Waves & Wellness

Guide to Luxurious Surf Resorts for Grown-ups.

- Imogen Lepere

Surf is a Narnia word. Those four letters hold within them images of sandy feet and salty hair. Tanned boy-tribes roaming the world in VW campervans while the root beer-sweet sound of the Beach Boys drifts out of their rolled down windows on balmy breezes; of endless summers, hours spent watching the sunlight and saltwater dance with each other – and those brief moments of adrenaline when you actually catch a wave that makes everything else in your life disappear.

According to the International Surfing Association, the world governing body for surfing, more than 35 million people now surf regularly. And with surfing due to become a professional sport at the Tokyo Olympics this summer (the competition will be held at Shidashita Beach), this number looks set to rise.

While the sport and its surrounding culture has traditionally been associated with Hawaii, surf tourism is now happening in more than 160 countries: from Biarritz to Bali, from Tahiti to Thailand, from Morocco to Mui Ne to the Maldives. And it’s no longer just bare-foot beach bums wanting to sip beer and catch a few hours sleep in a shack before hitting the water. A new wave of high network urbanites are looking to carve up their own slice of the waves – and the many luxurious surf resorts that have washed up on pristine beaches around the world are proof that they’re prepared to pay for the privilege.