart Sheard and myself paid a visit to make sure the complex had everything we required, and we were both blown away by the facilities.
"Bradford Bulls have used it for the past three years, and we could see why. We're very lucky to have gained a slot."
