When the publishers of Kelly Slater’s autobiography For The Love were looking for a covershot, it was pretty much a no-brainer that they’d choose a sick action photo of The Great One standing tall in some mental, grinding world-class barrel. They did…but the wave wasn’t Backdoor, Chopes or Cloudbreak. Nope, the shot in question was actually taken at Soup Bowl, one of several gems on the small Caribbean island of Barbados.
Yes, Soup Bowl can be absolutely epic on its day – a wedgy, powerful righthand barrel, as intense as any other wave in the Caribbean. Trouble is, those epic days occur about as often as the West Indies cricket team trouncing England by 500 runs. Soup Bowl – situated at Bathsheba, halfway along the island’s east coast – faces straight into the prevailing northeasterly trades, so a lot of the time it’s howling onshore and blown to smithereens. If you catch a couple of calm mornings during the course of a week, you’re doing pretty well. If you score proper offshores plus a chunky groundswell, then you’ve hit the jackpot. Give the locals some rrr-respect, they’re a cool bunch and they rip. Getting in and out of the water across the ledgy reef can be quite interesting, with abundant urchins adding to the fun.
Fortunately, you still have plenty of options on days when the trades are trashing the east coast. Since the island is only 14 miles (22 kilometres) wide, it’s a doddle to drive around and scope out the other coasts.
Up towards the northern tip of the island you’ll find Duppies, a righthand point which offers long rippable walls when there’s a moderate north or northwest swell running. Although it may look inviting to intermediates, it’s best left to experienced surfers due to the long paddle out and currents. Avoid high tide as the waves get messed up by backwash from the cliffs.
Maycock’s, a few miles down the west coast, is a mellow righthand reef popular with longboarders and intermediates. Its beautiful setting could almost be described as idyllic…if it wasn’t for the clatter of the cement factory nearby.
Further down the west coast are some really good reefs, among them Tropicana, Sandy Lane and Batt’s Rock. Most days the west coast is mirror flat and you wouldn’t even know those spots were there. But every now and then during the winter months a beefy north swell wraps down the coast and lights up them up. They all get hollow, and Tropicana is so shallow you can only ride it at high tide. Advanced surfers only.
Past Bridgetown, Brandon’s is a south coast spot which doesn’t show unless there’s a decent swell running. Its short, fun lefts break over a flat, urchin-infested reef.
Continuing along the south coast, Freights is a sand-bottom left point tucked in behind the headland at the eastern end of Oistin’s Bay. It’s so sheltered you rarely see anything but anklesnappers here. But very occasionally, when a southwest hurricane swell slams into the island, Freights transforms itself into a dreamy lefthander with aquamarine barrels for the lucky souls who happen to be on the island at the time. Around the headland, South Point is a far more consistent spot that always seems to have a wave of some description (even if it’s only a disorganised windswell) thanks to the relentless easterly trades. When a lined-up groundswell hits, South Point shapes up to provide fun racy lefts which break over a flat coral reef. Hit it at lower stages of the tide as it gets messed up by backwash towards high.
There are many other spots on the island, including one or two classic secret spots. So jump in your rental car and see what you can find. Happy hunting!
With a warm year round climate and two coasts to explore, the Algarve is a perfect family surf destination.
There comes a time in every surfer’s life, a terrible time, a time when you are sliced in half emotionally, torn between chasing your passion, living your dream and, well, none of the above. Quite possibly ending up being tortured in a small apartment in a waveless, soulless part of the world. Yes I am talking about booking the annual family holiday.
Obviously as surfers we are obliged to refuse to grow up, be selfish and try and train our offspring to be surfers at the earliest age so we have any excuse to go to the beach and go on surf trips. Unfortunately most children can’t machete through the jungles of Indonesia, or surf Nias until they are at least hmm … two? Three? Okay, lets face it, it’s much later in life. Add to this the long suffering “other halves” desire to enjoy themselves on holiday rather than spend all day waiting for swell, tide and wind while being eaten alive by mossies or be harassed by hawkers and you can see the quandry. We want to surf, they maybe, are not so keen. And you both need to keep the kids entertained. Yes it’s the “family” in “family holiday” which puts the kibosh on what in your head actually means ’surf trip’. Even if you have put in time and effort to train your first born and are the proud possessor of a surfing grom, you still have to find a location with grom friendly waves: i.e. not Graviere, or Desert Point, so you can both have fun without half drowning the apple of your eye and heir to all your worldly possessions. Yes booking the family holiday is a time of searching and torment, when we have to curtail our self obsessed wave chasing nature and offer … concessions.
Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel is a luxury complex consisting of a hotel, self-catering houses, villas and restaurants located in Sagres in the beautiful Algarve region of Portugal.
