Thinking of doing a surf camp Spain? When searching for a place to learn to surf I found a website with information about international surf camps and quickly decided on a surfing school Spain. Read on to find out about my experience surfing in Spain at Escuela de Surf La Curva. Also, don’t forget to pick up your Spain eSIM while you’re there too.
Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet?
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that you need to be prepared for anything! Travel insurance has always been high my list of things to get before I travel but now more than ever its at the top of my list.
I’m pretty sure we have all had travel plans messed up because of COVID and not all insurers covered this. So when looking for travel insurance it’s important to check it covers travel disruption due to COVID-19, Hey Mondo, Passport Nomads, Safety Wing, and Travel Insurance Master all provide cover for this.
Hey Mondo is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single trip cover, annual multi trip cover, and long term travel cover. You even have the option to start the cover when you are already on your trip, although you won’t be covered for the first 72 hours. For me my favourite feature is their app which offers you a 24/7 Dr chat and the ability to file a claim direct in the app.
Passport Nomads provides the most comprehensive cover for Digital Nomads. The game changer with them is that you have a red card and if you find yourself in need of medical care you just contact them and they will pre load your card with the funds to cover your treatment, meaning you won’t need to pay out of pocket and then put in a claim later.
Safety Wing is great value with monthly cover starting at $39. It’s super easy to use and it just renews each month. They have an excess of $250 and it’s simple to make a claim through their website. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy and I like that it renews on a monthly basis, so I don’t have to pay out a big lump sum up front.
I also use Travel Insurance Master for some short vacation type trips.
If you are doing shorter trips or an extended backpacking trip then Hey Mondo or Travel Insurance Master are the best option. If you are a digital nomad or planning travel of at least 6 months then go for Passport Nomads or SafetyWing.
Surfing Camp Spain
After years of trying to surf with my friends in the UK I finally decided I wanted to have some actual surfing lessons. What better way to learn to surf than at a surf camp in Spain?
What to look for in a surf camp in Spain
When looking for a surf course the things I took into consideration were:
- I wanted to go early in the year so I could make the most of my newly acquired skills during the UK Summer (if we get one that is).
- I didn’t want to go too far away as I only have 5 days
- my budget was tight so it needed to be cheap
After some research, I came across Book Surf Camps. A website dedicated to promoting Surf Camps around the world. They have so many options including options on levels from beginners to advanced. I decided to book a 5-day camp at Escuela de Surf La Curva in Santander which is one of the best in Spain.
Return flight from London Stanstead with Ryanair for under £50. Thanks, Skyscanner for never letting me down!
Cost of the surf vacation in Spain
The cost of 5 days was 235 euros (in high season this would be 265 euros). This included bed and breakfast in their wonderful new surf house, two hours tuition in the morning and then use
This included:
- Bed and breakfast in their wonderful new surf house
- Two hours tuition in the morning
- Use of the boards in the afternoon/ evening for a free surf
I thought this was a really good price and for what you get it’s excellent! You can stay for less than 5 days but I wouldn’t recommend it if you are a beginner. Ideally, I would have stayed for 7 days (360 euros high season – 299 euros low season).
The accommodation is perfect, it’s a newly opened ‘surf house’ rooms are dorm rooms with shared bathrooms. As well as the communal kitchen there are two chill out areas and a HUGE garden that even has a volleyball net.
The budget for the week surfing
Budget wise I hardly spent anything while I was here, it’s a small village and if you aren’t bothered about eating out there is a small supermarket and a fruit shop (my favorite shop). I think I probably spent about 50 euros in total on food and drink (this included a takeaway pizza and some pasta with chorizo I had at a restaurant).
Breakfast is included and there is a communal kitchen you can cook in.
Daily surf school itinerary
The days seemed to go by so fast although I did plan on doing some sight-seeing, in all honesty, I was happy to just chill at the surf house.
The day was normally like this:
8 am – Get up and dresses possibly go for a walk on the beach
9:30 am – Breakfast
10:30-11am – Get in your wetsuit and walk to the school
11am-1pm – Surf lesson
1-2pm – Showered and changed
2 pm – Eat
2:30-5pm – Free time/ Siesta
5-7pm – Evening free surf
8 pm – Shower
9 pm – Dinner
At around 5-7 pm each day a group of the instructors and their friends go for a surf and always invited anyone staying at the house alone, it was hard to say no to them as they were all so friendly and enthusiastic. This was one of the parts I loved the most as it was the perfect chance for you to test out what you had learned in Surf School that morning and just be sociable and feel a part of the surf community.
Ultimate Surf Vacation
My body was not used to surfing and on the few days when the wind was strong and the waves were powerful I was exhausted! I also walked to the neighboring beach Playa du Langre on one of the afternoons. By the time I got back I was so tired I lay down for a quick nap and woke up 2 hours later having missed the evening surf! I did find some cows though…
Surf camp Spain style is well worth it. If you fancy getting away for a bit, and learning to surf in the sun, I 100% recommend booking 5 days or more here.
Surfing in Spanish?
Everyone there made a huge effort to talk to me and often translated conversations in English but I would have felt much more comfortable being able to speak to people in Spanish. It has given me a real push to start up Spanish lessons again.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t fancy surfing school Spain there are places all over the world that you can learn to surf. To help you decide where is the best place for you to go take a read of this great guide to choosing where to surf.
This post was proofread by Grammarly
Mariona
Sunday 2nd of July 2017
Well, it certainly takes a while and more than that... for everyone !! You need to train every single muscle on your body if you want to surf, but ... it's worthy !! I took lessons once in Loredo and Somo while I was on hollyday in Cantabria, was one of the first times I went in the water. Took lessons with Latas Surf House team, within a surfcamp where I was staying at. The place was amazing, as well as the teacher's skills. The sea remains wonderful in the Summer in Cantabria with good waves mostly all allong the season, so this place is highly suitable for those who want to take up surfing during Summer holidays in Spain, where not all the surf spots offer good waves during the whole year, Great beauty beaches there in Cantabria, and great adventure that of surfing and going in depth in pure surf culture, in places like that. Good prices as well, and worthy surf teaching in an amazing surf accomodation, enjoying nature and environment.
Riely
Monday 19th of June 2017
Sounds like an amazing experience to be able to learn a skill in another country. Great price for the 5-day surfing camp plus accommodation and breakfast. Hopefully you learned a lot in the five days and will be ready to go in the summer back in the UK. I know it would take me a while to learn to surf.
Anita
Sunday 18th of June 2017
Even a surfing is not my thing it's interesting to learn about your experience. Surf camps looks like a great place to learn a skill. I wish you enjoy surfing fully.
Claire Summers
Monday 3rd of July 2017
Thank you :-)
Iza Abao
Saturday 17th of June 2017
Escuela de Surf La Curva surf lessons' price sounds reasonable. I like that the place is budget-friendly. Your daily schedule has siesta - nice! I know that it means 'nap' in Spanish. What kind of work were you planning to do here?
Claire Summers
Monday 3rd of July 2017
Just my usual online stuff. I blog, manage social media and also write funding applications. I was way too tired though haha
Zoya
Saturday 17th of June 2017
The little village of Santander, looks like the perfect place to to learn surfing! I have been wanting to learn surfing for some time now, but honestly, I think I might break something or the board! Haha! It looks so easy, but most of my friends (who can actually surf), say it is super hard.
Claire Summers
Monday 3rd of July 2017
It was such a beautiful place and the school was incredible. Sadly I'm never in one place long enough to really improve! One day I'll hang out at the beach for a few months and really put the time it!