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House of Refuge, United States

Stay in Stuart: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Stuart

Watch this spot We email you when House of Refuge is worth the trip.

Sunset on coast of Florida
Florida, the wider area. Photo: Don Miller, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About House of Refuge

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces E (69°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (249°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 24°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and September, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Stuart, 8.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL), direct.

    See flights MDW → FLL · Skyscanner from about £170 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 30 from the airport to House of Refuge.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in StuartAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Stuart · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Stuart · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

House of Refuge on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct169 ft10 s1,247kJ27°C
Tue 20Oct267 ft9 s743kJ26°C
Wed 21Oct275 ft8 s309kJ26°C
Thu 22Oct165 ft8 s283kJ26°C
Fri 23Oct125 ft8 s213kJ26°C
Sat 24Oct54 ft8 s155kJ26°C
Sun 25Oct116 ft9 s644kJ26°C
Mon 26Oct177 ft9 s758kJ27°C
Tue 27Oct167 ft8 s634kJ26°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to FLL, then 2h 30 by road. About 7h 20 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 19 of 80.

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 15 of 80.

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to FLL, then 2h 30 by road. About 7h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Stuart each day: House of Refuge, Stuart Rocks.

The trip from Stuart, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £965–£1,735 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to FLL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£170–£355
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£115–£190
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£965–£1,735

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Stuart

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.