[Pirlo]

I'm going on a holiday with the OH early November for 15/16 nights.

I'm looking to go somewhere warm with a Nice/Good Hotel on a beach (or within walking distance) with a surf school/ surf rental shop.

Area's that I'm looking at are -
1.Bali
2.Mexico
3.Costa Rica
4.Sri Lanka
5.Morocco

Just wondering does anyone have any recomendations from previous experiences ?

Any advice on transport etc would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Decos]

Originally Posted by Pirlo

I'm going on a holiday with the OH early November for 15/16 nights.

I'm looking to go somewhere warm with a Nice/Good Hotel on a beach (or within walking distance) with a surf school/ surf rental shop.

Area's that I'm looking at are -
1.Bali
2.Mexico
3.Costa Rica
4.Sri Lanka
5.Morocco

Just wondering does anyone have any recomendations from previous experiences ?

Any advice on transport etc would be appreciated.

Thanks

Does your OH surf?

[Pirlo]

Yes a little bit,

The idea would be to have the option of either relaxing in the hotel or heading off surfing without too much planning, so if she's surfed out I could head off myself without renting cars, hooking up with a school etc.

I have researched it quite a bit and even went to Trailfinders and discussed it with them for an hour and a half but what they came back with was laughable - both price and trip.

I have talked to friends who have reccommended Ubud and Mu in Bali, but with a 20 hour flight I want to make sure it's worth it.

It might be a pipe dream but maybe I''ll find that nice hotel on a nice surfable beach with good conditions for 2 weeks - maybe...just maybe !

I think people's experiences would be the best measure as the internet / travel agents may not be the most reliable.

[rodento]

Guess one would need a little more info, like whats your budget and surfing ability like

[linnanea]

All the long haul options you've mentioned would be great if you were planning on going for a longer time, but with Morocco a 4 hr flight away it's the most obvious choice.

Was there for the first time back in January with my non-surfing girlfriend for 3 weeks of which about 11 days were in Taghazout. Stayed in the surfmaroc villa and cannot recommend it enough. I'm sure you'd find cheaper accommodation in the village but the service they provide is exceptional - i went for the basic package of b&b and rented a car from them whenever there wasn't surf in the immediate area. It was one of the least consistent winters ever there and for most of Europe but despite this any day i wanted surf, i found some. Sadly Anchors (the standout break of the area) didn't break while we were there which is completely unheard of during the winter months.

The surf: The Taghazout Villa(make sure it's not the Mandala villa, in banana village) is 2 mins walk north of the village and has a little beach out the front that has a couple of nice little waves for messing around in if you don't fancy a walk out to the points. From the terrace you have a clear view of Anchors just north which takes about a 10min walk to get to the jump off point.
Just around the Anchors headland going north it's a 5min walk to Mysteries (a grand little reef and beach setup everyone seems to rave about, but i didn't think was all that special) which picks up varying quality, size and direction of swell.
5mins on again you have the beach at Killers - a long paddle out to a super fun, amazingly versatile wave. I surfed it a number of times from 1ft to 4ft (waist high to overhead) and the last session of my trip was one of the finest sessions i can remember. Had to get the flight out that afternoon - walked out around the cliff, through the little coves and caves as swell was building and surfed perfect head high right handers on my own for 2hrs in crystal clear blue water heaven.
In summary, a twenty minute walk at most will get you surf in Taghazout with any kind of swell about, which in November you'd be pretty much guaranteed. If not, ask around about other spots rent a car drive north or south for surf or continue reading for the non surf stuff.

