Mundaka, País Vasco.

Travel time from Bilbao by car: About 45 minutes. Ideal trip length: A few days, a week if you surf. Nice to haves: sailboat, surfboard, and knowledge of the word 'pintxo'. Directions: It's a little confusing...google it here.

Mundaka is situated to the west of the Oca/Oka river, south of the Bay of Biscay and is not that far from the French border. A haven for surfers, Mundaka is absolutely breathtaking and part of the Urdaibai estuary. I went on a day trip and had a great time eating in a small restaurant/bar and watching the waves roll in and out.

Legend (or wikipedia) has it Mundaka comes from the latin expression 'aqua munda' or clean water...I just love saying the word. It's like Mufasa, but better. I've know one person from Mundaka (from when I was living in Bilbao) and he was the closest thing to hipster chic that I think any Basque man will be. Meaning: he was effortlessly cool, perfectly tanned, always on the front end of the latest trend, and had the only mullet-style haircut that was actually good-looking. And perfect taste in music--slightly esoteric, but mainstream enough to be popular with the cool kids.

They also hold the Billabong Pro events here, or used to (looks like it is Brazil this year). They say you can surf 1 out of every 3 days, which I'm guessing is higher odds than most places. But really, a great place to visit, surf, and eat (pintxos=tapas in the Basque country).

Have you been to Mundaka? What was your experience? Leave a comment below and share your travels!