How to Choose a Work-Friendly Surf House: A Checklist

A surf house that is great for a week-long holiday can be a poor place to work. Before you book a longer stay, run through these questions. Most can be answered from the listing or a short message to the host.

Connection

• Is the wifi described specifically (fibre, backup connection), or only as "fast wifi"?
• Does it cover the room you will actually work in, not just the common area?
• What happens when it drops? A backup connection is the difference between a bad hour and a lost workday.

Workspace

• Is there a real desk and chair, or only a bed and a couch?
• Is there a quiet room or corner for calls?
• Are there enough power sockets and a place to plug in a monitor?

Rhythm of the house

• Are there quiet hours during the day? Loud music at 2pm is a problem when you are on a client call.
• Is the house mostly other remote workers, or mostly holiday guests?
• Are there private rooms as well as shared ones? Many people want community in the evening and privacy in the day.

Surf access

• How far is the nearest break, and is it suitable for your level?
• Is there board storage, and are rentals or lessons nearby?

Stay length and price

• Does the property allow the length of stay you want?
• Is there a long-stay discount? See how long-stay and solo discounts work.

Booking

• Is it instant or a request? Read booking requests vs. instant booking so you know what happens to your card.

When you are ready, browse the destinations and compare the houses against this list. Hosts who want to be on it can list their property.