Kiwi Curated
Hang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
by Joy PecknoldLooking for the other kind of room and board? More and more five-star properties are offering surfing excursions as experiences, which makes for a winning combination of thrill riding and après pampering. Whether beginner or advanced, make a plan to stay and slay waves at some of these 10 hotels near surf breaks.
Hang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
If you hadn’t yet added “surfing destination” to your list of the Maldives’ many charms, do that stat and then get thee to Kuda Villingili straight away. The North Malé Atoll resort serves up all kinds of ways to ride the waves—classic style, kite surfing or hydrofoil—with Chickens, a famed long, lively left break just off the island. Aprés surf, settle into one of eight spa villas for a rejuvenating treatment; refuel at The Hawkers, three street food market-style restaurants perched by the biggest swimming pool in the Maldives; or, kick back in your own sumptuous overwater villa.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
The most popular destination in Bali, Canggu serves up surf and all the laidback vibes to go with it. With the waves of Echo Beach right out front, COMO Uma Canggu makes it easy. Tropicsurf programs offered in-house will get the whole crew out—kids, adults, beginners and advanced. Afterwards, everyone can convene at the COMO Beach Club to share surf tales over cocktails, ceviche and crispy fish tacos.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
Home to the U.S. Open of Surfing, Surfing Walk of Fame, Surfers’ Hall of Fame and the International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, California is trademarked as the official “Surf City USA.” There are beaches for all levels, and Toes on the Nose Surf and Bike at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa will set you up with lessons and rental gear. If you take a beating in the surf, the Pacific Waters Spa will soothe those sore muscles and restore salty sun-baked skin.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
Warm water is bliss, but taking on cold water (45 to 55°F) is a badge of honor. The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada’s unofficial surfing capital, will help set you up with a cozy wetsuit, board and lessons if need be. Plus, they’re conveniently located right on surfable North Chesterman Beach, so it’s a short walk from suite to breaking wave. For warming up again, there are in-room fireplaces and the Ancient Cedars Spa’s steam sauna.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
The coastline between Cabo and Todos Santos brims with great breaks, from the lovely longboarding waves found at Playa Los Cerritos on smaller days to the speedy right-handers at Zippers, a popular surf-comp spot. Just south of Todos Santos and an hour from downtown Cabo, Hotel San Cristóbal Baja makes a dreamy surf trip home base. If you’re new to the sport, they’ll arrange longboards and lessons with an experienced instructor on one of the laidback local beaches.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
Surfing is one component of Costa Rica’s pura vida, and El Mangroove offers surf tours for both beginner and experienced surfers to two of the coast’s most famed waves, Witches Rock and Ollies Point—boat lunch and bevies included. Back at the resort, it’s easy to hang loose. As its name suggests, the eco-conscious property is tucked into a native mangrove forest and the architecture is refreshingly laidback—in-room hammocks, for instance.
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Hang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
Nicknamed The Emerald Coast, Nicaragua’s southern Pacific is a surf mecca. Here, Rancho Santana has its own on-site Beach and Surf Club at Playa Los Perros to set guests up with lessons, boards and, if desired, professional photos to prove to everybody back home you did indeed stand up. More advanced surfers can hit up Playa Santana during mid to high tide for powerful left and right barrels. This bona fide adventure destination also offers hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, to name a few.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
Wave riding has a long history in Hawaii; the first written account of it was found in Capt. James Cook’s diaries from 1779 (but it certainly predates that). Every surfer either starts or eventually ends up surfing in the Aloha State. For the former, The Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu, Oahu continues their Beach Boys legacy with Waikiki Beach Services on-site to teach the basics of surfing. Built in 1927, the pink-walled, beachfront hotel saw surf culture explode in the ‘50s and ’60s and the stoke lives on.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
A little like dropping Las Vegas on a beach, the Gold Coast offers up something for everyone. Here, you can beach all day and party by night. With a skyscraper backdrop, the city’s most famed surf spot is the aptly named Surfers Paradise, but there are scores of other breaks to hit up if you aren’t that kind of exhibitionist. Staying at The Darling Gold Coast makes an urban surf trip extra glitzy, with pillow menus and Balmain Paris products. Go full out and book a larger suite with a billiards room, karaoke room or exercise room.
VIEW HOTELHang 10 at These Luxury Surf Hotels
According to Surfer Magazine editors, South Africa is home to the best right-hand ride in the world: Supertubes, Jeffrey’s Bay. That’s but one of hundreds of breaks between Cape Town and Durban. Consider posting up between the two at Birkenhead House & Villas in Hermanus. The beach below the hotel is great for beginners, and a second option is close by too. Local in-house surfers are on hand to help and all the equipment you need is provided.
