To be honest, buildings are not my favourite piece of LEGO. There are a lot of great sets for sure, but nothing that appealed to me that much. Now this set fitted quite well into my collection of holiday-themed sets, even though it mainly consists of camper vans mobile homes. But there has to be a place, where also those thrill-seeking tourists get their gear or some lessons in surfing, don't they?

Parts

As with most Creator sets, lots of basic bricks, tiles, plates and windows. They come in so many colours in this set, it opens up a ton of possibilities for ones own imagination. Three surfboards are included, as well as a safety buoy and a pizza box. Some googly eyes are also included as is a staircase-part.

Minifigures

Two minifigures are included in this set: a male adult (the father) and a kid-sized girl (the daughter). Both have double-sided heads with different expressions. As mentioned above, there is little gear for them, but that is not really necessary. In my opinion, a third minifigure, maybe a customer to the shop, would have been nice.

The build

Not really difficult, but you have to pay some attention here and there, due to several parts with the same colour scheme (the tan bricks, for example). By now, I have only built the main model, the surf shop, so I can't really say something about the other two. The build is very straightforward, starting with the animals, then the base of the house, outer walls, interior and the stairs. The next step covers the upper level with the balcony, porch, interior of the "living room" and the roof with the sign.

The completed model

The outcome of the build is a very colourful, appealing house with two floors. In the basement, there's a small surf and diving shop with some diving gear for sale and a surfboard mounted to the outer wall. It has large windows to the sides, so it's not too dark inside. To the front is a small piece of sand and seashore with some stylised waves, a palm tree and the support beams for the balcony. There is also a shower with floor tiles, soap and taps for hot and cold water.
The upper floor has a small living room with a bed, a fridge and a sink. It has large windows and a door to a small balcony with a single chair. A set of stairs leads up the entrance to the room, which is protected by a roof seemingly made of palm leaves.
There are a few functions to the set, mainly the large pieces that can be opened. These are the part with the balcony and the water as well as the one with the staircase. This way, the interior is easily accessible for better playing. The "Surf"-sign on the rooftop can be rotated 360°.

Overall opinion

This is one really beautiful set! The colours appeal to the eye, the design is rugged, yet cozy, and the overall design looks very natural, like it was built from what was available at the time. While I would have liked some kind of fixing for the openable sides of the building, these are awesome for getting access to the interior and playing with the provided minifigures and all those that stop by. There are so many options in playing, building and integrating it in a collection. And that is only the one model, that I've built so far! From the looks, the lighthouse and the holiday villa also look very nice! Guess I'll have to build these soon!
The set is available at a price of around 35-40€, which is OK for the number of parts. Since it is rather new, there will probably be better discounts on the future, which I definitely recommend capitalizing on! This set is a great addition to every collection!!