It's a dark art. Not so long ago I would spend months on end wandering around the world, backpack and board bag in perfect harmony. Drifting from one exotic location to another, with just my passport, credit card and a smile. Sleeping in airports, on the beach or in a van. It didn't matter, as long as I was surfing all day.

All of a sudden I seem to be practicing a dark art, something that needs to be so perfectly balanced; it would make tight-rope walking look like a stroll in the park.

This dark art is the ability to chase waves, but with a non-surfing partner and/or child in tow.

I had seen this a few times in my pre-commitment life, especially working at Errant Surf Holidays. I remember speaking to a number of guy's who had booked their honeymoons' to Barbados, not telling the wife they would be booking through a surf travel agent.

Upon arrival into Barbados, it would just so happen that their apartment would sit upon a perfect wave, and there was a surfboard waiting for the husband.

Or the dozens of times the surfing party (i.e. dad, mum, boyfriend, girlfriend) have booked in the rest of their family for surf lessons so they can nip off and catch some waves themselves!

Recently I had been asked by Errant to open a new surfers guesthouse in Cantabria, Spain that is the prefect balance, bordering on the dark art.

Here were my solutions, to the problems involved with the fine art.

1) Everyone hates long journeys but wants good weather.

Cantabria, Spain is only an hour and a half from London by air, or overnight by ferry from Plymouth. The transfer from Santander to La Hosteria is 15 minutes, so you could be surfing the same day! Even in the dead of winter it is not uncommon to see temperature in the late teens. During Spring, Summer and Autumn the temperature can get up to 35c and you can surf in shorts through the summer, and a summer suit the rest of the year.

2) Freedom to roam.

A surfing holiday is all about getting in the water. You also want your own independence, to come and go as you wish, rather than being stuck at the beach all day. Solution, La Hosteria is 300m from the beach at Somo. Lessons take place in the morning, after which you can come and go from the in-house wet room/surf school. The surf at Somo is prefect for all surfers, there is even a big wave spot out the front called Santa Marina.

3) Kids, who'd ave em?

On a recent surf trip to Morocco, I had found myself trying to navigate a wonky trolley loaded with surfboards, buggie, car seat,cot and all the equipment the pint sized Thomson needed while we were away. Solution, La Hosteria has a number of car seats, travel cots, buggies, high chairs and kit of children from 1 - 13 years old. It also has a big selection of surfboards for hire, from 5'10" fishes to 9'6" mals.

4) Wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend, you can't live them, and you can't leave them at home.

So you might as well bring them with you. Although there is a good chance they will have no interest in surfing. Hopefully the warm water and quality of surf coaching in Spain (all surf coaches are BSA qualified up to level 3 and qualified NARS Beach Lifeguards) will entice them into the water. If not then there is plenty to do in the surrounding area, including shopping in the chic city of Santander, golf, exploring the Picos de Europa, sailing, climbing, snowboarding during the colder months, sunbathing, canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, eating out and even a big drive through zoo!

5) And for you, the surfer.

There is no point in having a well equipped guesthouse that looks after non-surfers and children, if the surf breaks are rubbish! La Hosteria is located at the eastern end of the five mile long beach of Somo. The surf is extremely consistent, with good banks up and down the beach. Thanks to the shape of this beach, the waves can be 6' in the middle of the bay and 2' at the other end of the bay, so pick your sand bank and off you go.

Once the swell gets over head-high the right hand point break of the island of Santa Marina can be seen from La Hosteria, big walls wrap down one of Spain's must well-known big wave spots.

Other well-known surf spots within a very short drive include Noja, Playa de Ajo and Langre. The world famous wave of Mundaka is fifty minutes drive away and you can even get to Hossegor in France in two hours, making a day trip feasible.

La Hosteria has it's own private bar, café, surf school, wet room, WiFi, iPod docking stations in each room and all rooms are en-suite. La Hosteria is surrounded by its own private gardens, and dwarfed by the mountain range "Picos de Europa".