Watermark Surf House

Surfing Holidays Porto | Espinho | Esmoriz | Portugal

Surf holiday question 1. What are the main differences between our two houses/locations – Esmoriz and Espinho?

1. What are the main differences between our two houses/locations – Esmoriz and Espinho?

Even though Espinho and Esmoriz are only 7 km far between (5 minutes by train) the two places are quite different.
Esmoriz is a great choice if you’re planning to travel with a group of friends, or even with your all family, as it is more about nature, relaxation and quietness. Our surf house there hosts up to 6 persons, which makes it easier to take it all for you. And we do offer special prices for groups! The house is 200 meters far from the beach and the closest surf spot totally fits the surroundings! Wonderful restaurants and bakeries, bars, laundry and supermarket are all at walking distance from the house. And the train station is only 25 minutes walking, 10 minutes by bike!

As surfing is concerned, Esmoriz area has lots of surf spots to offer, most of them only with a handful of people surfing. The spots are not so consistent as in Espinho, especially out from the Summer season, but because there are several ones, usually when one of them is not working properly on the day there’s another one starting to pump up.

Espinho has a more urban beach pulse and it’s busier when compared to Esmoriz, both in and out of the water! Our surf house combines a mixture of history with a more modern approach and surfing vibe and has different types of accommodation that suits different needs. It is only 30 meters from the beach and main surf spot, allowing our guest to leave the house with their wetsuit on. We’re also 200 meters from the train station and at a walking distance from everything else you might need: great restaurants, tasty bakeries, supermarkets, laundry, local market, shops, bars… even the Casino!
As surfing is concerned, the best surf spots are only a few steps away from our place and are really consistent and suit all surfing skills! During high season it can get a bit more crowded but that's why we are here for...

Surf holiday question 2. What type of guests usually stay in each of our surf houses?

2. What type of guests usually stay in each of our surf houses?

Well… it all comes down to what type of surfing holiday vacation you want, right?! But anyway, most of our guests have surfing as their main goal. Nightlife and crazy hangovers are more a thing of their past, meaning that if party is your main motivation, maybe we are not your best option. Just being honest.

In Esmoriz most of our guests are small groups of friends, or even families, that want to get the whole surf house for themselves (6 persons), willing to make the most of our group's special offers.
In Espinho, our guests are usually single travelers, small groups of friends and couples. And about their ages, the average guest we have are between 25- 33 years old. Not saying you are not welcome otherwise.

Our watermark surfers are mostly beginners, in small groups and our surf beaches have safe sand based ocean floors. Making it one of the best surf beaches in Portugal to surf for beginners. But because we have surf houses we can facilitate for different types of surf holiday vacations and types of people and even companies. For example: Family surf holidays, surf and yoga holidays, surf holidays for singles. If you are a company who needs to facilitate a special type of event or surf holiday, please contact us personally so we can talk about the possibilities.

Surf holiday question 3. Where is the best place to surf and what’s the best time to surf in Portugal?

3. I’m stoked about surfing. Where is the best place to surf and what’ is the best time to surf in Portugal?

Most of our surfers are beginners. All the surf spots in the porto area are sandbars (no rocks/reef breaks). They change with the overall conditions, but most of the year they should suit all levels of surfing.

In Esmoriz area there are a lot of surf spots. The closest one is 200 meters far from our house. They are not the most consistent ones, but because there are quite a few of them, usually when one is not working properly anymore there’s another one that will work! The beaches in Esmoriz are less crowded and offer some of the best landscapes of North Portugal. Surfing is relaxed here and the lineup has only a couple of surfers most of the times.

In Espinho, our house is only 30 meters far from the beach and best surf spot in Espinho, which is very consistent and offers great conditions to all surfing levels. It gets a bit crowded on the weekends and especially during August, according to our standards, Of course, if you already surfed well-known locations before you probably will be pleasantly surprised about the size of the crowd here… Different standards!

We understand you want to have an idea of what to expect in different period of the year. We have a "notes from the locals" article series where we document our personal surf experiences in all the months of the year we are open. There are also a couple of other articles which will help you get an idea. Note that we are closed from Half November until the end of March. Please click on the link and get information about that specific month.

Surfing per season:

Surf holiday question 4. What about the weather and water temperatures in Northern Portugal?

4. What about the weather and water temperatures in Northern Portugal?

Let’s cut to the chase: it’s cold! And it changes from freezing cold during the Winter to “less” cold during the Spring, fresh in the Summer and ok on late Summer / early Autumn. But that’s why we have some nice 4.3 mm wetsuits for you! So no excuses to skip surfing!
Temperature-wise, from 12 degrees on the bad days to 21 degrees on a great day!

