Raffiel Nias

Raffiel Nias is a beachfront surf hotel on Sorake Beach in South Nias, about a minute's walk from the jump-off for the famous Lagundri Bay right-hander. It is run by a local family with long links to the area's surf history, and it caters for visiting surfers, long-stay remote workers, families and groups. Facilities include a freshwater pool, a rooftop café looking straight over the wave, a beachside restaurant, a small gym, Starlink wifi and scooter hire with board racks.

Rooms start at around US$45 a night for a standard air-conditioned room with hot shower, US$60 for an ocean-view deluxe room with balcony and US$130 for a two-bedroom apartment with a mini kitchen; monthly stays start at about US$700. Bookings are made direct online or by WhatsApp. The on-site team offers surf lessons with local instructors for first-timers in the bay, reef line-up guiding for intermediate surfers, daily land and water surf photography, and air-conditioned transfers from Binaka Airport, about two and a half hours away.

A useful extra is board-bag shipping: to avoid airline surfboard charges on the domestic leg into Nias, the hotel forwards boards overland and by ferry from Medan (IDR 1.3 million per bag) or Padang (IDR 1.6 million per bag) to its reception. The main wave is a powerful reef break best suited to experienced surfers in the April to October season, but the bay itself has gentler sections where beginners can be coached.