Making small changes to your coastal holiday home will appeal to guests looking for surfing friendly holidays
With more than 7,000 miles between Britain and Hawaii it may seem the two are quite literally poles apart, if not only in terms of geography but also meteorologically given the potential inclemency of a British summer.
There is however one unifying factor; our continued and growing love for surfing. Whilst the sport was first introduced to the world by Polynesians from Tahiti and Hawaii more than five centuries ago, the United Kingdom has now become something of a spiritual home to surfing, offering some of the best breaks in the world with large appeal for those seeking a surfing friendly holiday..
No longer the fraternity of a bleach blonde elite, the sport is now attracting an increased and broadening demographic; whether it be families, children or grandparents, they’re all grabbing the board and learning the skills.
We take a look at how holiday homes can cater for those enjoying the waves on their surf, boogie or body boards when they get back from a day at the beach.
Providing your guests with information
You’ll want to make your guest’s lives as easy as possible.Ensure you have information in your cottage on tide times, the best local beaches and breaks to surf, along with relevant safety information and contact details for surf schools or services.
This information should also be incorporated into your website. Feeds from places such as Magic Seaweed will be able to provide your visitors with up to date information without you having to provide it yourself.
Remember your website should be a content hub for your visitors, with all of the information they require to help them make their booking decision.
Storage and washing
Enjoying the British sea for any great length of time will usually incorporate a wetsuit. Having somewhere for your visitors to wash down and hang their suits when they return from the beach is a low cost and great addition to your holiday home.
Outside Showers
With the beach comes the sand and unfortunately not all of it will be left at the beach!
Having an outdoor shower is an effective way of keeping the sand outside of your coastal holiday home. If you have one of these showers ensure the plumbing allows for the water connection to be terminated from the inside. Many holiday home insurance claims come from frozen pipes in the colder months and an outdoor shower is a prime target for this. Ensure that if your holiday home is unoccupied during the winter, the water to the shower is turned off to limit the chances of any potential damage.
You’ll also need to limit the risks of slips and trips by installing items such as anti-slip mats.
Storage areas
If your holiday home is of a size where you are able to designate an area for the storage of gear and boards then this is also a very good idea. Look to utilise any outbuildings or storage facilities that you have to minimise the wear and tear on the interior of your holiday home.
Hire or bring Surf Boards
Encourage your guests to bring their own surfboards or provide information on where they can hire wetsuits and surfboards and book surfing tuition. Guests should have their own liability insurance, which extends to surfing, either via their own home insurance policy or through membership of an association such as Surfing GB.
We recommend that holiday home owners don’t supply their guests with their own boards as the liability implications for the property owner are very high.
Boshers are specialist providers of insurance to holiday homes and cottages. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home please give us a call on 01237 429444.