The surf forecast for Portugal is looking pretty solid for the next week. And that week happens to be the week of the Rip Curl Pro in Peniche.
Check this video to warm up.
Rip Curl Pro: It will be good
Lovely video about the Basque Country
From the desert of Spain to the waves of the Basque Country. You get a good view of the country-and the oceanside.
Skip work and surf
Such a great event
Volkswagen vans have always been a great way to travel and surf. And Volkswagen vans and surf culture have a long intertwining history.
Rich Kimball is right in the middle of this surf culture. As a community organizer for Southern California VW enthusiasts, Mr Kimball loves to gather people together around their shared passions.
He finally decided to bring his two passions together and create Big Wednesday, a VW gathering/surf contest/beach day at San Onofre State Beach.
It’s a beautiful thing when people decided to hop in their VW and “Skip work and surf”.
Check out the video:
Skip Work and Surf from #thatvanagain project on Vimeo.
20 most epic surfspots
Check out these 20 epic surfspots worldwide. From China to Hawaii. Did you know them?
Mick Fanning’s secret wave
Where is the Snake Wave surf spot
You probably saw this video last week right? A perfect wave. Called “The Snake“. No one knows where it is. Only Mick and the cameraman. We actually think it’s somewhere in Morocco, the land of the right-hand point break.
Check out the video. What do you think?
Why we will not rent a car at Sixt car rental. Ever again.
Sixt Review
Let’s start with the first story. But the second one is worse.
Great welcome by Sixt. And then…
The first time the men’s team of Surf Escape and Boardshortz went to the Algarve tfor a surftrip. Through Rentalcars.com we hired the car earlier this fall. A great site to get an idea of prices. With also a prompt customer service.
Here we found a cheap rental car at a well-known name in rental; Sixt. In the price was also an additional driver included. Typically, this additional costs of roughly 10 bucks a day. Now it was included.
On arrival at Faro we got a Nespresso by the Sixt employee. They were super friendly and we even got an upgrade. A spacious Renault Scenic Bose. Surfboards in and we were on our way.
The four days were great. Sun and waves after a few weeks of cold gray weather.
Salt stains or grains of sand?
On the day of return we had neatly filled up the car. Immediately after parking at the Sixt office two handsome Portuguese women ask us how the surf trip was. They also wanted us to give a review. We gave a pretty good review.
From there it went wrong.
They saw salt stains on the couches. And told us this was to be cleaned in some special way with a price tag of 50 euro. WTF!
1. There were no salt stains.
2. They were of grains of sand.
Period.
Sixt agreed with us that it were grains of sand. But still, the car had to be returned clean. And the Sixt lady showed the back of the rental form. You know, those little gray sentences. There it was, indeed, the car had to be returned clean. But how can you prevent sand during a beach holiday? You tell me.
We were in a hurry and had to catch the flight. But we drove ourselves quickly to the carwash where they had a vacuum cleaner. And hops, just handed the car on time. And the Sixt lady agreed, a bit cranky.
Bonus for extra costs?
Is there a bonus bringing up those fees? It is only a presumption.
But here’s surttrip 2
The second surf trip. Exactly two weeks later. Now the ladies of the team went down south. We had them well informed about cleaning the rentalcar if you have sand in your car.
Smart as they were, they asked upon arrival whether the car needed to be cleaned. Absolutely not they told. Ah, the rules changed? No, they were not.
The ladies took on the mega well that hammered Portugal, but fortunately the south coast had a lot shelterd posts. Just look at this surfmap.
When returning the car at Sixt, it also went wrong here.
With the same process; First be kindly welcomed back. Then they were told that those sand grains were not intended.
The ladies wanted to use the vacuum cleaner at the car wash. But this time it was broken.
So they had to pay the 55 euros, directly. Within two week a 10% increase of these costs.
Cancel Sixt rental
This spring we go to the Spanish coast for a trip. We have already booked with Sixt. So we will cancel it. And rebook to Hertz or Avis. Also here, you have to pay attention, but Sixt is quite dramatic.
The snakes in the grass from Sixt are very deep. You better pay ten or twenty euro extra.
And this story is not the only evidence that you shouldn’t book with Sixt. Check out the reviews at trustpilot. You will see quotes as:
SIXT fails appointments
and
!! Don’t rent at SIXT !!
or
Avoid at all costs
Camping Le Porge
Camping Le Porge is a gem. It’s a great campsite near Bordeaux. So one of the easiest campings to go to. And not in the crowds of Lacanau, the more famous surf spot.
You can camp their with your camper or tent. But it’s also possible to rent this beautiful safari tents.
Bougan Villas Burgau #algarve
Bougan villas are several villas owned by a dutch couple that have been living in Burgau for 40 years. Burgau is a typical and authentic village in the Algarve.
These appartments are well suited for couples and families with children. It’s spacious and has all you need for a great holiday in the Algarve. It has:
- A great heating system that make the appartments comfortable in the winter
- A swimmingpool. Not heated, so pretty cold in the winter and early spring.
- Amazing views over the ocean.
- Kitchen with all the necessities.
Maybe it’s better to show you some of the pictures. Let’s start with the view from the appartments.
And this is the street where you can parc your car.
And this are the appartments.
Check their website for more info.
Swell alert: Portugal will get hammered
Where to go?
Take a look at these predictions for this Thursday (tomorrow). There’s a big swell moving in the Atlantic ocean. And it’s aiming for Europe. England, France, Portugal and even Morocco will get hammered with waves up to 7 meter.
Check the surfmap below for the to-go-surfspots in the Algarve, Portugal
And that’s not the only thing. Check the period of the swell. It’s huge.
Because the wind looks to be coming from the west, the westcoast of Portugal will not be the place to be. Head south to the Algarve.
Follow our Facebook page to get daily updates on this swell and de surf opportunities.
Surfmap Algarve
We’ve made a surfmap of the Algarve with the surfspots to go to these coming days. We believe the Algarve has a lot of surf opportunities with a swell like this. Click on the icons on the map for more information. And of course, the green surf icons are the places to check.
Do you have spots to add? Let us and a viewers know in de comments below.
Video: Algarve #surfguide
Check this video about the Algarve. It shows the great possibilities of this most south western part of Europe. A great place to escape the darker winter days en get some sun and waves.