Non-surf stuff: First thing you will have to get over is the hassle you will get from the locals on the beach selling you tatt. It's really not that hard, smile, say no (i found it very weird that the first thing i learnt in arabic was "no thank you") and if they won't f*ck off simply ignore them. It is only hassle - we didn't encounter any aggro/petty crime while we were there, but it is obvious to say take the necessary precautions and don't leave valuables on the beach and wander off for a swim. It is still a very poor country and most of the village make a living from tourism so some of them do make an effort: the nuts/doughnuts/snacks they sell are cheap and and good for keeping the energy levels up - neither of us had any issues while we were there regarding hygiene but i have heard that after heavy rains the water (drinking and seawater) can be a bit iffy.
The beaches north of the villa are beautiful and the water will be considerably warmer than it ever gets here in our "summer" - pack up your gear, lots of water, snacks and a little bit of money and head off to the beach for the day. My OH loved the beach at Killers while i was out surfing and in a touristy place like this she didn't feel any way intimidated being on her own in a Muslim country - really good safe vibe about the place.
Other than that the countryside is stunning. Driving outside of the cities is safe enough, only because of the small volume of cars on the roads - they still drive like nutcases. Don't bother with Marrakesh - life's too short to be dealing with half a million people trying to take money off you. Beautiful city, great markets but not worth the stress if you're only there for 2 weeks. Essouaira (2 or 3 hrs north) is worth a trip - lovely little fishing town with a real laidback vibe to the place. Just 15mins south of there is Sidi Kaouki - a tiny fishing village with great surf and the friendliest people. Get a taxi out there for €10 to avoid the madness of trying to get the local bus/van, a regular ford transit, no seats, no windows, 20 passengers and a demented driver (highlight of the trip

Go to Maroc. I can't wait to get back there... hoping to be there in November too.

[jarv]

We did 2 weeks in sri lanka at easter and loved it very chilled out nice but not epic waves. Stayed at http://www.talallasurfcamp.com/ for a week great place to chill out and Jack will do lessons for your OH and take you to the surf.

[Pirlo]

Thanks for the replies.

That's exactly the sort of info I'm looking for.

It's actually for our honeymoon so we would have a bit of money to throw at it, but also would be happy not spending the world.

That place in Sri lanka ticks a lot of boxes in fairness.

The other most basic option we were looking at - is Fuerteventura.

We've been there a few times on the cheap and love it but we feel that we can do that most years so would like do something a bit different, also a bit of real heat would be nice.

Fuerteventura would probably be low 20's that time of year.

Thanks again for the replies and any more would be appreciated.

[rodento]

If both of you surf I'd consider a luxury surf/drive charter in the maldives, as well as some time in Sri lanka.

I was on a boat with tropicsurf.net a few years back and one couple on board was on a honeymoon. They had a ball and I'd highly recommend them ,tropic surf for training beginners on reefs as well as luxury charters miles away from anywhere

[zoobizoo]

Weligama in Sri Lanka has some good waves that time of year - nice beach break. Lovely long rights and lefts. Perfect for longboards.

If you're looking for reef then just head up to Lazy Left or out to midiGama.

And if you're looking for something a bit more advanced then there's always Rams and Coconuts - I never surfed them but I saw the results!

Accomodation is good too - plenty to choose from cost wise and you literally walk out of your place and onto the beach as they are all beach side.

Plenty of places to rent boards - $20 a day though.

If you fly with Sri Lankan Airways, it only costs €35 to take your board and they didn't charge me on the way back (I had my 9'6 with me).

[Decos]

Sri Lanka sounds decent based on those reports and I would imagine it would be a bit more 'honeymoony'. I've been to Morocco twice, both times with surf maroc, once in their Auberge hotel, once in the taghazout villa. Both good trips for sure but I wouldn't go there on honeymoon tbh.

[Pirlo]

Thanks again for all the replies, I really appreciate it.

At the moment I'm looking at going to Bali - probably staying in 2 or 3 different places out of Seminyak, Mu, Nusa Dua, and maybe Nusa Lembongan.

Just gotta figure out the logistics of it now and which hotels to stay in.

[linnanea]

Please let us know how you get on. Indo's on the list but would love to get over there for a longer trip.

[Pirlo]

I found this site also while looking.

Plenty of Class locations and Accomodations on this.

http://www.livethelife.eu/category/travel-featured/