The summer holidays are just around the corner – and it’s not too late to book a surfing break the whole family will love.
Sea air, screen-free days, fitness and family time together on the beach – surfing holidays just work for families. Whether you’re already up and riding or you’ve never been before, here are our top destinations to yo-yo between the sand, surf and stylish seaside lodgings this summer.
Costa Rica
Why it’s great for family surfing holidays in summer: Tropical treats with less cost and crowds during their ‘mini’ summer.
If you’re looking for a safe and exciting tropical destination with wildlife, warm waves and buckets of adventure, Costa Rica is the answer.
While most people hit this family surfing mecca at Christmas and Easter, the real secret is Costa Rica’s mini summer in July. Technically the middle of the green season, rainfall usually saves itself for the evenings – leaving the days balmy, the beaches blissfully uncrowded and the surf pumping. While accommodation is cheaper than peak months, too.
Where to stay on a family surf holiday to Costa Rica
Our pick for families is RipJack Inn beside Playa Grande or Olas Verdes in Nosara – both offer that magical combination of great waves, barefoot luxury and an array of adventures nearby from horse-riding to zip wiring.
Get planning with our family surf travel guide to Costa Rica
Portugal
Why it’s great for family surfing holidays in summer: Warm water, gentle waves and endless sunshine are the perfect introduction to surf travel with kids.
Easy to reach from all over Europe and genuinely affordable, Portugal is our go-to annual destination – and in summer, it really earns its place for families at the start of their surfing journey.
During summer’s high pressure weather systems, the Atlantic swells mellow out and the water warms up, so there’s plenty of peaks for practice, spread along the endless sandy beaches of the west coast. The smaller waves are ideal for younger kids and beginners, but if a swell kicks in there’s enough to keep more confident surfers happy, too. Add in great food, stunning scenery and excellent surfside facilities, and family surfing life is effortless.
Where to stay on a family surf holiday to Portugal
Memmo Baleeira will whisk you to the best waves of the day with Freeride surf school, while Noah Surf House sits right beside a huge beach with everything on tap — or try their luxury family villas, Areias de Seixo.
Get planning with our family surf travel guide to Portugal
Sri Lanka
Why it’s great for family surfing holidays in summer: A culture-packed adventure with tropical water, family-friendly vibes and waves for the whole family.
Sri Lanka is one of those destinations that delivers on every front – warm water, uncrowded waves, extraordinary culture and some of the most welcoming people you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. From May to September, when monsoon season hits its popular southwest coast, over on the east coast, Arugam Bay’s reeling righthand reef breaks and points light up – with consistent waves for all abilities and a wonderfully unhurried pace of life that suits families perfectly.
Between surf sessions, ancient temples, spice markets, lush tea hills and incredible wildlife are all within reach – making it as much of an adventure on land as it is in the water.
Where to stay on a family surf holiday to Sri Lanka
Arne’s Place is a laid-back, family-friendly base with great access to the waves and the kind of relaxed atmosphere that makes it very hard to leave.
Get planning with our family surf travel guide to Sri Lanka
France and Spain
Why it’s good for family surfing holidays in summer: World-class waves, great food and an easy ferry hop from the UK – making family travel easy and affordable.
For families who want world-class waves without the long-haul flight, the surf coasts of France and Spain are hard to beat. The South of France serves up long rolling peaks, pine-backed dunes and that effortless Basque-country cool — perfect for beginners and improvers who want to rack-up the wave count in the whitewater, and experts who want to take on the punchy peaks of Hossegor. Fancy something wilder? Head across the border to Oyambre in northern Spain, or push further into Galicia for dramatic, uncrowded coastline and a proper sense of adventure.
The added bonus: you can load the boards on the car, hop on a ferry and avoid the airport altogether.
Where to stay on a family surf holiday to France and Spain
Surfinn Vieux-Boucau puts you between perfect peaks and the buzzing centre of a classic French surf town, with a heated pool, yoga in the garden and sundowners at the bar when the surf’s done.
Get planning with our family surf travel guide to France and Spain
Cornwall
Why it’s great for family surfing holidays in summer: That just-right lineup of surf schools, stunning beaches and a variety of waves in the UK’s best-loved holiday family holiday destination.
Cornwall is – quite literally – home for us at Family Surf Co., and it never gets old. The epicentre of British surf culture, it’s one of the UK’s best-loved family destinations for good reason: great waves, expert surf schools and a string of stylish surf-side hotels that have transformed the Cornish beach holiday into something genuinely special.
Summer brings warmer water, longer days and waves that are perfectly pitched for beginners and young groms getting their first taste of surfing. It’s accessible, it’s beautiful and – with everything from sea safaris to coastal hikes on offer between sessions – there’s never a dull moment.
Where to stay on a family surf holiday to Cornwall
With everything you need to ride, recharge and relax built into your stay at sea-view, self-catering apartments, SeaSpace is made for family summer surf holidays in Cornwall.
Get planning with our family surf travel guide to Cornwall
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