10 of the best surf hotels in the world
The age of the surf shack is long gone. From custom boards to swell interiors and local guides who track the perfect wave, these oceanside lodgings excel at barefoot luxury.
One of the great challenges in surf travel is schlepping around a board. Longboards can be the size of a small airplane wing, and airport personnel, upon seeing a shortboard, sometimes hurl them, as if testing them for flight. Oversized luggage fees are another pain point. If you’re a surfer, there are clear benefits to staying at a legitimate surf hotel – a main one being that they provide quality boards on site. The following properties offer valuable services for novices and experienced riders alike, and complement the experience of riding a good wave with hotel comfort, smart design, and surf-related amenities.
Chile, dude: Hotel Alaia
An intimate and sustainable resort in Punta de Lobos in Chile, Hotel Alaia is instilled with surf culture. Consistent and sometimes big left-breaking waves barrel through Punta de Lobos, one of a dozen places in the world deemed a World Surfing Reserve, on account of its breakers, stunning rocky cliffs, and the marine mammals who migrate past this South American ecological park in Chile’s Central Valley. Rooms are well-designed and ocean-facing, and the kitchen sources food locally, with ingredients harvested from their greenhouse and garden. Alaia has a skatepark, as well as Pilates courses and a rock-climbing wall. Unless you’re enlisting in surf lessons, this is one of those spots where you might want to bring your own board or rent locally. hotelalaia.com
California beaming: Alila Marea Beach Resort
On the team at Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas, California, is a “surf butler” who is always up to date on swell conditions and wind direction. The butler, on considering the day’s forecast, can suggest boards from the hotel quiver, which includes locally made, hybrid soft-tops from Almond for rent. The property partners with a surf school to provide lessons for anyone requiring pointers to bring them up to speed. Stylish rooms look out onto Ponto Beach, are decorated with ocean-related works by artist Aaron Chang and some are even equipped with their own balcony fire-pit. Inviting, light-filled eatery Vaga is as eclectic and ambitious as any in San Diego, with dishes from duck carnitas tacos to scallops with purple cauliflower. Other outings include e-cycling along the coast, teeing off at local courses and open-air biplane tours. alilahotels.com
French bliss: Les Hortensias du Lac
While most rooms at Les Hortensias du Lac in Hossegor in south-western France have serene lake views, the surf break is just a few hundred metres in the other direction. Part of the Relais & Chateaux collection, the hotel’s rooms are elegant, while a talented team of chefs from three-Michelin-starred kitchens prepare daily teatimes and teach pastry classes. But croissants aside, the main draw in Hossegor is the surf. Hortensias has all levels of boards shaped by a local from the region. After demoing a few house-made boards, guests can even order a tailor-made stick if they’re looking for a unique souvenir. When the waves go flat, guests can stretch at yoga, sail the sea, or paddleboard in the lake. lesdomainesdefontenille.com
Balinese tropics: Uluwatu Surf Villas
For experienced riders, Uluwatu has some of the best surf in the world. The long, hollow left-hand breaks make it the ideal place to hunker down for a week to ride endless, epic waves. The well-situated Uluwatu Surf Villas, which overlook one of the island’s top breaks, have a staircase for accessing the emptier parts of the reef through a channel that makes the paddle out easy. With a menu of boards, surfers can choose the shape and size that appeals to their preference. After surfing, guests can unwind in their private pools, enjoy yoga in the ocean-facing pavilion, or drop in to the concrete bowl at the property’s skate park, where boards and helmets are available for use. It has a private charter option, too, that can ferry guests to some of Indonesia’s other iconic waves. uluwatusurfvillas.com
Portuguese art: Noah Surf House
If you’re looking for ocean-adjacent digs that foster community travel, Noah Surf House in Santa Cruz, Portugal is a stellar place to bed down. Besides having all the requirements – quality boards, surf lessons, and video analysis – they bring together new and veteran surfers through the property’s activities, from post-surf gatherings around the fire-pit to group skatepark sessions, where guests can graffiti the wall if they’re artistically inclined and ride the wooden wave or impressive bowl. Plenty of other stimulation is on offer at the on-site gym, where they focus on yoga, Pilates, and surf training classes. Terraced rooms overlook the sea and their rustic, wood-lined interiors recall a comfortable treehouse. noahsurfhouseportugal.com