About the general weather and air temperatures, In Winter is can get cold and temperatures can get to 2 degrees on the coldest nights, 9 during the day. In Spring the temperatures rise to about 12-24 degrees average. In Summer is it nice, not extremely hot. Temperatures can go from 17 degrees at night to 30 degrees during the day. Bikinis and shorts are needed, as well as some nice hoody for the night! Autumn has some colder nights but it is still warm during the day. The last couple of years the rain happened in January, February and April. Also March and May brought occasional rain.

Surf holiday question 5. What services and surf vacation packages do you offer?

5. What services and surf vacation packages do you offer?

We provide single services that guests can customize and surf vacation packages.

  • About our packages:
  • 3 Nights Surf Pack;
  • standard Weekly Surf Pack;
  • Weekly Surf Pro;

  • Regarding our single services:
  • Surf lessons;
  • Surfing rentals;
  • Skate lessons (min. 3 people, except for weekly surf packs);
  • Massage;
  • Yoga sessions (min. 3 people, except for weekly surf packs);
  • SUP tours (Barrinha de Esmoriz and organized tours);
  • Airport transfers;

Surf holiday question 6. Can I book a single surf lesson or other service separately, out from a package?

6. Can I book a single surf lesson or other service separately, out from a package?

Yep! Doesn’t matter if you book only a surf accommodation or if you come with a surf vacation package. You can always add extra surf lessons, as well as any of the services provided, including extra nights. Note that some of them you can’t request through our website, as they are subject to availability.

Surf holiday question 7. I’d love to visit Porto! Is it possible?

7. I’d love to visit Porto! Is it close?

It’s more than doable- frankly you should not waste on this opportunity! Why? Because Porto is close, fast, cheap and there’s no need to have a car. Both in Espinho and Esmoriz the train station allows you to get to the centre of Porto in 20-30 minutes. Then you’ll have a complete world to discover and explore, inside of such a small, historical and beautiful city.
Even though the train’s schedule changes along the year, usually the last train leaves Porto at around 01:15 am. The first one leaving from Esmoriz / Espinho to Porto is around 6 am. Timetables and rates are available at CP website, or through their mobile app.

Surf holiday question 8. Can I get a discount, please?

8. Can I get a surf holiday vacation discount, please?

Of course, you can! Here’s how:

  • Get your friends or family together and request our Esmoriz house for yourselves. We'll get you an amazing deal so that you and your surfing mates can have a blast! Check the rates on our Esmoriz page (Accommodation & rates section)
  • Are you a returning guest? Then you may count with our best attention and a special 5% discount.
  • Come for a surf holiday outside of the high season. Yes, it’s colder and conditions are more unpredictable, but it’s also true that it is less crowded and the prices overall are cheaper!
  • Also, stay tuned for our early limited sales! Best way to do be the first to know it’s to subscribe for our surf newsletter or follow us on our social media channels: facebook, youtube, google plus, pinterest and twitter )

Surf holiday question 9. Ok, let’s do this! How shall I book and how does the payment works?

9. Ok, let’s do this! How shall I book and how does the payment works?

  • Go to our Booking page and in about 2 minutes you will get your reservation completed.

  • After filling all booking fields you will be asked a 30% payment, which you can do by choosing any of the payment methods available.

  • If you choose Manual Bank Transfer please send the operation's receipt to watermarksurfhouse@gmail.com (Name+ 30% deposit as subject) so that we close your reservation asap. Your booking status will stand as Pendant, and therefore bookable for other people until we have the deposit confirmation

  • You will receive in your email address a booking confirmation, which contains some important info for you to read!
  • Done! Now just need to count the days to your visit while following us on our Social Media

The remaining payment happens on-site, until the day before the check-out. By then, you can pay the balance due by cash or any of the following payment methods (some of them will have an extra fee applied):

- Bank Transfer: operation's receipt required

- Credit Cards:

  • Visa and Master Card: EU cards= + 1,8% extra fee Non- EU & commercial= + 2,8% extra fee
  • American Express = + 2,8% extra fee
  • Maestro
  • Carta Si and Cartes Bancaires = + 1,8% extra fee

- Online platforms:

  • IDEAL
  • SOFORT = + 1% extra fee
  • BANCONTACT

Surf holiday question 10. Considering the Covid19 situation, what changed since 2019?

1. Considering the Covid19 situation, what changed since 2019?

Besides all the safety recommendations & rules applied (follow the link), these are the main changes since 2019:

In our Espinho house:

  • room no.1 is no longer a dormitory but a private room. Its rates are available at the Espinho page and, even though its standard occupancy and rate are equivalent to 2 guests, it still can host up to 9 people maximum, belonging to the same group.
  • No shared bathrooms anymore. Rooms no.1 and 2 have their exclusive bathrooms and toilets.
  • No breakfast service

In our Esmoriz house:

  • The house is now sold as a whole.
  • Rates are available at the Esmoriz page and, even though its standard occupancy and rate are equivalent to 3 guests, it still can host up to 6 people maximum, belonging to the same group.
  • No breakfast service