We teach surf and wingfoil with professional coaching, at your own pace, in a community that gets it. Mixing the real comfort and style us more “mature” folks are after with the easy, social spirit of a surf camp.
We built Swell from our own travel experience — the bed you actually want, meals you want to come home to, the room you can hang wet gear in. Days start in the water and end at a shared table.
Beginner-friendly bays in the morning, longboard cruisers all day. Calm, forgiving water to find your feet — and the unhurried time to actually get good at it.
Flat-water reef, gentle ramps and steady side-shore trades — the gentlest way into foiling there is. The newest sport on the water, and quietly the most addictive.
Why pick a side? Do both — surf the glassy mornings, wing the afternoon trades.
One week, two sports, coached around your level and the day’s conditions.
Plan both sportsPurpose-built from scratch for the way a surf week actually goes — somewhere to come back to, drop your gear, and properly rest.
Every room is ensuite, with air-conditioning, a ceiling fan and crisp 100% cotton sheets — so after an action-packed day in or on the water, you sleep exactly as well as you should. We kept the palette calm and the beds generous: the real comfort and style us more “mature” folks are after, without a hint of dorm-room about it.
At the centre of it all is the communal hub — an open living room and one long shared table where the day winds down. Surf theory in the afternoon, dinner together in the evening, a cold drink and a debrief after. It’s where 60 to 70% of our guests, most of whom arrive on their own, quietly stop being strangers.
Outside, a saltwater pool sits in a green, palm-shaded garden, with loungers for the slow hours between sessions. The beach and the line-up are a few minutes away on foot — close enough to check the surf before breakfast.
Puerto Plata (POP) takes nonstop flights from Miami, New York, Boston and Toronto. From the terminal it’s a twenty-five minute drive down the coast road — and we’ll be waiting at arrivals.
Puerto Plata (POP) is the easiest way in, but it isn’t the only one. Two more international airports sit within an easy drive: Santiago (STI) is about an hour and a half away, and Santo Domingo (SDQ) around three and a half — both worth a look if the fare or the timing happens to land better on the day you want to travel.
Whichever you choose, we’ll help you line up the transfer so the final leg is sorted before you touch down. There’s a full breakdown of routes, drive times and transfer options on the Getting here page.
The single shot from our drone is the easy part. The week it stands for — the pool, the breakfasts, the line-ups, the people — is where it gets interesting.
I arrived not knowing a soul and flew home with a foiling habit I can’t shake — and a handful of people I now call real friends. Every session was filmed and picked apart over dinner. I have never improved so fast at anything in my life.
I had quietly written off learning something this physical at my age. Three mornings in, I rode my first real green wave. The small groups mean you’re never just a number in the line-up.
Anything we’ve missed? Write to us — a real person replies, usually within a day.
None at all. Most guests arrive as first-timers or returning improvers. We grade every session to your level — from never-stood-on-a-board to refining your bottom turn.
Retreats run Saturday to Saturday. A full week is enough to genuinely progress, and the rhythm of the week — water, table, rest, repeat — is half the point.
60 to 70% of our guests travel solo. Shared meals, small groups and the communal hub mean nobody stays a stranger past breakfast.
Accommodation, breakfast and dinner, all coaching, and all equipment — boards, wings and foils, graded to your level. You bring a swimsuit and a sense of humour.
Yes. Cabarete gives us calm morning surf and afternoon trade winds within a short drive. Rotate through both across the week, or commit to one and master it.
Fly into Puerto Plata International (POP), 25 minutes away. Santiago (1.5h) and Santo Domingo (3.5h) are easy backups. No puddle-jumpers required.
Purpose-built and boutique: ensuite bathroom, AC, a fan and crisp 100% cotton sheets. After a day on the water you’ll sleep (s)well.
Tell us your dates, which watersport you’d like to learn (or improve) and we’ll send you a custom price and availability quote; almost instantly. Hasta pronto.