Families at THKC: How the Week Actually Works

We get the same question every season, usually from a parent who kites and one who doesn't: Can we bring the kids?

The honest answer is yes — and not as a compromise. Now in our seventh season in Guajirú, families have become one of the most natural fits for the way we built this week. Not because we designed a children's program, but because the village, the villa, and the rhythm of the place happen to work for them.

Here's how it actually looks.

The Village

Guajirú is small. A few sand streets, the lagoon on one side, the ocean on the other, the same handful of faces every day. There is no nightlife — no bars, no clubs, no late-night noise. For families this matters more than it sounds. Children can walk after dinner. Teenagers can move around on their own without us watching the clock. Parents stop scanning the room.

The jiu-jitsu academy is in the center of the village. The tatami is full of local children most evenings. If you're traveling with kids who train, that alone solves a week.

The Villa as an Open House

The villa is large and the rooms are large. We don't have connecting rooms, but every room is big enough to add a single bed at no additional cost — which covers most family setups.

There's a pool. The ocean is in front. There's a covered volleyball court where the children tend to gravitate in the late afternoon. Inside the villa, kids end up playing wherever they want — the living room, the porch, the kitchen counter while Martine cooks.

That's the part that's hard to describe in advance: the villa works less like a hotel and more like a house you happen to be staying in. There's domestic service — a cook, housekeeping — but the structure is loose. Guests open the fridge. Kids ask for snacks. Nobody enforces a schedule that doesn't make sense for the family. Dinners are early and shared. The villa quiets early. That's the rhythm.

Kite by Age

1 to 5 years. No kite at this age. The pool, the sea, the safe geometry of the village and the villa are enough. Most of the day takes care of itself.

6 to 12 years. Free use of our two-line trainer kites. This is where muscle memory starts — flying a small kite on the sand, learning the window, getting comfortable with lines and bar. For children who want more, we can set up real lessons in the lagoon. The lagoon is flat and shallow, and it's where every adult beginner also learns. It's the safest teaching environment we've ever worked in.

Teenagers. Same lagoon, same equipment as adults, scaled to size. Most teenagers progress fast here. We've had a few who arrived as beginners and were riding on their own before the week was over.

Adults. The full kite week — lagoon for technique, downwinders along the coast, buggy access to Mundaú and the river-mouth sessions. Whether one parent kites or both, the schedule is built around your week, not around a group.

What the Non-Kiter Does

This is the question we get most. The honest version: most of the day takes care of itself.

A typical day for a non-kiting parent and the children: breakfast at the villa, pool, beach, a walk into the village mid-morning, lunch back at the villa or at one of the two or three local spots we like, siesta or pool again, late-afternoon volleyball or trainer kite on the sand, dinner together.

One day in the week, the family usually comes with us in the buggy on the dunes route to Mundaú — even the non-kiters. It's a full day out, and it tends to be the one everyone remembers. Last season a family came along on that route and we all ended up kiting in Mundaú together by the end of the afternoon.

For families who want it, we coordinate nanny service at additional cost. Most families don't end up needing it, but it's there.

The Food

Menus are adapted, full stop. We've had a child who only ate pasta for a week. We've had a family that loved fish except for one daughter who didn't. None of this is a problem. Martine cooks for what the family actually eats, not what's on a printed menu.

Daily breakfast and dinner are included. Lunch isn't — that's deliberate. It gives families flexibility to eat at the villa, in the village, or pack something for the beach.

We're not formal about it. Kids ask for things during the day. The kitchen says yes. That's the house.

Three Family Configurations We've Hosted

All-kiter families. Parents and older kids all riding. The week functions as a progression week with shared sessions and meals.

Mixed families. One parent kites, the rest of the family is here for the place. This is probably our most common family configuration.

Families starting children in kite. Parents who ride and want to introduce the kids — trainer kites first, then lagoon lessons if the child takes to it.

All three work. None of them require modifying the structure of the week.

Practical Notes

• Rooms are large; an extra single bed is free of charge.

• Daily breakfast and dinner included. Lunch is not.

• Nanny service available at additional cost.

• No connecting rooms.

• Season: mid-July through end of October — families can choose any week.

If you're thinking about bringing the family, the next step is a short conversation. Tell us the ages, the dates you're looking at, who rides and who doesn't, and we'll tell you honestly whether your week works.

WhatsApp is the fastest way

— Ivan