Are you looking for a surf camp right on the beach where you can walk to the spot with your board in hand? At the Goodtimes surf camp on the picturesque Costa Verde in northern Portugal, you can expect wide gardens, professionally guided surf lessons for all levels, daily yoga classes and excellent food throughout the day. Here you can unwind and relax in a cosy family atmosphere.
CAMP
Goodtimes Camp is located in northern Portugal just before the Spanish border. Three houses at the end of a small village street offer a wonderful setting for a well-balanced surfing holiday. Just a few steps from the beach and surrounded by large conntected gardens, the camp is surrounded by nature on the edge of a less touristy bay. For over 10 years, each house is decorated and furnished with great attention to detail by a team of several people every year. Upcycling is a major theme in our camp and makes the furnishings particularly interesting.
All the living rooms of the houses have cosy seating areas and are equipped with books, games, guitars and a fridge with cool drinks. In the gardens there are various shady or sunny seating areas, outdoor beds, a fire pit and a sauna to relax tired muscles in the evening. Those who want to be active alongside the surf and yoga lessons can use the spikaball or volleyball net or other garden games or simply go to the beach, which is right on the doorstep. So everyone can find a place to relax or exercise alone or in company.
In one house, breakfast and lunch are served during the day on the terrace, in the garden or in the dining room with a view of the bay. In the evening, dinner is served in 3 courses in the garden of the neighbouring house while the sun sinks into the sea behind the tables. A third house offers a quiet retreat for open yoga classes, either in the cosy living room with sea views or on the specially built yoga platform in the garden.
In addition to the living rooms, each house has 4-6 rooms and you will stay in a single or double room with shared or private bathroom, depending on your wishes and companion.
The character of the camp is informal and we mainly eat together, with breakfast and lunch being served in buffet style. We are not a party camp, but the evenings are always very sociable and a nice group feeling develops over the week. Our guests are on average 30-40 years old and travel alone, as a group or as couples. Twice a year we offer family holidays with surf courses for children. Just write to us if you are interested. Otherwise, we are also happy to welcome families outside of these weeks and offer the appropriate basic equipment (cots, high chairs, etc.).
LOCATION
Northern Portugal is known for being less touristy and the bay in Gelfa still attracts with empty lineups and a spacious beach surrounded by a protected deep green forest area. From the camp, a wooden path runs along the entire bay to the neighbouring village, where there are cafés, bars and small shops. If you fancy exploring the beautiful hinterland, you can discover secluded hiking trails, glistening waterfalls, wild horses and fragrant eucalyptus forests. For those who are more drawn to nature, the Portuguese hinterland and the Sierra D'Arga nature reserve offer wonderful hiking, swimming and outdoor sports opportunities. Excursions to medieval towns such as Caminha or Viana do Castelo and of course to the picturesque city of Porto, which is around an hour away, are also worthwhile. The team will also organise an excursion to the region as part of your holiday.
SURF COURSES
Whether you want to learn to surf for the first time or have been surfing independently for years. At Goodtimes Surfcamp there are courses for 3-4 different levels, led by qualified instructors with several years of experience. As we are located at the end of a long bay, we have access to the water practically to ourselves. The bay itself offers suitable sandbanks for all surfing levels. There are various ideal white water spots along the beach and pleasant beginner waves at the edge of the bay, which run in through a breakwater. In the centre and south of the bay, the waves can get bigger, so intermediates and advanced surfers will also get their money's worth.
You decide which level we should register you for when you book. However, you can also change courses on site if it feels right for you and the course sizes allow it.
The maximum number of participants per course is 8, depending on the level, and our trained and licensed instructors attach great importance to personalised support and attention so that you can achieve your individual surfing goals. The course lasts around 3 hours a day and we usually go straight down to the beach together with our boards under our arms.
BEGINNER
If you've never been surfing before or have little experience, our beginners' course is just right for you. Here you will learn step by step what is important in surfing and learn your first moves. In the course, you will start by gliding and steering in the whitewater and can practise your first attempts at standing up in the white water wave. For effective and sustainable training, you will be recorded by us and can better understand and adapt your movements with a video analysis. We also offer surf theory sessions several times during the week, in which you will learn the basics of surfing in relation to weather, waves and tides as well as an introduction to equipment. This course is the perfect introduction to surfing and you may even end up catching your first green wave.
INTERMEDIATE
If you already have surfing experience but still need support in the line-up, you can let our instructors accompany and train you in our intermediate course as you ride green waves and make your first manoeuvres. Through targeted exercises on the beach and in the water, as well as professional video analysis, you will improve your take-off, your timing and your wave selection, as well as learning your first manoeuvres. The intermediate course also focuses on independent orientation and behaviour in the line-up, paddling technique when starting out and surfing parallel in the waves. The first basic manoeuvres, such as the bottom turn, are also discussed. During the course, you will always have the opportunity to try out different boards from our test centre and adapt them to your level.
