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La Fayette, French Polynesia

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

Also within 20 km of ʻĀrue

All 10 on ʻĀrue's map

Watch this spot We email you when La Fayette is worth the trip.

About La Fayette

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

The spot faces NW (335°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (155°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 19). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 27°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is ʻĀrue, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.

Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

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

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

    See flights MDW → PPT · Skyscanner from about £535 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to La Fayette.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in ʻĀrueAd

    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 ʻĀrue · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in ʻĀrue · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

La Fayette on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

La Fayette does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct263 ft11 shollow169kJ28°C
Mon 19Oct82 ft10 shollow48kJ27°C
Tue 20Oct252 ft8 shollow80kJ30°C
Wed 21Oct544 ft9 shollow272kJ25°C
Thu 22Oct554 ft11 shollow402kJ25°C
Fri 23Oct584 ft11 shollow355kJ27°C
Sat 24Oct544 ft11 shollow451kJ27°C
Sun 25Oct504 ft11 shollow400kJ27°C
Mon 26Oct445 ft12 shollow620kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct07 ft12 shollow1,218kJ25°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. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. 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 Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 30 min by road. About 20h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf La Fayette

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Taharaa Reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf La Fayette

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Taharaa Reef

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 30 min by road. About 20h door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near ʻĀrue each day: La Fayette, La Fayette Reef, Taharaa Reef.

The trip from ʻĀrue, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £975–£1,880 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 PPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£535–£1,110
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£20–£30
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£165–£280
Food7 days eating out£155–£290
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£975–£1,880

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

Places to eat near ʻĀrue

  • Mac Do ArueBurger · 1.0 km from the centre
  • Restaurant MulanChinese · 1.0 km from the centre
  • CHEZ WILLPizza · 1.1 km from the centre
  • Wood Fired PizzaPizza · 1.1 km from the centre
  • Monster CrêpesPancake house · 1.3 km from the centre
  • Vaimoana Fast FoodBreakfast and brunch · 1.3 km from the centre

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.