Luxury Kitesurfing journal
Four European kite spots where you ride in the afternoon and eat exceptionally well at night
Long-haul isn't always necessary. Between May and September, within three hours' flying time of most of Northern Europe, there's a handful of spots with reliable thermal wind, warm water and surroundings where the supply of good restaurants, vineyards and boat charters more than compensates for the absence of a palm tree outside your door.
The story
These four destinations share one trait: the wind usually fills in late morning or early afternoon. That sounds like a drawback, but it's precisely why they work so well for couples. The morning belongs to both of you. The afternoon belongs to you.
Porto Pollo, Sardinia
In northern Sardinia, between Palau and Santa Teresa Gallura, lies a bay fed by the Strait of Bonifacio. The channel between Sardinia and Corsica works as a funnel, and the result is one of the most reliable summer winds in the Mediterranean. From June to August it blows almost daily, typically building through the afternoon.
The bay is naturally divided: flat water on one side, small waves on the other. Several schools and rental stations operate here, and the standard on the water is high without being intimidating.
Where to stay: the Costa Smeralda starts a short half-hour's drive away, with the classics such as Hotel Cala di Volpe and Hotel Pitrizza in Porto Cervo. For something closer to the spot and rather less ostentatious, look at boutique agriturismi around Palau and Cannigione.
For the partner: this may be the strongest surrounding of the four. Boats leave Palau daily for the Maddalena archipelago, a scatter of granite islands with water that reads as Caribbean. Chartering a boat with a skipper for a day and picking your own coves is worth the money. Beyond that: the Vermentino vineyards of the Gallura, Bonifacio on Corsica as a ferry day trip, and a beach culture that takes itself seriously in the best way.
Lo Stagnone, Sicily
Near Marsala, on the western tip of Sicily, sits a shallow lagoon between the mainland and the island of Mozia. The water comes up to your knees across square kilometres. There is no swell, no current and no real way to get into trouble. From May to September the thermal wind fills in almost every afternoon.
That makes it the best learning spot in Europe and simultaneously a paradise for freestyle and foil. It does get busy in high season, with dozens of schools lining the shore. If you want space, go out early or pick a station further along the lagoon.
Where to stay: around Marsala and Trapani you'll find converted bagli, historic wine estates turned into hotels. Baglio Oneto is a well-known one, overlooking the vineyards and the salt pans. If you want more beach, San Vito Lo Capo is an hour away.
For the partner: western Sicily is badly underrated. The salt pans of Trapani and Marsala with their windmills at sunset, the medieval hill town of Erice, the Greek temple at Segesta, the islands of Favignana and Levanzo by ferry, and a cuisine sitting somewhere between Italian and North African. Marsala wine, incidentally, is far better than its reputation in the back of your kitchen cupboard suggests.
Tarifa, southern Spain
The classic, and not without reason. On the Strait of Gibraltar it blows more than three hundred days a year. The Levante from the east is strong, hurried and offshore on the eastern side of town; the Poniente from the west is softer and more pleasant. From April to October, the odds of a windless week are close to zero.
The level on the water is high and it's crowded. Drive north towards Valdevaqueros or Punta Paloma for more room. The water is Atlantic, so cooler than the Mediterranean: a shorty or 3/2 is welcome in the shoulder months.
Where to stay: Tarifa itself has a strong boutique scene inside the old walls, plus the classic beach hotels along the N-340. For genuine luxury, look towards Zahara de los Atunes or Sotogrande, both about an hour away.
For the partner: the old town of Tarifa is a pleasure to wander without a plan. Whale and dolphin safaris leave from the port and are exceptional here. The Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia sit on one of the finest beaches in Spain. Jerez is an hour away for sherry and Andalusian horses. And then there's the ferry to Tangier: thirty-five minutes and you're on another continent, which is hard to beat as a day trip.
The Cyclades: Naxos, Paros and Antiparos
The Meltemi is the northerly that tears across the Aegean in July and August and gives the Greek islands their kite reputation. At Mikri Vigla on Naxos you get flat water on one side of the headland and waves on the other. Pounda and Golden Beach on Paros are equally established.
The Meltemi can be brutal, with days well over thirty knots. June and September are milder and more enjoyable for most people, with still-generous wind odds.
Where to stay: Paros has made a serious leap in hotel quality in recent years, with addresses such as Parilio and Cosme at the top end. Antiparos is smaller and quieter. Naxos is more authentic and the better choice if the spot matters more than the hotel.
For the partner: island-hopping by ferry is a way of life here. Naxos has mountain villages, marble quarries and the best produce in the Cyclades. Paros has Naoussa, a fishing harbour that turns in the evening into one of the most agreeable places in the Aegean. And everywhere: small coves, tavernas on the water, and the Greek art of doing nothing without guilt.
At a glance Porto Pollo, Sardinia: June–August — Flat and chop — All levels — Very high Lo Stagnone, Sicily: May–September — Very flat, knee-deep — Beginner–advanced — High Tarifa, Spain: April–October — Swell, Atlantic — Advanced — High Cyclades, Greece: June–September — Flat and wave — Advanced — Very high
One planning note
At all four of these, rent a car. They share the pattern of calm mornings and windy afternoons, and that only works in your favour if you can actually get somewhere before lunch. A vineyard at ten, a beach lunch at twelve, and by three you're in your harness. That rhythm is what a European kite trip runs on.