In this little spot guide, I wanna present you four really nice beaches, that I have fallen in love with.
The Beach: Arrifana (the place we stayed at)
Arrifana is a sheltered bay open to the Southwest. The Majestic Cliffs offer amazing views. You can access the beach via a curvy street. Driving down is allowed, but you can not park your car down at the beach. It is better to park the car on the cliff and walk down. If after many hours of surf you are too weak to walk back up, you can get a ride in one of the electric shuttle cars that take you up the mountain for a Euro per person.
The Waves
Arrifana is sheltered from the Wind that generally comes from the Northwest, which is great in the summer as it can be quiet windy depending on the year. However as the swell tends to come from that direction also, the waves in Arrifana are a bit smaller than at most other beaches. The positive aspect, you can have clean waves on windy days, but Arrifana gets really crowded with surf school groups. I had my best sessions right before sunset, where people already left and the waves were really clean and empty. When it is small you have a beach break when it gets bigger, the waves start breaking close to the rocks by the harbor and you have a really nice right-hander breaking further out. In Summer Arrifana is definitely your place if you are a beginner.
Where to eat
I have two favorite places to eat in Arrifana:
One is the Sea You (maybe the name was inspired by TWOTHIRDS :-)) Cafe up on the cliff. Nice atmosphere, especially on the terrace. Decent healthy food at a reasonable price. Simple Food like Salads, Sandwiches and a couple of daily warm dishes, but really done with love.
The other is the Restaurante da Praia down by the beach with a view. Great for Sunset with a drink or good simple fish dishes and amazing ice cream. Thursdays they have really good live music.
The Beach: Amoreira
Amoreira is a little North from Aljezur. Driving through the Dunes you reach the North Side of the Beach with a parking lot and a little beach bar. The drive there is cool as it is total no man's land. You can also get to Amoreiras Southern Part by passing through Monte Clerigo. Here you also find a restaurant and a parking lot. However there is a river mouth which you can walk through during low tide, but be careful, because you can not during high tide. We actually had to rescue a Norwegian family that was stuck on the other side with Concha's SUP. A fun adventure. The river, however, is amazing, perfect for swimming and SUP.
The Waves
Amoreira is probably the best wave around and gets really good overhead high. Mainly a right-hander, crumbly during high tide and quiet tuby and powerful during low tide. Good for both: longboard and shortboard.
Where to eat
The restaurants at both south and north end of the beach are nothing special, to be honest. At the southern restaurant, you have a great view of the waves though.
The Beach: Monte Clerigo
Monte Clerigo is a bit more of a little town, with various restaurants and even a little school. Has a bit of an outlaw charm and the atmosphere at night around the restaurants is really nice.
The Waves
I have never seen Monte Clerigo bigger, but I was told that it has an amazing left-hander. I went out a couple of times with small surf on my SUP and had a good time. Gets quite crowded on weekends.
Where to eat
The O’Sargo Restaurant is probably one of the better ones in the area, quite pricey, but amazing food and massive portions. Highly recommended for a special night or if you have something to celebrate.
The Beach: Bordeira
A Beach around 12 km south of Arrifana. You have to walk quite a bit to the beach. If you do not want to cross a waist-high river, choose the parking on the cliff further down the road. The Beach is really long and you can definitely find a little spot away from the crowds, the further you are willing to walk.
The Waves
A great wave for summer. Fun left and right-hander, Surprisingly powerful on small days, going there you will always get a ride. Just be careful it gets blown out when it is too windy.
Where to eat
There is only a Beach Bar in the middle of the beach. But one of my favorite places is the Micro Bar in Carrapateira, just 500 meters up the Hill on the road to Sagres. Amazing Salads, the Best Burgers and tasty Lemonade, Fast Food converted in to made with love slow food. Just perfect.
I hope you enjoyed our little guide. I can only recommend this very special area in the South of Portugal. Go check it out,
Lutz.