As a semi-responsible adult and father of two I have reached this point. And I, as many other surfers really, really don’t want to end up in the islands of Mediterranean. Unless there’s an imminent swell arriving and I have the map
to a secret spot. Or any other surf challenged resort minus my most treasured worldly possession: my surfboard.
And thus I have set upon a search of the globe for locations that offer waves for me, waves for my grom and entertainment, comfort and a true holiday for the two non-surfing members of the family. Fortunately in September an email sent from the Gods arrived in my inbox presenting an invitation to experience what I found to be perfect solution to all our problems, that is all of my clan and yours too. Ladies and gentlemen I give you: the Martinhnal Resort.
The pool view
Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel is a luxury complex consisting of a hotel, self-catering houses, villas and restaurants located in Sagres in the beautiful Algarve region of Portugal. It is a child friendly, inexpensive, two and half hours flight from practically any UK or Irish airport. It has five heated swimming pools, as opposed to the usual unusable ice holes found in the Canaries, including one indoor/outdoor pool which kids naturally gravitate too. It has kid friendly five star restaurants with amazing child minders so you can sit and enjoy your meal no matter the age, free spirited nature (!) or inclination (!!) of your offspring. Yes, several of you may want to lay back and imagine that for a moment … Ahhhh.
It also has kids’ clubs that kids actually want to go to, and tennis and football coaches so the little darlings (I use this term loosely) are endlessly entertained. And the end result of all this marvellousness? A stress free holiday for everyone. And here is the hook: you can go for guilt free surfs. In fact it is that good you will be sent on guilt free surfs! Yes, sent … away … to surf … on a family holiday!
Plenty of spots to explore.
As for the surf, well, being based on Sagres you’re in the thick of it. The resort is actually based on a very good beach break, and being sheltered it only really shows under huge winter conditions or “Le vente” swells which is ideal for winter breaks. Being located on the south coast you have the choice of fun breaks like Tonel, Beliche, Mateta, Zavial, and further up Lagos, Luz and everything in between. The beauty of the beaches is that they offer very friendly options under large Atlantic swells and get really fun swells from the south east if “Le vente” has been blowing. I was impressed by the latter as I hadn’t really seen them before, but these swells can be a decent size, arrive at any time of the year (even mid-summer) and the beaches will hold shape even under the windiest conditions. Fun!
The swell soaked west coast is a very short drive away with a plethora of beaches, reefs, points and secret spots that spread crowds and practically never go flat. The net result of the two coasts is an abundance of choice for surfers of all abilities; so even if you are learning you won’t come away with reef rash, feet full of urchins or your boardshorts or bikini full of gravel and wrapped around your head. If you’re lucky you can even witness the two swells running at the same time, as we did, from the north west and south east which means endless choices of fun waves on both coasts.
Back in the resort the accommodation has been designed firmly with families in mind. And when I say designed I mean properly thought through in every detail. The villas (we stayed in a Garden Villa) are the perfect size for families (you can spread out as opposed to being squashed in a small apartment) and have large open plan lounge/kitchen/diner so you can chat while preparing food and get the kids round a table easily. The kitchen has everything you need and is so easy to use and clean that cooking is actually a pleasure! (Yes, I just said that).
The lounges feature flat screen TVs, free wifi, huge, amazingly comfortable sofas and the coffee table is even round and lined with cork – it’s a toddler safe coffee table! I didn’t even think they existed. Even the towels have been hand picked to provide the right softness yet perfect drying quality (as opposed to just pushing water about). And the villas are cleaned every day by a small army of fastidious staff.
There is a gym, a surf bar, a room for teenagers complete with free to use consoles and computers to avoid tech-free meltdown, daily activities such as treasure hunts for under 12s, a spa, yoga sessions, and London fashion boutique (DANGER!) all on site. You can rent bikes and go on no end of activities, or just chill out. The resort is so compact it is easy to get about, yet so well laid out it feels spread out over acres. You could actually live there.
As far as booking is concerned you can stay in the hotel with sea views, or go self-catering in various villas, or even book out five bedroom luxury villas (read small mansions) with amazing barbecue areas and private heated pools. And you can take advantage of really good deals such as a five day/four night winter break including three course family dinner per day (in amazing restaurants) use of jacuzzi, steam room, spa/pool, complimentary kids club for two adults, two children from €776 (£619). Eight days (seven nights) €1,330 (£1,000). Given you can fly there from £200 for the whole family it’s a luxury holiday the value of which you can’t argue with. Don’t believe me? Compare the cost of taking the family out for a fantastic three course dinner every night for a week here at home in the UK against the Martinhal cost which includes that plus your villa.
