Limited options out of the West Coast I know, but ...

Any ideas/suggestions for a surfing holiday with wife and small kids (ie., inc baby)

As I have already had my trip to Indo, needs to suit the following enforced criteria:

- not too far
- cheap
- good hotel/resort
- shopping (or I am guessing that is a requirement)

I know that Bali fits the bill, but wife not keen to go there ...

Cheers

Vanuatu is fantastic... wonderful resorts with regular specials. shopping is low key but really cheap and interesting. Very very safe place for the family especially kids. cheap local transport and day trips sailing, exploring.
Surfing is not for the faint of heart and very seasonal. It is reef and it is shallow but can be soooo good and the local crew are awesome. Best time for clean surf is around Oct - Mar but there is surf all year round and I have normally gone over in mid winter and although onshore its surfable an hour either side of high tide. It is not so much a surfing holiday with other attractions like bali - but more so a wonderful holiday spot which also has a bit of surfing.
Its the best place I have ever holidayed and have had a few visits both alone and with family.

billboard said...

Vanuatu is fantastic... wonderful resorts with regular specials. shopping is low key but really cheap and interesting. Very very safe place for the family especially kids. cheap local transport and day trips sailing, exploring.
Surfing is not for the faint of heart and very seasonal. It is reef and it is shallow but can be soooo good and the local crew are awesome. Best time for clean surf is around Oct - Mar but there is surf all year round and I have normally gone over in mid winter and although onshore its surfable an hour either side of high tide. It is not so much a surfing holiday with other attractions like bali - but more so a wonderful holiday spot which also has a bit of surfing.
Its the best place I have ever holidayed and have had a few visits both alone and with family.

Now a longboarder, what is the world comming to

Hey on the holiday thing.

If the missus is not keen on Bali what about Fiji??

I took my Mum and missus and stayed on the Coral Coast at the Hideaway. It's the only reef break that you can paddle out to and is kind of like Bingin backwards. A Right. Super fun and your missus can drink cocktails in the pool and watch you get pitted off your nut. They have a great Kids club too and happily look after the kids all day with all sorts of activities.

The location is great also as you drive 30 mins to one of the surf camps in Waidroka Bay and can surf a choice of 9 or 10 waves from boat. Great variety of shallow and not so shallow real reef passes that handle winds rights and lefts. $20 a day when I was there last.

They also do missions from there out to Frigates which is like Cloudbreak, in the middle of the ocean, holds huge swells and is a world class wave.

Crowds here are not an issue.

Hey doggie - I came over cos a moving target is harder to hit

SF66 said...

Maldives with a Singapore shopping stopover for the wife?

Would love to, but already booked in to Pasta Point with family for next year.

Fiji, Vanuatu, Hawaii, etc look great, but unfortunately, the Pacific is a bit too far for this trip.

P co - got any further info on Mauritius?

Thanks for all the suggestions, and keep 'em coming !!!!

We did a family 6 day 6 nite trip to Maritius - kids were 8 and 12. We really enjoyed the holiday... but we did the tourist thing and I didn't surf...

I understand that the surf is seasonal and mainly on one one side of the island... I went to a famous Left Hand break and sadly it was flat.

Be aware - my wife had a fish salad from a beachside Cafe on our last day there that saw her end up in the infectious diseases ward the day after we returned... she was very ill... although I ate food from the market stalls and was fine.

Can happen anywhere I guess...

jjd said...

thommo 000 said...

+1 on Mauritius,

Where you live might even fit the bill Thommo

Although I suspect the missues wants warm weather !!!

bit cool early, ok fkn freezin early,but the days have been awesome, good time for it....(the early bit with the missus i mean)