In the streets of a Portuguese fishing village
Updated: Apr 25, 2021
I decided to escape for a couple of days to Portugal and thought to share some insights of my trip. It was such a fun and exciting time and I really wish I could've stayed longer.
ACCOMMODATION I was staying at the Chillin surf house in Ericeira (http://chillinericeira.pt/) and I can highly recommend it! The staff is super nice, it’s really well organized and the atmosphere is super fun! All the guys are awesome and the house itself so cute! The guests come from anywhere in the world and share the surf spirit! They also offer daily surf lessons and go to the best spots and at the best possible time according to the conditions. Moreover, they organize dinners and night outs every day where you can just sign up. Breakfast is already included in the price and offers everything you need like bread, cereals, coffee and tea, eggs, fruits, etc.
Btw, I can also recommend the surf lessons since they really know their stuff and what they’re talking about. However, you can always just join for the ride and surf by yourself :)
THE SURF The most important point! It was my first time surfing in Portugal and it was amazing! So many surf spots within a 10-minute drive only and the waves are long and of such good quality. (Obviously, you gotta be lucky as well since it’s the ocean and I’m sure you can have bad luck too, but in my case it was perfect! Light offshore, decent swell, not too crowded…) I’ve mainly surfed “Ribeira d’Ihas”. It’s a very fun reef break (mainly right), which is also quite long and mellow. The good thing is, that there are several peaks so the crowds (at least in November) weren't an issue.
Alright, I had to get used to the water temperature again… The water was really cold and it was just alright to surf without booties and gloves. However, I could’ve used booties as well since my toes were getting numb quite fast. I definitely needed a 4/3 and would have felt even better with a 5/4. But this depends on how resistant you are.
WHAT ELSE? It was my first time in Portugal and I totally fell in love with this country! The people are so cool, the coast is beautiful and it offers amazing surf. Also, it’s really easy to get around with English and communicate with the locals. Unfortunately, I didn't have that much time to travel to Lisbon or to the south coast. But Ericeira itself is such a cute fishing village. It's really small but offers everything you need. Restaurants, supermarkets, shops, bars. It has a nice vibe and surfers everywhere. If you don't have a car, you can still buy everything you need, however, it might be hard to get to the surf spots. As I said, I joined the camp's van so it wasn't an issue for me. I also know, that there's a special taxi, which brings you to different spots, so check it out in case you don't have the option to rent a car.
Anyway, it was definitely worth the trip (well of course it's always worth it as long as there are waves, but it was way better than I could've ever imagined!)
“Obrigado Portugal e te vejo em breve"