Most chill, laid-back "hippie" surf town?

[bikemaniac]

Hi,

Where in the World can I find the most chill, laid-back, cool vibe, "hippie" surf town with +28degC water?

Lucas

[jaffa1949]

Peace, love and Hari Krsna , 1960 and 70s a bit late!

Signed Jaffa the short haired latter day hippy.

What is it you are actually wanting?

[jaffa1949]

Further to that how did your surf trip to Siargao go and the wax rash saga?

[bikemaniac]

In Siargao I experienced that most people were not wearing a rash vest. Most girls had bikinis and didn't seem to have inner thigh chafing problems. So the wax did not result in any problems. Out of all surfers I would say that all the korean/japanese looking were completely covered up with both rash vest, pant/trousers and even a hat. But the sun was FIERCE and you need to apply tons of sun screen - even the local filipinos were using zinc cream.

What nobody told was the reef bottom. People were getting cuts left and right on their feet incl myself. I was lucky that the surf guides found an old pair of reef booties that I could borrow. I seriously thought that it would be a sandy beach but there were rocks everywhere.

Also, due to the reef bottom and the shallow waters, surfing was possible only 2x a day for lets say 3-4 hours. If the tide as unfavorable only 1x a day for 3-4 hours. I had no idea that it would be like that.

Siargao (General Luna) is a place were you need to do a lot of driving or boating to get to the surf spots. I had some romantic ideas that you just step out on the beach, but you typically have to drive 5-15 km on a motorbike to get anywhere or take a boat for 15 min to Daku Island.

General Luna was quite touristic ... most locals and returning surf dudes I talked to all dreamt back to the nice times 4 years ago (or longer) when you still had the cool, chill vibe. Some people were saying it is slowly turning into a Boracay copy.

So this brings me back to my original question again. A surf town which hasn't experienced mass tourism yet, chill, laid-back vibe.

Lucas

[jaffa1949]

So this brings me back to my original question again. A surf town which hasn't experienced mass tourism yet, chill, laid-back vibe.

Lucas

Lucas sadly anywhere surfers have move to the coast forlaid back warm existence have been followed by hotel and tourist development, and masses arrive to have the surf experience.
You need to research the tropics, so different from Norway and Sweden, Google Surf camps in the Caribbean, Morocco, , the remoter islands of Indonesia. All have coral reefs scorching sun, need for booties .
Bear in mind, that theeven at the remotest areas there are surf resorts and basic camps, the towns’ vibes are dependent on what you take.
Camps have a pretty good vibe of like minded people, often the villages around are third world poor.

A lot of hippy values are scorned by the native people who are working hard their whole lives, and outside the resorts hippy values are seen as self indulgent.

It is amazing for me living now in Österreich how much of the hippy stuff, is prevalent after it disappeared for the US and Australia in the 1970s
Google Byron Bay the hippiest town in Australia,
From rents of $25 dollars a month now only the very rich can own houses there and all the markets are cool!
Just coming back from Baleal in Portugal and the farmlands are being buried under hotels daily!

[BaNZ]

Just coming back from Baleal in Portugal and the farmlands are being buried under hotels daily!

Did you had an impression that the Portuguese love their country but hates the government? They felt like they ruined the whole country?

I'm ignorant when it comes to agriculture but I'd take it that it is better to sell the land and take the money. Why would you want to have a hard life when your kids have grown up and move to the city to take an office job? I was at Peniche 4 years ago and I could still get an affordable beach front property. The tip of Baleal was full of rich people. I've been to their home and they seem to have good inheritance with lots of money and just smoke weed, surf all day and travel.

[bikemaniac]

OK, lets start a discussion since I need something more condensed.

Any info on Sayulita and Puerto Escondido in Mexico?

Lucas

[jaffa1949]

Puerto Escondido has one of the biggest meanest shore break waves around, sand bottom, Pipeline like waves and gladiator lifestyle part and attitude, warm water, but I cannot in all seriousness recommend it to you, unless you have an A++ double black diamond set of surf skills forget it.it does have small days . There are surf schools an all the stuff that goes with a surf destination.. pick you season is the name of the game there!

Sayulita expensive to get to, and laid back but awash in American surf tourists mellower in the waves. Rates a Hmmmm maybe!

[tomthetreeman]

How about Ensenada?

[Kiaora]

Gday mate!

It’s a wee bit of the end of the world, but the Corromandel in NZ has some awesome waves, esp in summer when the cyclones role through. The waters not that warm, but still boardies and a rashness.

The hippy communes still exist, up in the kauri forests in particular. Heaps of cool bays and breaks.

Also, at hotties (hot water beach) there’s the chance at low tide to dig into sands and have a chill in the natural hot spring water that appears in your hand dug hole!