Surfers shouldn’t stay at just any hotel in Florida, you should stay at the best hotel for you and your lifestyle.
Staying on the 4th floor of a random large corporate hotel business isn’t ideal.
You either have to haul your boards down flights of stairs or leave them in your car.
In Florida, there are great options for surfers that allow a safe surf-friendly environment while offering other great amenities and fair prices.
Best Surf Hotels in Florida
The Hotel Palms, Jacksonville Beach
The Hotel Palms is a cute little renovated motor court inn a few blocks away from the beach in Jacksonville Beach.
It is all one story and so surf-friendly that surf comp events are regularly hosted here.
The hotel itself, if I had to describe it, is modern hipster surf themed.
There’s a cafe and gathering space as well as bike racks for a surf and adventure friendly trip.
There are all types of rooms including a junior queen (sleeps 3), queen (sleeps 2), double queen (sleeps 4), king (sleeps 2), and suite (sleeps 4).
The standard rates follow:
$225 a night for junior queen,
$225 a night for queen,
$245 a night for double queen,
$269 a night for king,
and $295 for the suite.
Island Cottage Inn, Flagler Beach
The perfect coastal cottage right on the beach, Island Cottage Inn is so cute and perfect for surfers.
The only thing is that there are no kids under the age of 16 allowed so that they can maintain the quiet and serene atmosphere of the inn.
There’s a private beach access, bike racks, a pool, a cafe, beach retro aesthetic rooms, and welcoming staff. There are eight suites that all have their own unique charm.
You can check out Island Cottage Inn’s website to see the different photos of each room and pick the one you find most you.
These are all price estimates and prices change with dates and other booking aspects.
Crane’s Beach House, Delray Beach.
This unique and nice hotel is located almost directly on the beach of Delray- just a quick walk to the ocean.
It looks like a little tropical oasis that belongs somewhere in central america outside with much greenery and the unique style although the inside of the villas are extremely nice and more modern-beachy.
There are 29 luxury suites and villas for you to choose from along with a garden, hammocks, two pools, the beach, tiki hut and more.
Pricing is anywhere from $150-$350 or more or less just depending on what kind of room you would like and when you want to stay.
The Local, Saint Augustine.
This hotel is not right on the beach but is perfectly in between the two main beaches in St. Augustine (Vilano Beach and St. Augustine Beach) while being a short distance away from downtown.
The hotel is so cute and is vintage pink/flamingo themed.
Each room is tropical beach themed with a retro hotel pool area.
They provide rental options for electric bikes that you can take downtown and check in and out is easy and hassle free.
The average price of rooms go for around $150-$250 or more or less just depending on when you want to stay and how many people you will be staying with.
The rooms have easy access for those not wanting to hike up flights and flights of stairs with their boards.
Surf and Sand Hotel, Pensacola Beach
This cute little hotel in Pensacola is near the beach and right on the intercoastal waters with amazing views of the town.
They have a great breakfast, kayaks, paddle boards, beach cruisers, floaties for the pool, the pool, and pet friendly room options.
This hotel also can help you book other activities in town leisurely.
The prices are always changing depending on when you want to stay, how many people you want to stay with, and which room you choose, but the average is around $200-$350 a night or more or less.
Cali Villas, Cape Canaveral
Honestly, these might be the cutest rooms I've seen so far in my search for perfect surf hotels. You can book through Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.
There are three villas: The Malibu, The Laguna, and The Santa Monica.
Each villa has its unique surf-style charm.
There’s even an Amazon storefront and listing of where to get certain decor that are in the villas, online.
The only downside of this perfect surf oasis is that you can only book for a minimum of about a week’s time of stay and a week will cost you around $2,700.
Not too bad considering the villas house up to 8 guests with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms including TV, Wifi, Kitchen, free parking, hot tub, washer, and dryer. This is a great long surf trip option.
Camping, all around Florida
My go-to and the best option for surf trips in Florida would be camping.
You can camp in or near your car with tents or in cabins at a local KOA, but overall camping hands down the best experience for surfers on a trip to Florida.
I myself am from Florida and I love camping here.
I have camped out with friends who surf many times and there’s always great experiences.
Most local parks are either $5-$10 or free to access so you can set up camp and many of these parks are just a block or a little drive away from the beach.
I highly recommend doing some research on campsites around Florida wherever your desired surf destination is.
Best Surf Hotels in Florida
Overall, Florida is a great and popular surf trip destination and there are many unique hole-in-the-wall places to stay (which surfers love).
The options that I listed above are just scratching the surface, but they are wonderful places all located in surf towns.
Come visit Florida, there's sunshine and waves waiting for you!