Travelling with children it’s not easy to spend hours exploring every dirt track, and road trips have been curtailed to deal with the constant feeding times and general mayhem of having kids in tow. Amado is also set up with plenty of surf schools and beachside amenities, so you can arrive hands-free and rent all your equipment or bag an instructor if you need one. Our favourites for family beach days include Praia Bordeira, with its lagoon protected from the waves, and Praia Amado, where you can surf a sandy-bottomed wave, take on the reef break, or simply bask on the sand until sunset. Forget about taking the fast track to the Europe’s south-westerly tip along the motorway, and hug the coast road, where every turning towards the Atlantic leads to a wave-lashed shoreline or stunning viewpoint along the rugged Costa Vicentina. Leaving the cobbled streets and littering of surf breaks in our wake, and pushing on past Lisbon (worth a pit-stop if you have time), the rest of the west coast is an intrepid surf trippers’ dream.
The surf was big and blown out, but with a front-row view from Noah Beach Restaurant, we watched a handful of locals tackle the rollers while tucking into freshly caught fruits of the sea. With self-contained bungalows, private decks with surf racks and outdoor showers, and a dedicated surf school, it’s made for families shy of slumming it on the road. Here, Noah Surf House brings together style and sustainability, in a designer ocean-side pad with a rooftop infinity pool, skate park, hot tub, fire-pit and organic veggie garden.
#Family surf holiday pro
Having made ourselves at home at Ride, it was a wrench to pack up and continue down the west coast, but we eventually piled into the van and cruised onto Santa Cruz – the wave magnet that’s home of the annual WSL Pro comp. Meanwhile I was more interested in stretching out my surfing muscles at a pilates class, steaming in the Turkish bath and sampling the contemporary Portuguese cuisine with a glass or two of vino branco before hitting the king-size bed. Between activities the wild things flopped out in the lounge area in front of a surf movie, or spent the last of their energy playing table football, air hockey, snooker and table tennis. Then there’s a slack line to get to grips with your balance, a bouldering wall for working on mind and muscle co-ordination, bikes for getting around and exploring the coast, and a heated outdoor pool for a dip between activities.Īll this is enough to keep any family stoked – especially when the staff are happy to steal your kids off surfing or organise a babysitter so you can hit the waves for a solo sesh. As well as a surf academy with expert instructors, high-tech kit and a shuttle to the best waves of the day, there’s also a skate academy and skate park. Ride is a place where action and style merge seamlessly. Staying at Ride Surf Resort and Spa, we had much more than surf on the doorstep. As a go-to surfing destination with everything at your fingertips, it’s one of Portugal’s finest. Every shop-front you pass is piled high with surfing paraphernalia or pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), and you’re only ever footsteps from the waves. There’s a string of breaks from the red rocks of Almagreira and the peaks of Baleal, to world-famous Supertubos and the sands of Consoloção. It wasn’t enough just to be by the beach I wanted accommodation with surf instruction on tap, onsite facilities for active children, and kids’ clubs or babysitters, so I could sneak out for a wave on my own or have some me-time in the spa or the bar.Īn easy hop from Lisbon, we started our journey in Peniche – a vibrant surf town boasting a break for every wind and swell direction. So, on our recent trip to Portugal, I made it my mission to seek out stylish, family-friendly hotels by the waves, where we all had the opportunity to hit the surf in our own time, or as a family. And while the Cornish winter was still serving up a brain freeze with every duck dive, in springtime Portugal lured us with its blue skies, great waves and a diet of custard tarts, fresh seafood and cold beer.įinding time to surf with three kids in tow has never been easy. As a single mum of three boys, I go back year-on-year so we can all get our fix of sunshine, saltwater and seaside living. Being so easy to get to, with beautiful beaches, a family-friendly culture and year-round sunshine, it’s hard to beat. Portugal has long been one of our favourite family surfing destinations.
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