A typical day starts with the breakfast buffet in the camp kitchen. Then the shuttle takes you to whichever beach has the best conditions. The surf course runs Monday to Friday, with two 2-hour sessions a day, so a week gives you ten sessions and two weeks gives you twenty. Boards, leashes and wetsuits are provided for the duration of the course, so you don't need to bring any gear.

The week is built around a Sunday-to-Sunday rhythm. Technically you can arrive and leave any day, but courses always start on Monday and the welcome barbecue happens on Sunday evening. The camp recommends arriving and leaving on a Sunday, partly for practical reasons and partly because the group tends to get to know each other over the week. There's a second barbecue on Friday night, which works well as an end-of-course dinner.

What sets this camp apart from many surf camps is the range of options and budgets. You can book bed and breakfast only, a 1-week or 2-week surf package, or a surf and mountain bike combination. Budget travellers can bring a tent, park a campervan, or rent a tent from the camp. Accommodation goes from a basic caravan up to a Tiny House Deluxe, and prices are listed for each room type in both low and high season, so it's easy to see what you'll pay.

The mountain bike package is a real option and not an afterthought. Over a week you get 2 or 3 days of surf lessons and 2 or 3 guided mountain bike tours of 4–6 hours each, covering 40–60 km a day. You ride a high-end CUBE full-suspension 29er with a helmet, an experienced local guide plans the routes, and the shuttle bus takes you to the trailheads.

The surf school can't control the Atlantic. If the waves are too small, too big, or the weather is stormy, sessions are cancelled for force majeure. On those days the camp offers other sports as a substitute, so you aren't left with nothing to do.

The area is easy to live in. Praia da Areia Branca, 2 km away, has a small supermarket and a daily market with fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. Lourinhã, 4 km away, has larger supermarkets, including LIDL and ALDI, that stay open until 9 p.m. If you don't have a car, the camp team will take you shopping, and there are plenty of cheap cafés serving Portuguese food, a pizzeria and an Indian restaurant on the beach.

What's included

- 7 nights (or 14 nights) bed & breakfast in your chosen room type - Daily breakfast buffet - 2x BBQ per week (Sunday and Friday) for stays of a week or more, with vegetarian and vegan options - 10 x 2-hour surf sessions per week (2 sessions per day) on surf packages - Surfboard, leash and wetsuit during the course - Shuttle to the best surf spots in the area - Daily shuttle service to the camp's beach - Free use of beach cruisers - Free WiFi on the property - Surf & MTB package: 2–3 guided mountain bike tours (4–6 hours / 40–60 km) - Surf & MTB package: CUBE full-suspension 29-inch mountain bike with helmet - Surf & MTB package: shuttle to MTB trails and an experienced local guide - Shuttle transport to group leisure activities

What's not included

- Flights and travel to the camp - Travel insurance - Lunches and dinners (other than the twice-weekly BBQs) - Costs of optional excursions and activities (karting, horse riding, paragliding, etc.) - Breakfast (8 €) and BBQ (15 €) for camping guests - Group takeaway food orders - Personal expenses