VIEW HOTELIf you hadn’t yet added “surfing destination” to your list of the Maldives’ many charms, do that stat and then get thee to Kuda Villingili straight away. The North Malé Atoll resort serves up all kinds of ways to ride the waves—classic style, kite surfing or hydrofoil—with Chickens, a famed long, lively left break just off the island. Aprés surf, settle into one of eight spa villas for a rejuvenating treatment; refuel at The Hawkers, three street food market-style restaurants perched by the biggest swimming pool in the Maldives; or, kick back in your own sumptuous overwater villa.
VIEW HOTELThe most popular destination in Bali, Canggu serves up surf and all the laidback vibes to go with it. With the waves of Echo Beach right out front, COMO Uma Canggu makes it easy. Tropicsurf programs offered in-house will get the whole crew out—kids, adults, beginners and advanced. Afterwards, everyone can convene at the COMO Beach Club to share surf tales over cocktails, ceviche and crispy fish tacos.
VIEW HOTELHome to the U.S. Open of Surfing, Surfing Walk of Fame, Surfers’ Hall of Fame and the International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, California is trademarked as the official “Surf City USA.” There are beaches for all levels, and Toes on the Nose Surf and Bike at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa will set you up with lessons and rental gear. If you take a beating in the surf, the Pacific Waters Spa will soothe those sore muscles and restore salty sun-baked skin.
VIEW HOTELWarm water is bliss, but taking on cold water (45 to 55°F) is a badge of honor. The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada’s unofficial surfing capital, will help set you up with a cozy wetsuit, board and lessons if need be. Plus, they’re conveniently located right on surfable North Chesterman Beach, so it’s a short walk from suite to breaking wave. For warming up again, there are in-room fireplaces and the Ancient Cedars Spa’s steam sauna.
VIEW HOTELThe coastline between Cabo and Todos Santos brims with great breaks, from the lovely longboarding waves found at Playa Los Cerritos on smaller days to the speedy right-handers at Zippers, a popular surf-comp spot. Just south of Todos Santos and an hour from downtown Cabo, Hotel San Cristóbal Baja makes a dreamy surf trip home base. If you’re new to the sport, they’ll arrange longboards and lessons with an experienced instructor on one of the laidback local beaches.
VIEW HOTELSurfing is one component of Costa Rica’s pura vida, and El Mangroove offers surf tours for both beginner and experienced surfers to two of the coast’s most famed waves, Witches Rock and Ollies Point—boat lunch and bevies included. Back at the resort, it’s easy to hang loose. As its name suggests, the eco-conscious property is tucked into a native mangrove forest and the architecture is refreshingly laidback—in-room hammocks, for instance.
VIEW HOTEL
Nicknamed The Emerald Coast, Nicaragua’s southern Pacific is a surf mecca. Here, Rancho Santana has its own on-site Beach and Surf Club at Playa Los Perros to set guests up with lessons, boards and, if desired, professional photos to prove to everybody back home you did indeed stand up. More advanced surfers can hit up Playa Santana during mid to high tide for powerful left and right barrels. This bona fide adventure destination also offers hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, to name a few.
VIEW HOTELWave riding has a long history in Hawaii; the first written account of it was found in Capt. James Cook’s diaries from 1779 (but it certainly predates that). Every surfer either starts or eventually ends up surfing in the Aloha State. For the former, The Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu, Oahu continues their Beach Boys legacy with Waikiki Beach Services on-site to teach the basics of surfing. Built in 1927, the pink-walled, beachfront hotel saw surf culture explode in the ‘50s and ’60s and the stoke lives on.
VIEW HOTELA little like dropping Las Vegas on a beach, the Gold Coast offers up something for everyone. Here, you can beach all day and party by night. With a skyscraper backdrop, the city’s most famed surf spot is the aptly named Surfers Paradise, but there are scores of other breaks to hit up if you aren’t that kind of exhibitionist. Staying at The Darling Gold Coast makes an urban surf trip extra glitzy, with pillow menus and Balmain Paris products. Go full out and book a larger suite with a billiards room, karaoke room or exercise room.
VIEW HOTELAccording to Surfer Magazine editors, South Africa is home to the best right-hand ride in the world: Supertubes, Jeffrey’s Bay. That’s but one of hundreds of breaks between Cape Town and Durban. Consider posting up between the two at Birkenhead House & Villas in Hermanus. The beach below the hotel is great for beginners, and a second option is close by too. Local in-house surfers are on hand to help and all the equipment you need is provided.
VIEW HOTEL