The Best Hotels in Our Favorite Surf Towns, from Maui to Malibu

This 161-room Cape boasts a prime location fronting Monuments Beach, home to a bucket-list left-hand surf break, plus a restaurant from Mexico’s star chef, Enrique Olvera, a serious small-batch tequila collection, and a buzzy rooftop bar with live music. If you want to splurge with your buddies, book the two-story, three-bedroom Surfer Villa. Set a dozen steps from the ocean, the home features a private barbecue, plunge pool, sauna, a screening room for surf flicks; plus, your stay comes with two surfboard rentals.

Recently renovated, the 165-room Dream Inn is the sole beachfront hotel in Santa Cruz. The surf theme extends to walls decorated with brightly-hued surfboards and murals of surfers, as well as a restaurant and bar honoring local surf legend Jack O’Neill. Cowell Beach is just out back, and Club Ed surf school sets up a trailer here to rent boards and offer lessons. More experienced riders can head to Steamer Lane, one of the Central Coast’s best-known breaks.

Affordable hotel brand Loge transformed a 1960s motor lodge into a surf retreat with accommodations for all budgets including tent and RV sites, dorm-style bunkrooms, and suites. Surf spots like the Cove and the beach break at Westhaven State Park are all minutes away. A partnership with Seattle-based outdoor gear specialist Evo means guests can demo or rent the latest boards and the requisite cold-water wetsuit and booties. Other perks include free cruiser bikes, Traeger grills, and s’mores kits for bonfires.

The only resort on Oahu’s legendary North Shore, Turtle Bay has an in-house surf school run by respected waterman Hans Hedemann. Paddle out at the mellow break just out front of the hotel or take a tour of the Seven Mile Miracle, the stretch of coast including famous breaks like Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach. The spa’s coconut lava shell massage cures paddle-fatigued muscles. In the evening, Surfer, the Bar draws some of the island’s top music acts as well as a crowd that often includes local pros like Jamie O’Brien.

The outlier among Pegasus Lodges, a group of surf hotels primarily in secret spots throughout Indonesia, Nootka Wilderness Lodge puts a high-end twist on cold-water surfing. Located in Nootka Sound off the west coast of Vancouver Island, this 12-room property is the ideal base for adventurous surfers seeking untouched waves. Surf boats and helicopters embark on daily expeditions to beach breaks and curling tubes breaking on reef shelfs. And if the surf’s not up, you can fish for monster-sized Chinook and Coho. 

The laid-back, 22-room Hotel Joaquin occupies a traditional white-shingled California bungalow set just off Highway 1 on Shaw’s Cove. Designed by Robert McKinley, the visionary behind the renowned Surf Lodge in Montauk, NY, the interiors reference 1950s SoCal beach culture and the boho-chic style of St. Barts. Guests have access to a private beach plus an Adventure Garage stocked with surfboards, boogie boards, beach toys, and more.

If surfing rather than partying is your priority in Baja, then Cabo Surf Hotel is your perfect base. Located right on the bay in San José del Cabo, the hotel has an onsite surf shop and can arrange lessons for beginners through a partnership with a local surf school. The 36 rooms are simple but comfortable; if you want to splurge, the Shore King rooms have their own pool. After a long day in the sun, guests appreciate perks like yoga classes, an onsite spa, and a seafood-centric restaurant with ocean views.  

In 2017, Encinitas natives and brothers Nikki and Sander Harth opened this surf-minded hotel in the popular San Diego beach enclave of Leucadia. Each of the 8 rooms is named for a popular surf break, like Swamis and Cardiff Reef. Surfhouse has in-house instructors and lessons include wetsuits, the latest Firewire boards, and the option for action photos. Trips to secret spots with a local guide can also be arranged. A typical day might include a dawn-patrol session guided by a local, followed by yoga, another surf sesh, tacos, a sunset surf, and then happy hour.  

Maui’s North Shore is famed for its winds and big waves. The 12-unit Paia Inn has a prime location in the heart of town, within walking distance to coffee shops, surf stores, and restaurants like Paia Fish Market. Famous surf spots like Ho’okipa Beach and Jaws are a 15 to 20-minute drive away, while the waves at Baldwin Beach are about 200 yards from the hotel door. The Inn’s restaurant, Vana, recently introduced a sushi bar and the Prohibition-era inspired cocktails at Jade Bar are some of the best in town.

Surf breaks such as Trestles and Lowers have made San Clemente a pilgrimage spot for serious surfers. Nomads has become their base of choice thanks to its killer location, complimentary surf shuttle (for groups of 4 or more), and its oceanview canteen with 32 beers on tap and surf films on the big screen. The seven rooms include a bunk room that sleeps 5 and surf packages include daily guided surf sessions and free board and wetsuit rentals.