A new travel business is launching next month specialising in organising bespoke family beach holidays to bucket-list surfing destinations around the world.
Family Surf Co was founded by two Cornwall-based surfing mums, to encourage more families to spend quality time together by the sea and go surfing on holiday.
Finding it a challenge to pursue their own passion for surfing when travelling with young children, Hayley Lawrence and Celine Bennet set about finding the finest family hotels in some of the top surfing destinations – including Portugal, Barbados, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Cornwall.
The business will officially launch on June 20 – International Surfing Day – offering a handpicked collection of family-friendly accommodation beside the waves.
Lawrence said: “We love spending time in the ocean as a family, but travelling with three boys (now five, eight and ten years old), I needed decent family facilities to ensure we could all relax, have fun and be safe on our surf trips.
“Having well equipped accommodation within footsteps of surf breaks and beach life is vital, so that we can yo-yo between the surf, the sand and all the amenities needed to keep the family fuelled up and entertained. Although we enjoy surfing together, we’re all at different levels, so it’s essential to have expert surf instructors who cater for family sessions, solo sessions and surf guiding for more experienced surfers.”
Co-founder Celine Bennet travelled the globe as a pro kite-surfer in her 20s, and has continued to travel extensively with her young children (now one and five years-old), surfing as much as she can.
“The reality is that it can be stressful travelling with a young family,” she said, “especially if you’re driving around looking for waves, while trying to keep everyone happy.
“With this in mind we’ve handpicked boutique family hotels and resorts where you can slip seamlessly from your bed to your board. We’ve road-tested every place we sell holidays to, so we can give personal advice to families, and we send them off with a personal travel guide to the area, including surfing beaches, places to visit and recommendations of where to eat and drink.”