To sum up my experience I surfed perfect waves every day with no stress, my grom loved every minute, my daughter put in nine hours a day in the pool and the missus wouldn’t leave the resort. I had the best seafood dishes I have possibly ever eaten and met some of the friendliest staff, surfers and locals anywhere in the world. And I would go back tomorrow. As holidays and trips go I am fortunate to have had more than my fair share over the years, and this one goes straight into “highly recommended”.
If you’re going on a trip, you’ve got to be organised. Simple as that. If you’re not, you’re heading for Hassle City. Do you really want to be one document short at the border crossing? One leash short when the swell picks up? Or one type of tablet short when you come down with a fever? Nope. So make a check list of all the stuff you need, keep it safe, and use it every time you go on a trip.
Here’s a basic list of 30 travel essentials to get you started.
• Boards It’s simple: take a quiver. There’ll be sick days, big days, weak days and stick-snapping days. Cover yourself.
• Boardbag Check out the options and get the best quality boardbag you can afford.
• Wax Goes without saying, wax is your friend, hombre. Protect it for less organised borrowers!
• Leashes You can never have enough leashes, especially if you’re heading on a big-wave trip. Bring nylon leash string too.
• Ding repair kit The travelling surfer’s best friend.
• Spare fins If you snap a fin and don’t have a spare it can ruin your trip. So bring a spare set…plus a fin key and a few spare grub screws or fin plates.
• Roof straps / soft rack Keep your boards tight on the roof.
• Boardshorts Get lightweight, top quality boardies. The more you pay, the longer they tend to last.
• Rash vest Keep the sun off your back and stop your skin rubbing itself off, especially in tropical climates that don’t particularly help the healing process.
• Wetsuit/s If you’re heading somewhere cold, a decent wetsuit is your most important piece of kit. If you have room, take two.
• Booties Going somewhere with sharp coral, jagged rocks or urchins? Take booties. Nobody likes doing the rock dance.
• Sunblock An absolute necessity. The big C is waiting to attack…if not now, maybe in five, 10 or 20 years. So take precautions.
• Hat Same again – protect your noggin from the sun.
• Sunnies Want crow’s feet at age 30? Wear sunnies.
• First aid kit Keep it small but comprehensive. Include plasters, bandages, gauze, antibiotic cream, malaria tablets, water purification tablets, toothbrush and paste, soap, Vaseline, pain-killers, tweezers, and diarrhoea tablets.
• Inoculations Check which ones you need and get jabbed with plenty of time to spare before you fly.
• Mozzie net and spray Essential for tropical destinations where malaria is prevalent. Keep the little feckers off at all costs.
• Ear plugs If you suffer from surfer’s ear, don’t forget your ear plugs or Blu-Tac.
• Passport / visas Get these checked out before you fly, wherever you’re going. Nothing sucks more than getting turned back on arrival. Make a photocopy of your passport’s info page and keep it somewhere separate, just in case you lose it.
• Tickets / travel documents You won’t be going far without these.
• Driving licence And you won’t hiring a car
without this.
• Travel insurance Absolutely vital. If you’re heading off to a remote destination, check the level of cover carefully. Re-mortgaging your house to get yourself flown home after an emergency is a pain in the arse.
• Credit cards Your little plastic friends. Keep ‘em safe.
• Cash You always need some cash handy.
• Phrasebook Essential in case you run into difficulties.
• Guide book / maps So you know where to go.
• Bookto read Keep your mind active on flat days or between sessions. Grab a Kindle to save on weight.
• Clothes Don’t load yourself up with tons of clothes. Pack light and wash a few things over there.
• Duct tape There’s nothing it can’t fix, nothing.
• Socket adaptor Essential for re-charging
electrical gadgets.
With a year round Atlantic swell – and a constantly changing shoreline of exposed and sheltered points, reefs and beach breaks – you’re never far from the wave that’s right for you.
The summer months (April – October) see small to medium swells with surfing mostly taking place on the beaches and reefs on the more exposed north west coast, this is great time for anyone looking for fun, uncrowded warm water surf. During the winter months ( October – March) the waves that have made Morocco famous come to life and world class surf and leg achingly long rides are a everyday occurrence. Add in some near perfect weather conditions (300 days of sunshine a year, an average temperature Nov-Feb of 21C, water temperature 18C) and you’ve got all the makings of a ideal surf trip. And it is all within easy reach of Europes major airports.
Surf Maroc is based at the heart of the action in Taghazout , all of their accommodation is beach side over looking the epic point breaks staffed friendly multi lingual surfers.
Surf Maroc offer lots of packages from accommodation, accommodation and car packages to full guided tours, girls weeks and yoga retreats to learn to surf or coaching packages. The Surf Adventure project is a gap year or career break adventure like no other. 10 weeks surfing, learn french, travel and work on community projects on Morocco’s epic surfing coast. Plus at the end of it all you get a professional surf coaching qualification.
