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Matalenas, Spain

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

Also within 20 km of Santander

All 10 on Santander's map

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

Playa de Matalenas, Santander
Matalenas. Photo: Emilio Gómez Fernández, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Matalenas

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

The spot faces NE (27°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (207°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, October and November, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santander, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SDR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB).

    See flights ORD → SDR · Skyscanner from about £405 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 25 min from the airport to Matalenas.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in SantanderAd

    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 Santander · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Santander · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Matalenas on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct104 ft5 smushy65kJ16°C
Mon 19Oct72 ft8 shollow29kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct253 ft12 shollow317kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct269 ft9 scrumbling1,188kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct638 ft9 scrumbling879kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct3014 ft11 scrumbling4,720kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct569 ft9 scrumbling984kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct579 ft9 scrumbling1,124kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct629 ft10 scrumbling1,464kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct587 ft9 scrumbling647kJ21°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to SDR, changing at DUB, then 25 min by road. About 17h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf El Muro

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Isla Santa Marina

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf El Muro

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 15 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf El sardinero

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 9 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to SDR, changing at DUB, then 25 min by road. About 17h door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Santander each day: Covachos, El Muro, El sardinero, Isla Santa Marina, Matalenas.

The trip from Santander, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £890–£1,695 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 ORD to SDR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£405–£840
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£185–£310
Food7 days eating out£175–£330
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£75–£125
Total£890–£1,695

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

Places to eat near Santander

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.