Zoopark Famara

Wow - what an amazing week! First attempt at solo travel for pleasure and booked accommodation, return transfers & x5 days of surf lessons as a complete beginner. I can’t recommend Zoopark Famara enough, I researched well and they stood out as easily the best compared to others nearby. Great customer service from Ksenia by email answering my many questions, Shajo collected me from the airport and helped me check in taking me to ‘Marley surfhouse’ where I was allocated a private double room with a balcony and a little further down the corridor was a shared bathroom on the first floor. Downstairs there is a good sized kitchen including fridge-freezer kettle and microwave and ample living room space with a large seating area and table. I slept so well after all the hard work surfing and listening to the waves crashing against the shore about 400m away was an added bonus.

Alex returned me to the airport well in time for my flight. So sad that it was the end of my surf break yesterday morning I checked out with Franco returning my keys, not quite ready to return to reality.

Anyone looking for a standard fly and flop break, 5 star accommodation & busy nightlife this isn’t for you but you could stay more central and hire a car through Zoopark however staying here was perfect for me and what I wanted from this trip. This quiet little surf town with its awesome views and quirky bars, restaurants & friendly locals totally exceeded expectations! Thank you Zoopark!

I had never stood on a board before and thanks to both Manu & Alexandro my patient instructors, I was standing for a couple of seconds on day 2 which was a massive achievement for me as really had been struggling. So much genuine encouragement from the instructors who both whistled and whooped in celebration whenever they spotted students catching a wave. Time is spent warming up and on theory at the start of every class including hints and tips to help further improve. If booked in for a full day you break for lunch after a few hours for a much needed rest, warm baguette & fruit juice. About half an hour after eating it’s time for another warm up and then back to the waves. The classes are organised really well and split into abilities, never too many in each group enabling the instructors to evenly share their attention.

I am already missing the banter and the daily reminder ‘Mademoiselle chin up, you gotta looks where you are going’ as 99% the reason I kept falling was down to me staring at my feet and not ahead of me. I have been a slow learner this week ability-wise still have a long way to go I need to master my pop-up also need to work on my fitness.

I typically prefer to travel to new places however for Zoopark I would absolutely make an exception and return one day. You know you are in good hands when you see some of the instructors from Zoopark meeting up after a hard day teaching surfing to hitting the waves themselves, was mesmerising to watch and they made it look so easy :) clearly they love their job/ hobby.

Quiet town, great restaurants and well priced accommodation.

Surf lessons were fantastic. All the teachers were of a very high standard, especially Manu and Omar. Beach was great.

The house was great. I have to say I didn't have to share it with more than 6 people for the week I've been there and we all got on great. It was clean and practical, ether for the position (beautiful landscapes around) that for the big living space and kitchen. I also really appreciate the decorations. Great team!

They've been fun and really interesting. I really enjoyed all 5 days.

Great Place and great staff! All of the support you Need!

Instructors were great! always support you and help you to improve

We had a great time. The crew were helpful- liked how they encouraged people to socialise by putting on BBQs and Moroccan party- that was really good.  The house was fine- -good lounge to chill out in, comfy bed etc. 

I think the area for me was a little quiet- a few more basics like an internet café, ATM and maybe a nightclub would have made it slightly more appealing for me to want to return. But I think some people like the quietness of it to chill out?

And I did like that it felt very safe walking around and the fact that the sea was lovely and warm with being a place that is sunny for most of the year. Liked when we hired a car to explore and lots of sights to see. It was a brilliant experience.

Enjoyed the surf lessons- the instructors were encouraging and catered to different levels.

I booked a 5 days package together with surf lessons. The 3 surf houses are pretty cool. The rooms itself are basic but comfy and clean. The shared bathroom was enough clean. Great place and amazing food.

This was my first time surfing…and it was so cool.
Great instructors, good vibes and a lot of fun. All the Zoopark crew, especially Manu and Johnny, offered great tips specific to each of us to help us improve and incredibly patient. Overall great experience. Highly recommended.

This was our first time arranging a surfing holiday and as we are cautious in nature and are a family of six with virtually no experience in surfing other than the odd day in Britain we were slightly nervy about how it would go. I have to say that communication prior to the holiday with Sergio of ZooPark Famara and members of Surfholiday.com really settled our nerves and we couldn't have wished for a smoother, more relaxed holiday from the moment we were picked up at the airport to the moment we were dropped back at the end of the holiday.

Our accommodation arranged by Sergio was fantastic - quiet, clean and with all the mod cons that made it a home from home.

