Leucadia’s place in the greater surf universe is well established. From my perch on the shockingly comfortable couch I could throw a bar of Sex Wax and hit three surf shops. I could also hit three organic restaurants, the best coffee spot south of Seattle and, if I really wound up, the greatest fish taco stand in the world.
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There I was on the upper deck of Surfhouse in Leucadia, California, having an evening cocktail, watching the warm autumn sun dance in an out of the palms when I saw Rob Machado ride by on a bicycle, clutching a twin-fin’d surfboard.
I wondered where he had been.
Maybe Grandview just a few hundred feet north?
Maybe Beacons even closer?
It was really impossible to guess seeing that there are twenty distinct breaks within on mile.
I took a sip and pondered Leucadia’s place in the greater surf universe. Somehow it still feels undiscovered even though it is very well-established. From my perch on the shockingly comfortable couch I could throw a bar of Sex Wax and hit three surf shops. I could also hit three organic restaurants, the best coffee spot south of Seattle and, if I really wound up, the greatest fish taco stand in the world.
I contemplated shuffling down to Surfhouse’s bike rack and hopping on a complimentary ride but decided things were ideal right where I was. The sun would set soon. I’d wander off to eat, drink, then wander back and hop into those crisp cool sheets in that crisp cool room.
Surfhouse is a rare pleasure. Unassuming yet filled with style. Quiet yet in the middle of everything. Hip yet utterly functional. As if Scandinavians schooled in the arts of surf and hospitality created it.
Another guest came up the stairs, hair wet, clutching a wetsuit. I nod. She nods back.
There are only eight rooms here, Elvis Presley’s favorite number, the perfect amount and my neighbors are wise.
They know.
Why would you stay anywhere else in North County, San Diego?
Each of the eight rooms is subtly different at Leucadia’s Surfhouse, light, airy, surf inspired, but their doors are identical, sea foam blue with a keypad above the doorknob. The keypad is the key. Once booked, an email shoots your way with an entry code. You show up, punch it in and live as if you own a just right apartment five minutes by foot away from waves, two minutes by foot from cafes, restaurants and farmers’ markets.
You can speak with the proprietors if you wish. They are lovely and regularly onsite providing surf lessons, if you need, wetsuits and boards, if you forgot, bikes if you wish to ride to different cafes, restaurants, farmers’ markets.
But really why would you wish?
The greatest gift in today’s hyper-connected world is anonymity. Surfhouse is the perfect hotel in this way. Convenient yet unobtrusive. In the middle of it all yet hidden from everyone.
Instructive quote: “We are not putting coffee machines in the room, because we want them to come and go to Surfy Surfy, and we’re not putting microwaves because we want them buy food fresh from local stores,” Sander said.
“Our thought is by getting people more immersed in community they will want to stay longer.”