Glamping Surf Camp in Vieux Boucau, South-West France

A typical day starts with the breakfast buffet in the dining tent, which runs for two hours so you can lie in if you want. You make your own packed lunch there to take to the beach, then head out for your surf session. Lessons are grouped by ability, so beginners work on standing up and the three-step pop-up technique, intermediates learn to ride green unbroken waves, and advanced surfers work on turns and manoeuvres on waves up to 1.5 metres. Instructors are certified through licences such as FES, DWV, ISA, BSA or FCS, and they also cover surf etiquette, wave priority and water safety.

Afternoons are free. You can keep using the boards and wetsuits from the equipment tent outside lesson times, play volleyball, basketball or football on the campsite courts, use the ping-pong tables, slackline or trampoline, or walk into town. There is a skatepark close by. Yoga sessions run daily and you sign up in camp.

Evenings centre on the dining tent, where the chef cooks a hot dinner with a healthy side salad and a dessert, and the menu changes through the week. After that there are organised activities: the weekly beach volleyball tournament (beginners welcome), the Flunky Ball tournament, a jam session, and a sunset surf when conditions allow. On Mondays the camp heads to Mojito Monday, and on the Tuesday lazy day there is a trip to Biarritz or San Sebastián in Spain, known for its tapas bars.

The camp is set on the municipal campsite Les Sablères, directly behind the sand dunes, with the surf about 100 metres away. The town of Vieux Boucau has banks, pharmacies, supermarkets, bars and restaurants, and the beach bar Mojito is 1,000 metres from camp. The beach here picks up plenty of swell, and on bigger days you can watch visiting international surfers from the sand.

What separates this from a lot of surf camps is the lesson structure: 12 units a week rather than the usual handful, a hard cap of eight students per instructor, and groups split by ability so nobody is held back or pushed into conditions they cannot handle. The camp was founded by surfers raised in the Canary Islands, and the team is multilingual.

What's included

- 7 or 14 nights' accommodation in a glamping tent (2 people share a 4-person tent) - Bedding: mattress, mattress cover, pillow, blanket with cover - Full board: breakfast buffet, packed lunch and hot dinner with salad and dessert - 12 surf lessons a week of 45 minutes each (10 practical, 2 theory) on the lesson package - Maximum of 8 students per instructor - Free hire of surf equipment (boards, wetsuits, leashes) outside lesson times - Daily free yoga sessions - Sports equipment and games on the campsite - Organised evening activity programme - Accident and personal liability insurance during surf lessons - Tourist tax (health resort tax)

What's not included

- Travel to Vieux Boucau (flights, train, car) - Airport and station shuttle transfers (booked separately with West Coast Transfers) - Bus transportation (can be added to your booking) - Towels and personal toiletries - Lunchbox for packed lunches - Drinks and nights out at local bars - Optional day trips and activities outside the camp programme - Surf lessons on the board-only package