Famara was a five minute drive from our accommodation and is a lovely little village nestled between the sea-front and mountains with plenty of places to eat ranging in price and providing differing dining experiences but all serving great sea-food. We loved the Tapas restaurant we found down one of the side streets off the main drag and The Bajas restaurant which unfortunately we only tried on the last night. Both restaurants had a friendly service and were really reasonably priced - especially good for a family of six! There were a few small supermarkets which provided all the necessities but in order to do a big shop we were pleased to have hired a car locally arranged by ZooPark before we arrived and delivered to our accommodation (which was cheaper than car rental via our flight company) as it was at least a 20 minute drive to a major supermarket near Arrecife. It also gave us an option to investigate the rest of the island on the days we were taking a rest from surfing.
The surf shops in Famara were small and provided accessories such as clothes, hats, sunscreen, sunglasses etc. as well as surf, SUP and kiting equipment hire. For fair skinned people like myself I would definitely recommend buying the factor 50+ EQ Stick Solaire from the surf shops which unlike the other brands that contain aloe vera stayed on all day long during our surfing sessions and provided great protection from the sun.

The ZooPark Famara surf school was excellent - with welcoming, friendly, hard-working and knowledgeable staff who made our stay extremely easy. We are a family group of six ranging in age from 13 to 54 years. Not all of us wanted to surf, instead some opted to body-board but all of us were made aware that we were all part of the ZooPark team. The beach and surf was ideal for our group of beginners - by the end of the week we were all pleased with how we had progressed.

Francho and Elsie are a warm and wonderful couple who managed the school tirelessly, picking us up from the airport really late at night and dropping us back - nothing ever seemed to be too much trouble for them.

The surf tutors had excellent English and many years of experience of surfing. We were pleased to see that the number of students per tutor was restricted to a maximum of eight so that we got a lot of individual attention and encouragement. Their teaching was tailored to the level and needs of each individual and their use of visual techniques before each session to help get technical points across was really useful. We now all know about currents and rip-tides and what to do in the event of being caught in a dangerous situation - a really useful life-skill to take with us on future holidays.

All the tutors were serious about the safety and progression of their students, making sure that not only did we understand the potential dangers but that a proper Yoga-style warm up before each session was done in a fun way. Once we entered the water they gave pertinent tips and advice to each of us to help us progress.

A big up to Max who was hilarious, Manno who was more serious but was a font of alternative ways to teach us get up on those boards and Diego - quieter but very encouraging.

I stayed 10 days in a female shared bedroom (2x bunk beds) and only had to share it with no more than 1 girl at a time. The house - Zoopark Hendrix - was great! It takes not more than 2 minutes walks to the surf school and 1.5 minutes to the nearest shop!

The little terasse was great for sunny breakfast or just relaxing after surfing. I fell in love with this really tiny town, I was looking to escape the craziness of London and Famara just hit the stop! It's quiet but not boring, just really chilled and lovely. Food was great everywhere we've been.

Locals are actually going out on Sunday nights, it's not a party town even if we had some pretty fun nights. All in one, I just can't wait to be back to Famara and will definitely ask to stay at the Zoopark house!!

The surf lessons were very cool!! Manu and Manu, (no confusion here), Maylis and Omar were helpful and good fun. I had some rough knowledge of surf but the Manu(s) really help me and I manage to catch some waves on the very first day!!
At the surf school, Elsy and her husband who were managing it, were absolute stars! Always a smile a their face and ready to help with any enquiries - as I was travelling solo it definitely was reassuring!!

Accommodation was fine. The area itself was pretty sleepy, but that could just be the time of year, the surf school arranged a couple of social things which were great fun. 
Restaurants I can't say were amazing, but Surf Bar Clandestino was probably our favourtie.
Beaches really warm and lovely, but sadly we had no time to explore. 
Would definitely consider going back next year for a longer trip.
Hope this helps.

Surf lessons were actually great, learned much more and got much more feedback from tutors than previous holidays we have been on.  Special mention to Johnny and Pache who did seem to make an effort with everyone and were always very approachable.

The holiday was great we really enjoyed it, the Zoopark crew were great, really friendly and good fun. The house was good, the room was ok, we were hoping for a double bed to be honest but we managed haha. The town was quietish but is alright for a couple. Overall it was a good holiday for me and my girl friend, we would give it a 7/10.

The surf lessons were good for all levels. The waves were a little disappointing though when we were there to be honest.

It was overall a good trip.
I did like the crew at ZooPark a LOT! I though Sergio was a little unorganised and forgetful and not the most welcoming but everyone else was amazing!