ADVANCED
If you have been surfing for a while and can ride green waves in parallel, our advanced course is ideal for the next steps. Do you feel comfortable in the water, can you orientate yourself independently, decide successfully when to paddle to which wave and know which rules to observe in the line-up? Then this is the right place for you. Above all, we will work on optimising movement sequences and, depending on your surfing level, learn new manoeuvres. In addition, tactical behaviour in the line-up will be discussed in order to improve energy consumption and increase the number of waves surfed per session. In order to work even more specifically on your technical skills, we will carry out at least one video movement analysis. Our equipment is also available to you outside of the courses so that you can further develop your own skills or practise new movements. Here you can try out all types of surfboards, from longboards and fun shapes to shortboards.
SURF EQUIPMENT
During your holiday, we provide a wetsuit for the surf lessons as well as a suitable board for your surfing level and the conditions on the day. In the camp we have softtops, semi-softtops and hardboards in different shapes and sizes, so that the right material is available for all levels and conditions.
You also have the opportunity to use our equipment beyond the courses and go into the water independently. Talk to us directly on site for more optimal surfing conditions on the day.
YOGA
There is an open yoga class at least 5 days a week, which you can attend flexibly. Our trained yoga teachers have several years of experience and adapt their classes to the wishes of the participants, the time of day and the previous surf programme, so that either a dynamic Vinyasa flow or a relaxing and stretching Yin unit can be offered. A 75-minute session costs €15 and the costs incurred are simply settled on site at the end of your holiday.
In addition to the yoga classes, you also have the opportunity to use our yoga equipment and do your own exercises on the yoga platform or directly by the sea.
Instead of a week's surfing holiday, you can also attend one of our various yoga retreats in Portugal. We work with several trained yoga teachers and offer a range of programmes from YinYoga, Vinyasa flows and meditation to empowerment retreats. Between revitalising and relaxing yoga sessions, you can also expect the beach on your doorstep, professionally guided surf courses, first-class catering, extensive gardens and free time to unwind. Just write to us if you are interested.
FOOD
It is important to us that our culinary offer also gives you a holiday feeling and so we attach great importance to excellent catering. Your day at Goodtimes Surfcamp starts with a big breakfast buffet, where you can expect warm bread rolls, various cold meat and cheese platters, sweet and savoury, vegan and vegetarian spreads, vegetables and a muesli station with fresh fruit. Throughout the week, the buffet is supplemented with various extras so that you can start every day full of energy.
Lunch usually takes place after the surf courses and is also offered in the form of a buffet. You can expect freshly prepared salad variations, soups and stews or various vegetable dishes. The food can be eaten at tables indoors, in the garden, on the terrace, in a settee or on one of the outdoor sofas, depending on your preference for sunshine, shade and cosiness.
In the evening, you can look forward to a 3-course meal served by our trained chefs at communal dining tables. While we focus on vegetarian cuisine for the general catering, you can also expect a fish or meat dish in the evening, whereby we naturally offer vegetarian or vegan alternatives. After a delicious dessert, the day can be rounded off wonderfully with a cool drink and a chat with the other guests.
On two evenings a week, the kitchen in the camp is closed and you have the opportunity to get to know the local cuisine. Our team will be happy to give you tips and recommendations on where and what specialities are on offer.
Throughout the day, a coffee and tea station, fresh water and a filled fruit basket are always available for you and if you like, you can get something sweet or savoury from the snack corner or help yourself from one of the drinks fridges (extra charge).
Of course, we care for intolerances, allergies and special dietary requirements and will ask about these during the course of your booking.
ARRIVAL
Normally, we have a weekly rhythm in the camp from Saturday to Saturday. This means that the courses start on Sunday. On request and depending on our availability, however, you are welcome to arrive earlier or later. Just write to us.
The camp is located approx. 80 km north of Porto and there are various options for travelling to us.
Probably the most uncomplicated way is to fly to Porto (OPO) and be taken from there to the camp by a shuttle service for an extra charge. Several journeys are offered on Saturdays from 9am to 6pm. Outside of these times, a transfer is also possible on request.
Another option is to take the train from Porto, which is particularly useful if you want to spend a day in the city beforehand. Definitely a recommended excursion destination! If you arrive by train, we will be happy to pick you up from the neighbouring town of Ancora free of charge.
You can also hire a car for your stay at the airport, giving you the independence and flexibility to go on your own excursions and discover the region. And if you have the time and the means, you can of course also travel by car - the drive along the northern Spanish coast is particularly beautiful.
**Feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions. We look forward to your enquiry and to spending time together by the sea!
