My summer in Portugal

“Surfing, we’re leaving!” called Aussie Pete, the surf instructor. I would hear him say this most mornings at 10am during my summer in Portugal, as the he tried to round up the students to head to the beach. Praia do Amado was the destination, the beach where I went several days a week to surf with the Algarve Surf School. I spent 2 months with them, and they were two of the best months of my life!

Summer is the time for surf, sun and sand, and summer in sunny Sagres is the best! Try saying that quickly three times… Sagres is located on the south-western tip of Portugal and is a small, relaxed town where you don’t feel the rush and mayhem of the European peak summer season. With striking vertical cliffs and deep blue water stretching out to the horizon, it has the very fitting nickname, “The End of the World”. In summer 2018 I visited a few places in Portugal but all the travelling I did left me pretty strapped for cash so in summer 2019 I chose a more budget-friendly option.

Algarve Surf School and Camp

This summer I spent two months working at the Sagres hostel of the Algarve Surf School and Camp. They also have a hostel in Lagos, a surf school based at Praia do Amado (Amado Beach) and a surf shop in Sagres for rentals and surf merch. It was so much fun! At any time there were three of us living in the hostel, looking after breakfast, cleaning and guest check ins. The best part was that we were allowed to borrow boards and wetsuits from the shop, or if there was space for us we could join the surf lessons at Amado. Basically when I wasn’t on a shift I was surfing so I spent most days in the water. It got to the point where I couldn’t remember how many days of surfing I had between washing my hair.

Hanging out at the Algarve Surf School Sagres hostel

I was such a great hostel, the managers were a super interesting kiwi couple who had been travelling through Europe together for years doing interesting volunteering and working experiences. I was only a bit jealous of their trip. But they ran a great hostel with lots of fun events and dinners with the guests. I walked away with some nice cocktail and food recipes and hilarious drinking games. It really felt like a home away from home which is why so many guests returned multiple times.

Surfing in Sagres and the Algarve region

When I first visited Portugal and went to the beach I was so confused. It was a beautiful sunny day and the beach was absolutely packed, but barely anyone was in the water and the temperature was in the mid-thirties. I quickly discovered why - the water was freezing! Well, not literally, but it was cold enough that my feet were almost numb and when I gave up after a few minutes, my skin was pink from the cold water. So if you assume it was beautiful and warm like Spain, no way! Everyone was in the surf in full wetsuits and some students at the school opted for booties.

Taking one of the big foamies out for a surf at Amado

The surf itself was a mixed bag but it was pretty similar to Auckland. A lot of beach breaks, some good, consistent spots, some that only got surf when there was a big swell and some that barely had any at all. Apparently the surf gets a lot better outside of peak season which I could see. At Amado there was usually at least some small waves but often it was really choppy or the current was super strong. The nearest surf beach to the hostel was called Tonel and I would go there before or after a shift and about 25% of the time it would be surfable. I also surfed once at Arrifana which was about an hour away from Sagres and once each at Cordoama and Castelejo which were about 15 minutes away, all on the west coast. There were a few other surf beaches in the area but I was happy with the ones I visited, they were all beautiful. My favourite was Tonel, I had one or two really stellar days and it was so cool surfing under the huge cliffs with the fortress on top.

Having so much fun on the boat party I didn’t notice they were taking a photo…

The boat parties

Should I mentioned that one of the best parts of the trip was the boat party, a few hours of chilling on a boat, listening to music and drinking? Oh, and diving into the cold north Atlantic water from the top deck. That was pretty fun too. I won’t really say too much, I think the photo does the talking for me pretty well!

Sagres and the towns of Algarve

In my first summer in Portugal I spent my time visiting the cities on the west coast and in the 2019 summer I did the south coast, which is the Algarve region. I started in Faro, then Portimão followed by Lagos which was my last stop before spending several weeks in Sagres. Faro was pretty quiet, a lot of the buildings around the town were deserted and you actually have to take a bus or a boat out to one of the beaches because there’s a huge marshland around the area. It’s a national park and I was really bummed out that I didn’t make it to see the flamingos. All I had time for was a trip out to one of the little islands that’s basically all beach but it was so windy that I called it a day after an hour and took the earlier boat back.

Taking a break from paddleboarding around the Lagos coast

After that I took the bus to Portimão which was super touristic, filled with English tourists there for some fun in the sun so if that’s your thing then go crazy. Wasn’t really my cup of tea though and I was glad that for the one night I spent there I had some friends I met along the way to hang out with. Beautiful beaches there though! I bussed to Lagos after that where I spent quite a few days, maybe 8. I didn’t really need that many but it was nice to chill out somewhere and get in lots of beach time. It also gave me a chance to fly my drone which was fun but hot work. It’s touristic like Portimão but it’s a much younger, party focused crowd, largely made up of Aussies which can be a lot of fun or hella annoying. I love the landscape there, the whole coast is incredible limestone cliffs with heaps of holes and caves which I explored by drone, foot and paddleboard.

Sagres was definitely my favourite town in the Algarve, it had a really laid back vibe without feeling abandoned like Faro. There were only a few bars but they were really fun to go to for a night out. I think if I wasn’t surfing so much I might’ve gotten very bored after spending two months there but it was so nice to unwind and enjoy a slower pace of life.