The house I stayed in was clean and nice, but only three people were staying there during my stay and I definitely expected more. It kept things a little more quiet, which was nice for a vacation but there was not much to do in Famara and if you did want to do or see something you had to rent a car which I ended up doing and had a blast with.

The weather was awful and even the people in Famara acknowledged it so I knew I wasn't crazy. It was freezing and so windy it was almost unbearable to be outside in. If I was maybe a little more prepared for that I probably would have been happier. A girl on my trip even left early because of the weather!

My previous two surf trips were a lot better- I think mostly due to weather. Seeing that the weather was better in England made me a little sad. Overall though I did have a good time and it was a very inexpensive holiday!

My surf lessons were awesome- my instructor Pachey was great and helped me out a lot individually. The work we did on land helped a lot as well. 

Basic accommodation but good location in town, within walking distance of surf school. The flats are a great way to meet your fellow surfers and make friends. Not much in the small surf town, especially in the evening but it didn't matter to me as we made our own entertainment.

Mano was an amazing teacher! Very knowledgable, caring and was always looking out for you and giving extra tips. Couldn't have asked for more. The beach was good, conditions varied but as a beginner I was always able to surf and the equipment was excellent

Accommodation was pleasant and clean, bathroom and kitchen had plenty of space for all the people in the house. Famara has plenty of restaurants to eat out at, from pizzas and hamburgers to fresh fish there is a variety to choose from.
There is also a supermarket very close to the apartment if you don't fancy eating out which has fresh bread every day.
We had 4 different groups of people within the house who had never met before, but by the end of the holiday we all got on and were going out for meals together.

Surf lessons were fantastic, the instructors were able to teach all levels and abilities within our group, not only giving the basics, but then providing tips when we were more competent on the water to improve our surfing.

The house was grand, very well equipped and terrace was lovely. Delighted that there was good music speakers! Beach etc lovely, waves just a bit big!

Classes were good, teacher and other staff all more than lovely. Hopefully will try again in Ireland if I find somewhere with less massive waves!

Overall i'd give the holiday a 8/10.
The crew were brilliant.The house was good apart from the water. Once that was fixed its was good however... f this could be fixed (maybe it is now) then that would be perfect and get 10/10.
The area and town is nice. A number of restaurants many of which take credit card. 
The other thing maybe to mention and warn future travellers is renting a car. It can be done through the school, however must be rented for 3 days for it to be delivered. If you want it for less than 3 days you need to collect it from the airport, which in a taxi cost around 30 euro.
Overall good, a few minor things but hey, life isn't perfect.

Lessons well thought out and very well delivered. Very approachable and just generally all round good fun.

I stayed here in may/June - which is low season - so town was very quiet. But everything was open - good range of restaurants, and few supermarkets. The local pizzeria deserves special mention - it was a really really good pizza! Other tip - rent a car if you're staying here. Public transport limits your mobility a lot.
The house I stayed in was nice - simple accommodation, with everything you need.

The surf lessons were quite varied as I had lessons from 3 different instructors. All were very nice and looked after all the students well. The beach was great with consistently, perfect size waves!

House was value for money and in a good location. Nice little town and lovely people

The staff were amazing. They were really helpful and always went the extra mile. The house was very nice.The town was very nice and pleasant. On the whole we had a great time. The staff going the extra mile really made the holiday extra special. 

The surf lessons were really good. We went from not being able to stand up on a wave to turning front and backside within 3 to 4 days Towards the end of the week we would have liked some more time in the sea to practice what we had learnt as we had the same lessons repeated a few times.

Accommodation was great, clean and spacious. Great value for money. The town was good however it does not have a cash machine.

Surf lessons were brilliant the instructors knew their stuff and the beaches were beautiful.

Cosy, quiet town that has everything you need and nothing you don’t. Decent restaurants within walking distance and 2 supermarkets. No bars or nightlife but the surf school occasionally throws a party.

Make sure to rent a car from the airport - a taxi from Arrecife to Playa de Famara is 40 euros each way, but it’s only 130 euros to rent a car for a whole week! And there are many sights to see in Lanzarote after a tough day of surfing.

Instructors were world class. Marcio, Manu and the crew are excellent instructors who not only coach you but help to push you and fix your mistakes. They also cover a good mix of theory which is a much better way to spend the time when the conditions aren’t ideal. 5 star course.