African idyll: Madagascar Surf Resort
Madagascar, the world’s fourth-largest island, is an uncrowded gem. It’s even less congested in the water. When south-west swells come in, wrap around the headland, and are combed back to perfection from the endless offshore winds, it’s a surfer’s dream. Set on a hill, the Madagascar Surf Resort overlooks myriad surf spots breaking across the island’s immaculate reefs. The property can arrange trips to waves that few people might have ever surfed before. With water temperatures in the mid-20s even in winter, a policy to accommodate a maximum of 10 surfers at a time, and ring-tailed lemurs skipping around the bay, it’s a dream spot that most surfers still don’t know exists. madagascarsurfresort.com
Wild about Canada: Nootka Wilderness Lodge
Two sorts of people plan a trip to Nootka Wilderness Lodge in Canada: those who want to catch fish in dramatic scenes that would inspire another Hemingway novella, and those seeking to surf Vancouver Island’s cold, empty, and spectacular waves. With only 12 floating guest rooms, it’s a place for surfers who possess steel in their veins and a good wetsuit. Guides take wave riders to peaky beach breaks or barrelling reefs. After a session, guests will relish pristine seafood, always on the menu and always sourced locally. The lodge also happens to be in the path of whale migrations, and there’s a good chance summertime surfers, who still require neoprene, will spot humpbacks, grey whales, minke whales, and orcas. It’s a unique property for a unique type of surfer. nootkawildernesslodge.com
Into the blue zone: Silvestre Nosara
At Silvestre Nosara – a deftly designed, family-friendly and nine-room lodging near Playa Guiones in Nosara, Costa Rica – everything is an ode to the surfer. Instead of bland art, magnificent Douglas Evan surfboards float over beds. The resort’s locally shaped custom boards perfectly handle the soft walls at Guiones, while guests can also opt to venture further afield with a guide to discover their own secret breaks. In between sessions, they can lounge on patio hammocks, schvitz in the sauna, or get a surf-focused massage right in their rooms. Each residence has its own kitchen, washer-dryer and plenty of living space. Rooftop breakfasts are simple, delicious, and served with the wave rider in mind – a later start and end time allows for surfers to finish dawn patrol. silvestre.cr
Latin beats: Rancho Santana
Set in oceanfront forest, Nicaragua’s Rancho Santana has five beaches, three dedicated surf breaks, and a surf shop that offers guests surf instructions, surfboards, and guides to secret swells swallowed up by jungle or accessible by boat. There are waves for all levels: beginners will appreciate the gentle rollers near the river mouth at Playa Los Perros, while more adept riders will drop into punchier peaks at Panga Drops. In front of the hotel, Playa Santana’s left-breaking point or its many beach breaks are fun at middle to high tide. Rooms evoke tropical hideaways, the taquería serves incredible homemade tortillas, and the surfer’s massage is outstanding. The yoga studio, high in the hills and overlooking the waves, offers classes designed specifically for surfers, whether looking to build paddling strength or alleviate over-paddled arms. Surfers seeking other thrills can also surf a 30-metre sand dune. ranchosantana.com
Pacific specifics: Tavarua
Tavarua in Fiji is home to one of the world’s best and most scary waves: Cloudbreak. But the wave isn’t always a six-metre tube that can swallow up a truck. And the island has seven more breaks that will appeal to experienced riders who want to surf Fiji’s top spots. Powerful righthanders, more forgiving lefts than Cloudbreak, and even some playful waves with names like Kiddieland and Swimming Pools are all on offer near Tavarua Island Resort. The villa, with its Fijian décor, is a step towards luxury, while other accommodations are cosy and cheery. Volunteer lifeguards offer surf lessons for neophytes or even experienced wave riders who want to understand the lay of the underwater land. The property issues guests with soft-top boards, paddleboards, and kayaks. But for a place like Tavarua, it might just pay to check that board bag. tavarua.com
CONDE NAST TRAVELER
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