I had the best time at Giant's Foot Surf! The rooms were clean and cool, the location right at the beach, the food amazing and everybody incredibly kind and welcoming. We went to many different surf breaks and my instructor Siobhan was great. I traveled solo and would go back in a heartbeat.
This was my second time to Giant's Foot Surf and I can't wait for my next one!!! The short version: Tara and Trevor excel at providing a welcoming, communal, fun atmosphere for all their guests. They work tirelessly to ensure you have the best experience possible both in and out of the water. The surf guides know all the breaks and live to surf. Chances are you will tap out on surfing before they do. Regardless of your skill level, you will find tons of waves, a chill atmosphere, and an authentic local experience. Longer Version: My fiance and I have been here twice and have loved it both times. The first time I did the lessons package, and this time I did the intermediate and boat packages. Arrival: You get picked up from Managua or Costa Esmerelda and take to Giant's Foot in Playa Gigante. You're greeted with a smile, a beer, and probably a huge helping of delicious food. If you get there anytime before 5-6pm, chances are you'll get at least one surf session in. The Waves: Nicaragua has tons of waves on offer, and Giant's Foot can get you to a ton of them. The point of difference at Giant's Foot is that Tara, Trevor, and the guides want you to get the most, best waves possible. I've been to camps where planning is an afterthought and it negatively impacts how much time you get in the water. At Giant's Foot, it's the exact opposite. The guides live to surf and want you to surf as much as you can. To that end, typically the day before you game-plan the following day with the guides and they write the schedule up on the wall so everyone is one the same page. It's a cool system and I loved how it let us maximize our wave time. The Intermediate And Boat Packages: Giant's Foot offers an intermediate package which includes recored video sessions and analysis of those sessions. The video sessions were eye-opening because I'd never seen myself surf. Seeing myself on video gave me confidence to take bigger waves (since the ones I was on weren't as big as they were in my head), improved my technique by dissecting both my makes and my wipeouts, and improved my wave selection to get on more time on the open face (I was taking off on a lot of closeouts). I came back to my local break in NY, and immediately caught more, better waves on a significantly smaller board, in 10lbs of 5/4mm wetsuit gear because of the lessons learned during film analysis. I'd recommend it for any true-intermediate surfer looking to kickstart their surfing. The boat package is bomb. Armando (El Capitan) knows the waters well and is a great guy to be around while having lunch and beers on the boat. You and the guides spend all day boating, surfing, fishing, and sipping beers. On several of our boat trips, we were the only ones in the water at secluded breaks with pristine conditions. The Food: Three meals a day of downright delicious, simple, filling, surf-fueling goodness. It's comfort food and just what you need to stay energized in the water. I don't have dietary restrictions, but I've seen them cater to guests with them. The Atmosphere: Tara and Trevor have created a fun, chill, communal vibe in their camp. Whether it's chatting over beers, playing ping pong, going fishing, doing yoga, or just napping in the hammock, times out of the water are almost as good as times in the water.…
I'm not a surfer type but I dropped in here for a night. I'm a repeat customer because the hosts are magnificent and the vibe here is absolutely relaxing. I went fishing for the afternoon with Captsin Armondo and Trevor. Great fun on the water and catching fish. I'll definitely be back soon!
I spent 2 weeks there and I can easily say - it was just not enough. You’ll get a lot of everything, depending on your taste...a lot of surf (when I say a lot, I mean if you push yourself than up to the point you won’t be able to hold a glass of Toña beer as the shoulders will hurt), a lot of great food, a lot of beer, wine, rum or soda if you prefer, a lot of opportunities to meet locals and other surfers, a lot of boat rides as well as fishing, a lot of time to just chill in a hammock, and last but not least tons of laugh and love from Tara & Trevor (and all the stuff)! I definitely will be looking forward to come back. ¿Por qué no?
I have been to a few surf camps in Portugal, in Costa Rica and in Martinique, and Giant's Foot is hands down the best surf camp I've ever been to. I came with a friend, we were two beginner-intermediate surfers. First of all, the location of Giant's Foot is amazing. They are located directly on the beach, in a very small town mostly populated by local Nicaraguan people. It is a 2h30 hour drive from Managua airport. As soon as you walk out of the airport, Symon will greet you with a sign with your name on it and send a selfie to the camp owners to prepare for your arrival. You have access to 14 surf breaks, depending on surf conditions and your level of experience. All of them are accessible either through a short ride by car or by boat. We mostly surfed Mag Rock (beginner oriented, a little more crowded), Amarillo, Lance's Left (very few people, very long left - I got my best ever wave there!!) and Panga Drops (also uncrowded). They are very generous with boat rides. Expect to surf as much as you want to, the guides will come surf with you and stay in the water as long as you can handle! You can surf your heart's desire, once, twice or three times a day if you wish it! They work with local as well as foreign (American, European) surf instructors and the coaching was excellent. (Thank you Siobhan and Kevin, we really feel like we've improved so much!) We expected great surfing, but what really made the difference at Giant's Foot are the activities during downtime. Obviously you are free to just chill out on a hammock by the sea, but Tara and Trevor make sure you have the best time ever! We went fishing (caught six fish and made ceviche with them!), went horseback riding, saw turtles hatch on the beach (!!), made bonfires, went on sunset hikes, took yoga classes, watched Blue Crush, got massages... anything you want, just name it! The hosts are extremely accommodating and entertaining, and the locals who work at the camp are super friendly, warm people. The food at Giant's Foot was amazing. Fresh fish, ceviche, lobster, burgers, all kinds of veggies, cake, flan... you name it! The meals are always plentiful (there were always leftovers) and delicious. Alcohol is also included in your all-inclusive stay, and they accommodate for vegans/vegetarians, etc. The rooms were spacious enough, and the AC worked great. Before I came I was worried about the cold showers, but they were actually cooling and perfect! The beds are a little on the hard side, but that's a matter of personal preference. The rooms are cleaned daily. I felt very safe the whole time I was in Nicaragua. The local people are very friendly and helpful. The only sign of any political unrest is the police presence in the larger towns, but it didn't affect tourists in any way. Bring cash for tips and massages (25$) as there are no ATM's in this very small beautiful uncrowded town.…
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