The surf house was clean,bright and well equipped. Everyone was really friendly and helpful, (for example they sorted out a plug adapter for me as I'd forgotten mine). It was great value for money.
The beach at Famara is beautiful and the village is quite remote and un-touristy. This is mostly great, but can be a bit limiting if you have no transport(there are a few buses), particularly if the weather isn't great,(which I appreciate is unusual).
So all in all I enjoyed my stay.

The surf beach at Famara is beautiful. We had some nice days and some stormy days which they say is uncharacteristic. The instructor offered paddle boarding as an alternative for one of the days. I enjoyed it overall.

I had a great time in Lanzarote thanks. The people in Famara and at Zoopark were really lovely and friendly.
I thought the accommodation could have been serviced better, i.e. cleaning, bins, toilet paper etc. It was like a hostel in that people were coming and going on different days, but like a self-contained apartment in that you were expected to clean up and take bins out. It's fine to have a clear-up-after-yourselves policy, IF everyone sticks to it, which of course they don't!

Famara was a really nice place to stay in that it was small and friendly so everyone went to one bar every night and got to know each other. My friends and I hired a car which I would definitely recommend doing- super cheap (through Autoreisen) and great for a trip to the spa if the weather is bad! We had one day off and drove down to Playa Blanca which was nice, but makes you appreciate the lack of tourists in Famara! I liked that some of the instructors socialised with guests in the evenings; they took us to a little restaurant with really delicious food in La Santa one night, and we drank with them in the bar most nights. 

All in all I met some lovely people and had a great time despite the weather. 

The surf lessons I enjoyed! I found the waves huge, and not great for beginners, but that probably depends partly on the weather. The instructors (Lenny, Patchi?) were lovely, good fun and helpful and we had a laugh with them.
The beach was beautiful, especially with the dramatic mountainous backdrop.

Town was very quiet, good for what I needed, but if you want nightlife, go somewhere else. Restaurants were overall quite good....but again nothing social stays open late here, so be prepared to think out of the box for your entertainment when the sun goes down.

Surf lessons were great, instructors looked after you at the beach and off...gave lots of insights and I was surfing in no time at all. Beach was amazing...so beautiful.

Great location of accommodatuon for surfing and town area all walking distance . The staff were very good from transfer to looking after our needs.Ksenia was above and very good helping us with every need. I would definately stay with company again.

The Instructors were absolutely fantastic , I am beginner and also not very agile and all the instructors were professional but extremely helpful and went over board to help me with getting right surf board, suit to make my experience good I made excellent progress, I would definately book again with zoo famara if those guys were teaching , fantastic , also conditions were strong winds and strong currents they helped me every day 24/7 and even helped carry my board when I was struggling, kept an eye on me at all times and even if they were not teaching me, thankyou guys brilliant experience I will be back

Very cool and comfortable accommodation. I had all I needed close to home, even the beach! :D I had a proper introduction and instructors are very competent. So much fun all day long!
Supermarkets are a bit expensive, but it's normal on an island. Restaurants are cheap compared with what you can have from supermarkets. There is a vegetarian restaurant very good!

All of them are very professional and competent. They motivate you to don't give up so much! I appreciated a lot.

Very cool and comfortable accommodation. I had all I needed close to home, even the beach! :D I had a proper introduction and instructors are very competent. So much fun all day long!
Supermarkets are a bit expensive, but it's normal on an island. Restaurants are cheap compared with what you can have from supermarkets. There is a vegetarian restaurant very good!

All of them are very professional and competent. They motivate you to don't give up so much! I appreciated a lot.

- simple and basic but very comfortable. The apartment I stayed at had a rooftop terrace with a BBQ facilities which was great.
- ‎one night they organised a rooftop BBQ for all of the surf school which was a lot of fun.
- staff were very helpful.

Surf lessons:
- As someone who has been on-and-off again surfing for the last 20 years, I had doubts as to whether I would get anything out of the lessons.
- ‎Fortunately I was wrong. I had Manu as a instructor and he was excellent. Despite having surfed for years, I learnt so much from him and would strongly recommend taking his lessons to improve your technical abilities.
- ‎He also had a great attitude (was passionate about teaching/helping), spoke excellent English and really pushed me to improve myself. These lessons were the highlight of the trip.

Kite lessons
- I had 3 lessons booked but only took 2 because unluckily the wind conditions were not good enough when I was there (I was refunded for my extra lesson not taken).
- ‎The instructor Juan was an excellent teacher, and had great communication. Unfortunately for the second lesson I took, there were 4 people split between him despite it being advertised as 'Maximum of 2 students per instructor' (the other instructor did not show up). This was a bit disappointing, and despite the best efforts of Juan as a sole teacher to make sure everyone was covered, I did not feel the lesson justified the price.

