Kitesurf holidays: walk from your room to the kite station

A hotel, resort or apartment where you walk from your room to the kite station in a few minutes, so you ride without driving to the spot or packing the car every day. Every hotel page on Kitesurf Holiday gives that walk in metres and minutes, checked against the hotel's or school's own information and maps: 21 of the 29 hotels we have measured are within 400 m.

Yes, when the hotel is close to the kite station: you ride while they stay at the pool, the kids club or the beach a few minutes away. Each hotel page lists the family facilities and says plainly when there are none, as at adult-only hotels. Hotels with a kids club and a short walk include Paradisus by Meliá Fuerteventura (about 110 m), Dakhla Attitude (about 150 m) and Palm Royale Resort (about 200 m).

Learn where the water is flat and shallow enough to stand: you relaunch the kite more easily and spend more time riding. Dakhla, El Gouna, Hurghada, Lo Stagnone & Marsala, Marsa Alam and Soma Bay have shallow lagoons with schools on the beach; each guide gives the depth, the tides and the best months.

From December to February, the destinations at their best are Boa Vista (Nov to May) and Sal (Nov to May). Dakhla, El Gouna, Hurghada and Marsa Alam have wind all year, though their guides show lighter or less steady wind in winter. The kite calendar shows every month.

The safest way to start is a course with a certified instructor, in shallow water and moderate wind, with rescue on the water. Each school page shows the certifications we could verify (IKO or VDWS) and whether the school has a rescue boat or jet ski: 13 of the 25 schools we list confirm one.

Beginner courses at the schools we list run from 3 to 12 hours, most often 6, according to their price lists. Each school page lists its courses, from a first taster to the level where you ride on your own.

It depends on the school. The youngest ages published by the schools we list: ION CLUB Safaga from 12, Kite Lab Sicily from 8, KitePeople from 12, Naxos Kitelife from 14 and René Egli by Meliá from 15. Each school page gives its minimum age when the school publishes one.

A beginner course at the schools we list costs from about €190 at Surf & Kite Theologos to €850 at Naxos Kitelife; each school page gives the hours, what is included and the year of the price list. Hotel prices change with the season: compare them on the hotel's own site or Booking.com, from each hotel page.