Skateboarding
Skateboarding
8 skate-friendly hotels and hostels you need to visit
Pleasure is the business of these stopovers, all of which have their own on-site shred palaces. Add them to your must-visit list.
It is no secret that skateboarders love to travel. It's part of a skater's DNA to go places in search of the ultimate dream spot. Depending on multiple factors such as budget, nearby friends, seasons, personal taste or who you're travelling with, the accommodation choices can slightly differ from place to place.
Some are cool couch surfing and others will set up a tent in any relatively level patch of grass available, while some others cannot do without a nice, comfy hotel room.
For those that fall into that latter category, we've put together a short selection of skate-friendly hotels across the globe, where you can crash comfortably and skate their ramps, bowls or even street courses, in some cases.
Eat Sleep Skate – Bali, Indonesia
Shai Balmer – Backside 5-0
© Julien Bergougnoux
Poolside at ESS Bali
© Julien Bergougnoux
View from the restaurant at ESS
© Julien Bourgougnoux
Grub's up
© Julien Bergougnoux
Julien Bergougnoux is the man behind ESS. The Frenchman moved to Bali quite a few years back and as a skateboarder, he couldn't deal with just surfing. So he built a private bowl in his backyard, which kept evolving over the years, taking on three distinct building phases to reach its final form.
In the meantime, the idea of creating a welcoming place where people could spend a couple of days or more, have a drink and eat fresh pizza straight from the oven overlooking the bowl came to life.
Sant Jordi Skate Hostel – Barcelona, Spain
Ramp inside Sant Jordi skate hostel
© Duda Castro
Sant Jordi skate hotel from the street
© Duda Castro
Indoor micro ramp
© Duda Castro
Writing's on the wall
© Duda Castro
Barcelona is definitely a must-visit city for any skateboarder – it's pretty much got all of the spots a skater could dream of.
However, let's say you're there for work or with your better half, and it's tricky to drag them to Paral.lel or Fondo, instead of the Dali museum or the beach. So what if the hotel you're staying at had a mini ramp? The perfect way to sneak a couple of sessions into your "I'm not skating" trip if you ask us.
Blu Enigma – Andros, Greece
Brad McClain - Nosegrind
© Sam McGuire
Alex Hallford - Sweeper
© Sam McGuire
Andros from the water
© Sam McGuire
Alex Hallford - Tuck Knee Fakie
© Sam McGuire
The Blu Enigma is a hillside hotel in the hamlet of Apikia on Andros island in Greece. Just two hours by ferry from Athens' Rafina port, owner Nikos Garyfallos not only crafted the unique hotel bowl by hand, he also got busy further up the hill.
From an elevation looking down over the valley and out into the azure Mediterranean, the Gratitude Trails constitute one of life's 'look where we are' moments.
Garyfallos is very dialled into promoting local community, crafts and produce so this is the closest thing you will ever find to a retreat in skateboarding. This place runs on respect so if you don't have it, don't go.
Element Called Water – Soustons, France
Bungalows at Element Called Water skate hotel
© Alberto Scattolin
Antoine Bunel – Frontside Ollie
© Alberto Scattolin
George Poole – Taildrop
© Alberto Scattolin
George Poole – One Foot to Backside Disaster
© Alberto Scattolin
Located in the south west of France, Element Called Water welcomes surfers visiting the European mecca of surfing. Since the ocean doesn't always deliver, though, the good guys at ECW made sure there's always something to shred.
Element Called Water boasts not only a DIY concrete mini bowl, but also a nice mini-ramp next to the bungalows, and, in case of rain, there's an indoor micro ramp right by the bar.
You should definitely consider visiting.
Bukubaki Eco-Lodge – Peniche, Portugal
Bukubaki Eco Lodge overview
© Bukubaki Eco Lodge
Bukubaki Eco Lodge by night
© Bukubaki Eco Lodge
Bukubaki eco-lodge is located a stone's throw away from the world-famous surf breaks of Baleal and Peniche, and as its name suggests, the resort really focuses on offering the best comfort while limiting its ecological impact.
You can choose accommodation between tree houses and tents, and when not skating the concrete bowl, you might avail yourself of the swimming pool, yoga sessions or mountain bikes.
Moana Surf Hostel – Biscay, Spain
Thaynan Costa – Kickflip Back Tail
© Patxi Pardinas
Moana Mini Ramp
© Patxi Pardinas
Interior of Moana skate hotel
© Patxi Pardinas
Moana Surf Hostel
© Patxi Pardinas
If you get the chance to visit the Basque country, you might consider Moana Surf Hostel for your stay. It's close to Sopelana beach breaks, Bilbao and its Guggenheim museum and, of course, next door to the infamous La Kantera Skatepark – one of many concrete parks the Bilbao region is covered with.
In case you didn't get your daily dose of skateboarding, Moana's street course and mini-ramp will sap whatever legs you have left.
Related
Hi Adventures – Florianopolis, Brazil
Rene Shigueto – Backside Smithgrind
© João Fenope
Hi Adventure Bowl
© Helge Tscharn
Hi Adventures skate hotel
© Divulgação
Beach, bar and bowl are on the menu at Hi Adventure guest house. What more could you ask for?
Spend the day chilling at the massive, empty nearby beach and then come back to the base camp, dive in the pool to get rid of all that salt, sip a cold one, warm up on the mini ramp and then shred the pool.
Florianopolis is home to an old skateboarding culture with pools all over the place, but Hi Adventure's is the one everybody passes through and the sessions are accordingly wild.
Cuatro Casas – Baja California, Mexico
Armando Santos - Frontside Grind
© Jebrane Desiguad
Surf and turf
© Jebrane Desiguad
Cuatro Casas bowl
© Jebrane Desiguad
Cuatro Casas bowl and view
© Jebrane Desiguad
Cuatro Casas Hostel lies on the beach overlooking a perfect Baja California vista, far from the biggest nearby cities of Tijuana and Ensenada. You'll find the hostel at the end of a dirt road once you see the ocean.
Make sure to bring your own food and drinks, as there's no restaurant around, but you can use the kitchen and there's a grill sitting right on the pool deck – how does that sound?
The pool is a properly tight backyard replica complete with tiles and deathbox. Tranny dogs, rejoice.
