Surfing in the Mentawais: Hollow Tree’s Resort

November 6, 2018
Eryn Krouse
Travel
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The first time I heard of the Mentawais was 8 years ago, when my older brother went with one of his buddies on his first international surf trip. I remember being amazed by his stories about how long it took to get there, hanging out and surfing with the locals, and how perfect the waves and beaches were. Since then, I have seen the Mentawais frequent numerous surf magazines. Somehow, the stars aligned for me to experience it for myself…

Located right in front of one of the finest right-handed waves in the world, Hollow Tree’s Resort is a dream location for the perfect trip in the Mentawais…

How to Get There:

My journey started at 8am in Los Angeles as I frantically tried to find an Uber driver with a car big enough to fit my 9,6′ longboard bag. I was really starting to panic about missing my 11am flight to Tokyo until my brother told me about Uber X- (silly me, how did I not think of that?!) Anyway, that seemed to do the trick and I was happy to dish out $80 to finally be on my way to Los Angeles International Airport. The first leg of my journey was a 10 hour flight to Narita Tokyo Airport. My layover was long enough to enjoy a hot bowl of Tokyo Shoyu ramen, buy a few things at the pharmacy, and meet up with Chris Delorenzo– my friend and photographer for this trip. From Tokyo, we had a 7 hour flight to Jakarta, where we arrived a little past midnight and had to wait until 7am for our next flight to Padang. Originally we were going to rest up in one of the airport’s hotels, but it turns out we had to claim our baggage and re-check it in… only problem was, check-in didn’t open until 4am at the next terminal over. Luckily, we found a couple comfortable and quiet benches to lay on and pass the next few hours. Finally, we were on our final flight to Padang; only about 1 hour 30 minutes of flight time. Upon arrival at the airport, someone from Hollow Tree’s Resort was there to pick us up and take us to our accommodations (The Budget Hotel by the Harbor) until the next morning. By the time we unloaded all of our bags into the tiny hotel room, it was 10am and I was ready for bed. I ended up sleeping until around 5pm and was up all night until we left for the ferry across the street at 6:30am- yay jet lag! We were finally almost to our destination after 3 long days of traveling. Just a 3 hour 30 minute fast ferry to Sioban followed by a 1 hour speedboat to the resort. You can imagine our relief when we finally saw those beautiful, tall palm trees lining endless stretches of white sand beach with the clearest blue water I had ever seen. We were definitely far from home.

Read more about how to get to the resort, here.

Upon arrival, the lovely Sina greeted Chris and I with a couple of cold coconuts, which were so refreshing after a long boat ride. The first afternoon was spent unpacking and getting my boards ready to surf. The surf spot out front; Lance’s Right, otherwise known as HT’s was low-key pumping (I saw waves well over head high coming through), and I looked on with equal amounts of awe and fear. Teiki, the fearless waterman and owner of Hollow Tree’s Resort, persuaded me to paddle out with him, and thus began my first surf session in the Mentawais. HT’s is definitely not a beginner spot. With a fast and hollow right, it’s one of the best waves in the world to get barreled, which is what I was hoping would happen. I was a bit intimidated by the reef, which is so shallow in some parts that it’s nicknamed Surgeon’s Table. Nevertheless, I put my big girls pants on (bikini bottoms that is), and paddled out with determination to 1.) not die 2.) not get scratched up too badly, and 3.) to catch at least one wave. With Teiki’s help with where to paddle and what waves to go on, I got two of the biggest and fastest rights I’ve ever gotten in my life! As the sunset lit the sky and the palm trees with a golden glow, I thought to myself that this was going to be one hell of a week.

I shared a unit with Chris– a lovely 2 bedroom place with a bathroom and living room entrance area. Designed for small groups or families, we had plenty of extra space and were very comfortable. Just outside was a personal plunge pool, outdoor shower, and surfboard rack. The ocean was probably around 20 steps away from the front door. Total surfer heaven.

There’s nothing better than a fresh, cold coconut after a surf session. I took full advantage and had maybe 3-4 of them a day.

The Surf:

During my time at the resort, I surfed 3 spots: HT’s (right out front), Beach Break, a sandy beginner spot located about a 15 minute scooter ride away, and the Point (a 30 minute walk or 10 minute speedboat ride). My favorite wave (hands down) was the Point- a long and mellow right hand wave that resembled my home break, Malibu Surfrider Beach. I was able to take a break from the intimidating and shallow waves at HT’s to cross step and cruise around on my longboard to my heart’s content.

The Point “secret spot that everyone knows”:

Beach Break:

Hollow Tree’s (aka Lance’s Right):

Life At the Resort:

Every morning, I’d wake up around 6am and walk over to breakfast. The main commons area and dining table have a great view of the waves, so I liked to watch while eating. Oftentimes, there were already a couple surf charter boats out with a handful of surfers already enjoying the waves to themselves.

Breakfast was AMAZING. I ordered the same thing every day: scrambled eggs, bacon, grilled tomato, toast, fruit salad, mixed fruit juice, and hot chocolate. It was the perfect fuel for the first surf session of the day, which always followed after breakfast.

Lunch and dinner were always served communal style with multiple courses. Everything was so fresh and healthy, and I could feel my body getting stronger and more toned every day.

Life at the resort was pure bliss. From collecting beautiful shells on long beach walks, playing with the 8 month-old puppies, and enjoying delicious smoothies throughout the day, my week was a blur of special moments.

Hollow Tree’s Resort is a short walk away from a local village. On the way to surf the beach break, I came across this turquoise-painted church hidden amongst the palms and stopped to snap a few photos.