A question about our eco-lodge ? Find the answer thanks to the FAQ of the Natural Surf Lodge, surf camp in Seignosse in the Landes !
Environment
Yes, either in the parking lots provided, or in the grass along the Bathurt road, which is not drivable all the way and therefore not very busy.
At the Villa, places are also available.
The Lodge is located 7 km from the beach of Les Casernes, accessible by car (10') to the parking lot from which it takes 5' to walk to the beach (a pleasant walk).
It takes, depending on the person, between 15' and 20' by electric bike to the surf school and for the more sporty between 30' and 40' on a classic beach bike. The other spots such as la Gravière in Hossegor or les Bourdaines, Les Estagnots in Seignosse are about 15 minutes away by car but beware the traffic is dense in summer and parking spaces are expensive. It is much quieter at Les Casernes...
Concerning the Villa, it is located at 100 meters from the beach and you can count on hardly 10 minutes of bicycle to go on the spot of surfing.
Arrival/departure
The Lodge is located at less than 15' by car from the local station of St-Vincent-de-Tyrosse, the "big stations" are Dax (15') Bayonne (20') and Bordeaux (1h15'), accessible by TGV and TER. The bus stop Soustons Hardy is less than 10' from the Lodge.
The Villa and the apartment of Seignosse are located at 20' by car from the station of St-Vincent-de-Tyrosse and at 5' by foot from the bus stop of the Tourist Office of Seignosse.
The Hossegor apartments are 25' by car from the St-Vincent-de-Tyrosse train station and 10' by foot from the bus stop in downtown Hossegor.
Daily life
At the Lodge: a bubble of constrained and forced nature from this point of view. We are connected to the World Wide Web by satellite but the bandwidth gives us a limited flow to a solidary use: no audio or video downloads but the relay of emails is possible. A good opportunity to really disconnect.
In the rentals: Internet access via 4G.
At the Lodge: everyone is free to live his or her life as he or she sees fit, but in general this is not the place nor the time. We don't come to the Lodge for that, but rather to take advantage of the "early rise, surf and nap" rhythm and the green bubble that the Lodge offers, the softness of the lawn under bare feet, the space, the soothing vibration of the hundred-year-old oaks and the oxygenating power of their foliage... Of course the plancha evening on the beach is festive, we eat well, we laugh and back at the Lodge the musicians of an evening can enjoy the guitar, the piano or the drums at disposal, the others sing! A measured party in a "good-natured" atmosphere.
In the beach rentals: the accessibility on foot of restaurants, bars and 2 discotheques makes it largely possible but keep in mind that surfing is generally better in the morning and that this demanding and even thankless activity requires the whole of your physical and spiritual resources... The nap being highly recommended anyway!
The continental breakfast included in the surf camp packages is made of organic food and local products. It is prepared every morning 1 hour before the start of the surf course.
The other meals are self-catering, the fully equipped kitchen is at your disposal. For those without a car, we organize 2 shuttles per week to do the shopping (Monday and Thursday). You can also go to the grocery store in the village by bike at 5 km it's very pleasant. The plancha evening (Tuesday) is a convivial moment, each one prepares what to eat according to his inspiration, his culture and his culinary skills... Claire takes care of the dessert, in general a clafoutis + a Basque cake and Stéphane of the digestive!
You also have the possibility to order take-away meals at the restaurant "Les Roseaux", a historical restaurant for 4 generations. The chef Christophe proposes a menu at 12 euros (starter, main course, dessert and wine), vegetarian menu on request. Or go to the end of the street to Céline and Franck who welcome you to the Bathurt Farm.
At the Lodge: the large common room is equipped with a kitchen with several fires and work surfaces. The plancha is available. A fridge shelf and a food cupboard shelf reminiscent of the colors of the rooms (Purple, Red, Pink, Blue, Orange and Green) are chosen by each Lodge member at the beginning of their stay.
In the rentals: each kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need to prepare and cook your meals.
Outside of school vacations, we welcome mainly adults between 20 and 40 years old even if you can try surfing well beyond this age! The nationalities are varied and sometimes far away (Canada, Russia) but a large majority is French speaking (Belgians, Swiss and French). Most of the time, lodge-goers come solo, with friends and we have 2 private bungalows to welcome couples (with +/- 1 child or a baby. For the young parents, we propose friendly and competent baby sitters).
During the school vacations, we receive one or two families + individuals (about 8 people) and we also welcome a small group of teenagers without their parents (6 young people from 12 to 14 years old) who are completely independent from the rest of the group. The cohabitation is very enriching and is done in the respect of the rhythms of each one.
Yes, if they are well behaved and respectful of people and places. The place must be left as clean as when you arrived.
Please note that at the Lodge, Biscotte, our dog, is a border collie, adorable but a little obsessive, she licks a lot and you have to tell her no. We also have 1 cat and 2 hens in the wild who do not appreciate dogs with a strong hunting or playing instinct. The same goes for young children who can stress them by overflowing with enthusiasm. Too bad they stop laying! A calm explanation is usually enough.
Surf lessons
Depending on the surfing conditions, we may have to retreat to the South beach of Hossegor, otherwise the lessons take place on the Casernes beach in Seignosse, 7 km from the surf lodge.
