Surfing Camp for Teens in Portugal

On the west Coast of Portugal, the town of Santa Cruz is a delightful coastal resort with a palm-tree lined promenade full of colorful shops, cafes and restaurants. About an hour’s drive from the capital, Lisbon, our camp base is located just a short 15 minutes’ walk from the town center, shops and beachfront. Along the surrounding coastline and its majestic cliffs and coastal paths, there are over 20 beaches with long stretches of golden sand.

The region is considered as one of the best surfing spots worldwide. Competitions of the international surf circuit take place nearby. The local surf school, staffed by qualified and very experienced surf instructors, provides instruction and guidance to our campers attending the Surf programme.

The local Surf School has over a decade of specialist experience in the Santa Cruz area. They constantly monitor the tides, sea conditions and the changing positions of the sand bars. Each day the Surf School instructors choose the safest places and the best times for our surfers to learn and improve their skills in optimum conditions. Although the timing of instruction is flexible, lessons will average about 3 hours each day from Monday to Friday.

The main beach we regularly use is a 15-minute walk from Camp. In the 20 kilometers of coast around Santa Cruz there are 20 different beaches just a short car drive away.

During lessons, campers will be provided with specialty, quality equipment including a surfboard, rash guard and wetsuit. Our camp programme takes place in the height of the summer, when the superb beaches at Santa Cruz promise perfect conditions for beginners right through to the intermediate and advanced surfers.

Accomodation

Our accommodation is superbly positioned at a mere 15 minutes’ walk from the beaches and the town center of Santa Cruz, with shops, cafes and restaurants as well as historic buildings and quaint streets.

The recently constructed residence is exclusively contracted for our summer programme. The apartments are fresh, spacious and each accommodates 4-6 campers. All the apartments have full en-suite facilities.

Campers have open access to a large private swimming pool, games court, fenced grassed gardens, and exclusive use of two activity rooms to chill out and enjoy our busy evening programme.

During free time, campers in small groups enjoy the traditional village cafes and shops in town, which they can visit with their new-found friends from all over the world (younger campers are always accompanied by counselors on their outings).

Meals

Campers are provided with three nutritious, healthy and varied meals, every day. A salad bar with fresh daily produce is available at all meals. At breakfast time there are choices from cereals to pastries and fresh fruit and more. We cater for healthy young appetites so ‘second helpings’ are always available.

Some excursions include a packed lunch that campers will take with them.

Most special dietary needs can be accommodated, but please check in advance.

Camp Organisation

Children are assigned to groups according to their choice of programme as well as age and/or skill levels. The morning period (3hrs) is devoted to the campers chosen specialty programme. In the afternoons, campers from all programmes join together and choose from a selection of ‘sign-up’ activities.

Always present for all activities (at an average ratio of 1:6) are experienced counselors, trained well before camps start. Counselors are enthusiastic young people from around the world and their role at camp is to take care of your children making sure they are comfortable, safe and happy at all times. The majority are in the age frame 21-35 and bring with them a variety of cultures and languages, creating a wonderful international environment, which is our trademark!

Facilities

The Residence includes:

Swimming Pool

Games Court

Dining rooms

Grassed Gardens

Common Rooms

Games Equipment

Facilities in Santa Cruz include:

Beach

Shops

Cafes

Restaurants

Beach Volley

Museums

Outdoors nearby facilities include:

Hiking Trails

Mountain-biking Trails

Adventure Trails

Beaches

Unspoilt Forest Areas

Watersport Centre

Activity Centres

Museums

Evening Activities

Evenings are filled with exciting imaginative games, spectacular events and relaxing activities. These include:

Carnival Night - Counselors work hard to transform the whole camp into a Carnival filled with fun parlor games. Campers spend their afternoon playing awesome games like Strong Man, Oily Pig, Balloon Stomp, Hot Shot, Candy Guess, Karaoke and much more!

International Night – A night to learn about and represent countries other than your own. All of our campers are divided into different groups that represent countries around the world. Each group has to create and act on a special performance which can include singing, dancing, sharing fun facts, games, etc. Some of the campers are charged with preparing samples of national dishes from different countries for all campers and staff to try before dinner.

Movie Night – Campers settle in with their duvets and lots of pillows for a comfortable night in one of the common rooms. With a big screen and lots of popcorn, this is a welcomed relaxed evening after a long tiring day of activities.

Forest Games –Campers go to the nearby pine forest and split up into teams and compete in a favorite game called “Capture the flag”.

Campfire on the beach – Just before sunset campers enjoy treats and ice-cream and sit around the campfire for an event of singing, joke telling and fun.

Beach Olympics – Campers compete in specially designed beach events in teams and individually.

Special Farewell Dinner – A very special dinner event complete with a beautifully decorated dining room and slideshows of all the best moments at camp. Campers are pampered with table service provided by their very own counselors!

Sand Creation Competition – Each team has to decide a theme and the design of their sand sculpture. The most creative and well executed sculpture wins and the team members get a special treat.

Final Evening Festivities - There are awesome presentations by campers and a special edition of ‘Secret Friends’ hosted by special guests. And then finally it is time to dance the night away at our very own Disco.

Evening activities are often run independently for each separate age group but sometimes are organized as all-camp events where the entire camp comes together for some of the spectacular and much-anticipated all-time favorites.

Excursions

On all excursions we ensure free time for cultural visits, shopping and walking around in small groups. On visits to places of interest admission fees are included.

Highlight of excursions that take place over the two weeks are:

Obidos - a charming, walled medieval village, which is a UNESCO protected site. There are lots of small traditional shops selling souvenirs and local delicacies that include delicious chocolate covered local cherries.
Obidos Lagoon – the lagoon is a beautiful spot for a picnic but also perfect for the practice of various water sports.
Dolphin-watching – a memorable experience that starts by boarding a sailing catamaran to spot the indigenous Sado Dolphins, and includes a taste of the famous Portuguese doughnuts “Bolas de Berlim” as a snack on board.
Lisbon –a day trip to the capital city that includes sightseeing some of the amazing monuments, a visit to one of Europe’s biggest Oceanarium and lots of fun and learning in an Interactive Science Museum.