Having run a surf camp for a bit… a few observations.
Bear in mind that those who do most of the surf travelling are not in their early 20s like the idiot pros. The people you will have as guests are the ones who can afford it, ages 30 up to 60+. Though some will be going through their second childhoods …So…
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“Would you please describe your perfect surf accomodation”
Think of food and beverages, amenities, entertainment, location, beds, kind of surf, materials, atmosphere, everything !!
Okay - for those who have read my long and drawn out blather on running a surf shop, well, here we go again… this would be a really good time for anyone not interested in this to step out for a beer.
Food and beverages should be good but not exactly Michelin rated - lots of both. Ideally, a large breakfast, small lunch, large dinner. You will get some vegetarians coming through, you’ll need to deal with them. And those who, even in the midst of truly fine local cuisine, will insist on a bad pizza.
Have a cash bar, not a bar tab that gets added in at the end of the stay. Like I said, some are going through their second childhood, and it can get ugly. Soft drinks and coffee available at all times too.
Gratuity as part of the bill. Americans are the only ones who tip separately. Pay your bartender and surf staff in stipend and percentage of the tips.
By the way, you will definitely need surf ‘guides’ or staff to shepherd your guests through. They should speak at least two languages, and pick them on the basis of personality, maturity and experience in the hotel/vacation business, NOT on surf ability, though water safety/lifeguard experience is a plus. Indeed, recruiting hot surfers is exactly the wrong way to go.
Amenities; You have older surfers coming, so a hot tub or something similar to deal with aches and pains of aging bodies is a plus. Outside showers too. Also some first aid stuff- everybody seems to pick up at least one body ding.
Local tours and shopping, maybe some bicycles ( with maps) available, that sort of thing. Enough to deal with flat spells. Fishing and diving are also a plus.
And there will be flat spells. Be prepared to deal with lots and lots and lots of whining on that subject. Write a disclaimer into your rental terms, etc.
Ding repair, either by you or by one of your staff. Boards get damaged in transit, or lost, or simply shipped to Rangoon by the airline. You may also need rental boards of adequate quality for those whose boards are lost or damaged. And yes, rent them, don’t offer them free - the airlines or the dings in their boards are not your fault, after all. Also something like a pro shop, with wax, wetsuit boots, etc selling at a good markup. Even t-shirts and hats with the name and logo on them. After all, you are in the business to make money.
If available, high speed internet access in every room would be a plus. Anyone who can afford to do this is likely to need to stay in communications with their home and/or business.
Entertainment: a TV/VCR or DVD in every room with maybe a library of videos, not necessarily surf videos -Indeed, having been stuck in a surf camp with one TV and nada but %$#@ surf videos, it is REAL easy to get sick and tired of surf videos. The cheap ‘home entertainment centers’ you can buy here for $50 US will deal with that, plus whatever music CDs they want to bring. DVD players and VCRs should be capable of handling more than just PAL format, because you will be getting DVDs and tapes brought in by guests who will want to see them or make and show videos of their own surfing .
If one of your staff has photographic skills, that’s a plus. Digital photography is fine, with a photo-CD burning capability plus a photo-quality printer. A good way for one of the staff to pick up a little extra money.
Also a library of books, in several languages, mostly entertaining fiction. Those will accumulate over time. Cards, chessboards, etc are cheap and you can’t lose having them available.
Location - within a comfortable walking distance of the water, or a short drive by van. You will need to provide the van. This will also be needed to pick up and drop off guests at the nearest transport hub: airport, train station, bus stop, etc.
Kind(s) of surf - all. Everybody thinks they are up for riding the fastest, spookiest waves of their lives, but in reality they will be happy with a reasonably challenging beach break or reef break. But you need to offer some choices.
Beds - some singles, some doubles. Many surfers will want to bring their wives, girlfriends, mistresses or concubines. Accomodate them, it’s double the money for not much more expense. You will need to deal with taking them shopping rather than surfing or otherwise keeping them entertained. And you will need to do that, or they can sour the whole thing for everyone.
Atmosphere- decor and look of the place: relatively low-key, nothing fancy. Also easy to fix when a 45-year-old drinks all the bottle and stumbles over everything. Inexpensive old-school photographs ( reproductions) and prints on the walls. Materials should be more durable than anything else, easily cleaned without looking like an airport hotel, if that makes sense.
As far as the ‘atmosphere’ as regards the personality of the place, I think you’ll find that that changes with every group of guests. I found that conversation is a big part of travel, conversation with the people you meet.
Your guides, your bartender and you can influence that a lot. The ideal staff guy is an older, experienced and interesting sort, somebody who can deal with people individually or in groups, good language skills ( which leaves me out) and someone who can fix things. The worst is a kid from Southern California who can surf well and has no other skills whatsoever.
I have worked beside both types, and the former was an entertaining and pleasant experience and everything went smoothly with both the guests and the rest of the staff. The latter should have been fired and shipped home by the third day he was there. By the end of the first week he had made himself hated by the rest of the camp staff and his attitude infected the guests. I was ready to drown him if the opportunity arose.
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p.s. What do you surfers think of France as a vacation destination ??
It’s on my list, though not in August. Waves, food and simply being there. My current 'perfect surf trip ’ would take two months in Fall- early winter, start in France and surf and eat my way to the Straits of Gibraltar in comfortable stages.
A couple other thoughts -
What I have based this on is both my experience as a guest and my experience as staff. But I may not be representative of the majority.
Also, there are similar surf accomodations in Spain, Portugal and others in France. Rather than competing with them, work with them, arrange deals where guests could spend a week with you and a week with another place. It’d be good for both of you in many ways.
hope that’s of use
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