The surf school hut is installed every year from mid-April and dismantled mid-October. It offers a unique service of conviviality, storage and observation of the environment as well as a relay of help until the installation of the municipal surveillance. Boards and wetsuits are on site and changing rooms are available to change and leave your belongings in peace (valuables can be stored with the person in charge of the reception). The public showers and toilets are directly accessible from the school.
Generally speaking, the natural elements dictate the organization of our sports practice, the schedule of the courses is finalized on Saturday evening for the week according to the forecasts of the swell, wind and tide conditions and according to the level of the groups. Schedules may change from one day (at the end of the session) to the next. Surfing is a science of permanent adaptation.
From a practical point of view, you are expected at least 15' before the beginning of the course to get equipped and creamed and count on at least 15 to 20' to clean the equipment and get changed. The walking time to the spot is not included in the practice time. Allow 2 to 2.5 hours of your time to make the most of your surfing experience.
Surf lessons are 1.5 hours, which is the optimal performance time with a few exceptions. For the Surf Camp or Classic + formulas, as the equipment is available, it is preferable to get your strength back and then return to the water for a second session rather than do a marathon session of more than 1h30.
The surfing session includes a wake-up call on the sand or body surfing in the water. During afternoon classes, the warm-up can be shortened, as the body is better prepared for the effort than in the early morning. The entry into the water is always done progressively.
The emphasis is placed on individualized teaching, even in group lessons, which are limited to a maximum of 6 or 8 people per instructor, depending on age and level, because each person has his or her own rhythm of progression. Because of the natural environment and its unpredictable character, the content of each session is adapted to the day and every minute spent in the water is not wasted. It is even normal to go through stages of frustration, stagnation or even "aquatic depression". Surfing can be perceived as a thankless or even senseless activity because the ratio of time spent paddling and waiting (more than 95%) to time spent in the water is ridiculous and yet...
For the surf camp or 5-day course, a 1-hour surf theory/culture course is offered to the trainees once a week.
Yes, we welcome groups of 6 to 8 people maximum. In general, we organize a beginner's group and an intermediate and advanced group. However, the teaching remains individualized at each session. For an optimal progression, it is essential not to compare yourself to other students, unless you have a competitive spirit.
For the advanced or expert group, Stéphane uses video and audio-coaching. For all, a photo session immortalizes your best waves, your falls as well as your defects...
In case of bad weather conditions (lack of waves, too strong sea, pollution,...) if the lessons cannot be done, the trainee will be informed by phone or SMS as soon as possible, and will receive a credit note corresponding to the amount of the sums engaged at the time of the reservation of the activity if the postponement is not possible. This credit note can be used for a later reservation or reimbursed upon request if the activity could not be carried out during the stay.
No additional compensation will be paid. The courses not carried out because of the customer (absence) will not be refunded. A course started and interrupted because of the trainee will not be refunded and will be due, except for a medical problem (proof) or if the place of the person could be replaced by another trainee.
Prices
The visitor's tax is included in all the surf camp packages and is paid by Natural Surf Lodge to the municipality every 3 months.
Concerning the beach rentals, the tourist tax is not included in the price of the rental. It is collected on site for adults and offered to minors although it is accounted for. It can either be included in the invoice, or paid separately in cash to Natural Surf Lodge which will pay it to the commune every 3 months. It is necessary to count approximately 1€/night/adult.
In general, a 25% deposit is required to finalize an online reservation. This deposit and the totality of the payments can be paid by
by credit card (online on the site)
by bank transfer
by check (payable to Natural Surf Lodge BP 22 40510 Seignosse)
by vacation vouchers but beware that the commission has increased considerably and inappropriately, no discount on the rate will be granted in case of payment in vacation vouchers
in cash.
Please note that we operate on a trustworthy mode which is appreciable and we are willing to adapt if necessary to your conditions of reservation and payment (in several times... within the limit of the date of the end of the accounting period on November 30th of each year). Sometimes the reservation can be made on the spot, by phone or email without paying anything because we gladly wait until the end of the week for the payment. In these cases and in general, we expect in return the same respect and trust that we give to our trainees and future trainees. This means knowing how to commit and keep your word and to inform us at least the day before and for a valid reason of the cancellation or postponement of a course.
We rarely welcome groups. Our sleeping capacity is about fifteen adults, which is an ideal size for rich and varied interactions between everyone. In some exceptional cases (group of firemen from Aix, the "Rémi's gang"), we mix these friendly and respectful groups with some guests in couple or solo and it is a renewed success every year!
From the point of view of prices, the maximum discount granted is 10% for families and groups of friends from 4 people.
Various reasons may prevent the trainee from taking the course on the planned date, cancellation will be subject to the conditions set out below:
- any cancellation of the course occurring more than 30 days before the start date of the course will result in the return of the deposit paid;
- Any cancellation by the student less than 30 days before the start of the course will result in the loss of the total amount of the deposit (20%);
- any cancellation by the student occurring less than 15 days before the beginning of the course will result in the payment of the entire stay, except in the case of a justified medical problem, only 50% of the service will be due;
- No-show and/or renunciation of the stay is equivalent to a cancellation, and will result in the full payment of the stay.
It is mandatory to inform us in writing of any cancellation or modification.