We had a fab time thanks.
 
So the accommodation was great. However, it wasn't very clean, we never got our sheets changed and we had to buy our own toilet paper! We did talk to various people about this and it did get cleaned eventually. 
We loved all the people we met and the staff were great fun and easy - going and nothing was a problem, we made some real friends for life.

The beach was lovely and the view of those mountains are absolutely incredible. We did go to other beaches like Player Blancha (which we were not that impressed about) but there was another beach Player Papayoga (cant spell it) which was gorgeous. 
 


Teguise is a gorgeous little town and we drove through the Island in-between the Volcanoes and stopped off one night in the pitch black by one of the volcanoes and the stars were incredible.
So overall, we had a great time and would go back again, just need it to be a bit cleaner :)

They made a real effort to have fun and were very flexible with the surf lessons which were great.
 
One instructor couldn't speak English that great but it was funny and we eventually got what he was trying to say.


The lessons were great and they made a real effort for us to get the most out of them. They made us feel as safe as we could given the bad weather we had some days but the surf was quite rough and the beach was quite stony (I guess you cant really do anything about that). 

A few days the weather was so bad the instructors were kind enough to take us to a Spa for two afternoons and then for dinner in a town La Santa which was just perfect, we had such a laugh.
 


The accommodation was exactly as described. Clean, comfortable and very close to the beach.

The surf lessons were excellent. Manu and Jose were great and explaining concepts and pointing out bad habits. I am a better surfer now than I was which is exactly what I wanted. The beach was great with lots of room.

Accommodation was as expected. Common areas are nice. Clean.
Local area was quiet, would recommend getting a car as if you are there for a long period you might find there is not much to do and it is easier to explore with a car. However I loved this, as after a long day of surfing I was happy to chill out.

The surf lessons were great. The instructors were informative, helpful and great fun too. I learnt a lot in five days and would definitely go to the school again.

I stayed in Marley house, it was just a few minutes walk from the beach and close to shops and cafes.

The house was very similar to other surf hostels in which I have stayed and had a cool friendly vibe.

Famara is quite a quiet village but has plenty of places to eat and some bars.

The surf instruction was good and I have been able to put some of the tips I learned into practice at home already.

We got lucky as they moved us to an apartment for our own for our days. Apartments are really close to the ocean and restaurants. Everything was clean and there was everything what you need.

Lessons were really great, i was taking a private coach and he was looking after me, i got a lot of nice expirience

Accommodation is pretty basic, lovely rooftop to chill out in the sun. I was a bit worried because the house is mixed (guys downstairs, girls upstairs) but there's no locks on the doors or lockers so bring a padlock if you have anything expensive. The pizzeria is great and there's a little shop 2 minutes down the road, everything is pretty much on one road next to the beach. Elsy (owner) picked me up from the airport, she was incredibly welcoming so I felt at ease straight away!

I loved my surf lessons, I did 3 days and for 2 of them I was the only student so I learnt a lot! I had two different instructors and both were really good, on my last day I took my GoPro and Manu filmed me and took some pictures which was really nice. The conditions on my first day and my last day were completely different so it was challenging to learn in both but an amazing experience. Manu is a really relaxed and fun instructor, he always gave me the option to surf as much or as little as I wanted.

Love the village, very nice place

The instructors were looking after me and gave me tips how to improve, so very happy.

Very cool house and town. Needs a BBQ!

They good .. Excellent

Excellent relaxed atmosphere in Morrison house. It was clean and tidy with everything you might need. The roof terrace is an awesome spot to chillout and watch the sunset with a beer after a full days surf. Famara has the vibe of a real surf town. I.e everyone has a surfboard, with wetsuits drying outside most houses. Restaurants were good in Famara but I'd recommend hiring a car (cheap) to visit some of the other towns too.

I went to Famara having surfed in Scotland for about 3 years and wanting to improve. Manu, who I had 5 days worth of lessons with, checked out my surfing and gave heaps of brilliant advice on where to improve. He'd join me on the line up to check out my take off and riding of each wave. Despite having a mixture of surfing experience in the group, he balanced the lessons well so everyone got the maximum out of each day within their comfort zones. I felt confident surfing the biggest waves of my life and felt I could hold my own in the line up. Vale!

I was pretty lucky with the waves. Nice offshore breeze most days, combined with a decent swell made for some epic, really fun sessions where I could notice the improvements in my surfing day by day.
Would highly recommend Zoopark.