‘I My youngest son shouts “this is the best beach on the planet!” as he leaps from a three metre high dune onto the soft, golden sandy shore. We’ve come to Praia de Monte Clérigo to watch the sun sink into the sea, and stumble upon a bay ripe for play with a babbling brook, rock pools, gentle swell, towering cliffs and rolling dunes. I agree with the colourful cottages of fishermen circling an unassuming beach bar.
Why is it so empty? “Why’s it so empty?” asks my son. This is a fair question given the beauty and tranquility of our surroundings. However, we soon discover that this is not uncommon on our slow exploration of Portugal’s least populated coastline.
Portugal’s South-West corner, between the Algarve resorts and the Alentejo’s rugged Atlantic coast, is the perfect compromise for families. The jagged coastline forms sheltered bays in between long sweeping beaches and the 81-mile (130km) Vicentine Coast natural park keeps development in check. The villages and towns are clinging to the coves that offer the best hospitality, or lining rivers that meander through cork forest and wetlands to the sea. The Fisherman’s Path and the Historical Way are two long-distance routes that offer plenty of opportunity to explore by bike or on foot. They also help keep the food and drink industry afloat. We often have the beaches, footpaths, and roads all to ourselves, even during Easter.
Rather than stay in an apartment on the coast, we opt for a family-run B&B called Muxima, a few miles inland from Praia de Monte Clérigo. Our boys, ages nine and eleven, will be able to roam around the large property while we read books and drink local wine. Within minutes of arriving, it’s obvious we’ve found a winner. “Would You Like to See My Katana?” Jackson, the 12-year-old son of owners Paula and Jelle, asks as we carry our bags to our room.
“Is it a real one?” “What, a real one?” Our oldest asks as Jackson and both boys run off into the distance. The kids have already left before I could ask them what a “katana” is. It’s a Japanese sword. The sword isn’t real.
Our family suite is the perfect place to relax while your children play. Our family suite is at the end one of two restored farmhouses in traditional style. taipa Buildings (made of a mixture consisting of compacted earth and straw), With natural pigment plaster. It has everything you need for long lazy nights and long naps. Muxima has seven rooms that are similar but differ in size. Deep red and ochre walls, straw light fittings and ceramic lamps make the dark interior feel more like north Africa than Portugal – perhaps a nod to the region’s history and our proximity to the continent. In the local town, Aljezur, surviving castle ramparts date back to Arab rule in the 10th century – the whole area was under Moorish rule until the mid-13th century.
“Let’s swim with the frogs!” the oldest shrieks, racing towards our bedroom. “I counted 18. But there are probably many more!”
Muxima’s naturally occurring swimming pool is a very inviting place, even with frogs. We relax on the pool deck after a refreshing dip and watch swifts flitting above eucalyptus. The boys are eager to show us the rope swing, chickens and the two-mile forest path where they had seen a grass serpent earlier. Everywhere, there are small groups of kids mucking around together.
In the communal living area, we chat with guests and play games. There is also an honesty bar, which has local natural wines. Some families come back every year and use Muxima’s base to explore the hiking trails or surf, depending on the weather. We are warned about the mosquitoes this year, as a wet spring has made them particularly bad. Paula gives us some homemade natural citronella essential oil before we get too worried. The land is treated with care by the use of the insect repellent. Muxima’s eco ethos permeates everything from the homemade ginger cake, muesli and freshly laid eggs at its daily vegetarian breakfast buffets (the only meal on offer) to handmade soaps and nice little touches such as keyrings made by local artists. Since 2019, Paula and Jelle, both Dutch, have run Muxima. They want to share with guests their passion for the wild.
Between unhurried moments, we discover plenty of things to see and do in the area. The first day, eager to hit the waves, we head out to Praia da Arrifana. This popular bodyboarding and surf spot is a great place to start. We hire bodyboards for €10 a day, and exhaust ourselves in time for a big lunch of cataplana de marisco (seafood broth) and hamburgers at the restaurant O Paulo on clifftop. The sky becomes grey on our second day. We decide to go for a hike. The four-mile circular Praia da Amoreira trail has butterflies, kingfishers and a river beach. Arte Bianca’s pizzas with loads of toppings are a reward for our hike. Next day, high winds and blue skies beckon us towards Europe’s southernmost tip. So, we drive 40 minutes south to shout into the wild Atlantic at Farol do Cabo de São Vicente and potter around the sleepy surf town of Sagres.
By day four, we’re itching to try some “proper surfing”, as the boys refer to it, and wake early to head out on our first of two lessons with Soul & Surf. There are many options for Soul & Surf, which is based near Lagos on the southern coastline (in a beautifully renovated farmhouse where you can stay to enjoy a full surf retreat).
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The instructors pick the location each morning depending on the conditions – so with a gentle offshore wind on the western coast, we spend each day at Praia da Bordeira, just over 20 minutes from our base by car and another frontrunner for the best-ever beach.
“OK, let’s catch some waves!” Bruno, our instructor, says this after we have slipped into wetsuits at the clifftop parking lot. After loading up the surfboards on a boardwalk we cross a stream and make our way to the wild expanse at Bordeira. Locals catch green waves to one side while we kickstart our session in a calmer spot in the middle of the beach.
Soul & Surf’s responsible ethos dictates that we begin each surf lesson with a beach clean, before warm-up exercises and mindful breathwork. Bruno said, “Surfing involves the mind and body. It’s impossible to do well unless you’re relaxed.” Perhaps Bruno was noticing the boys’ eagerness for the water. The boys didn’t need to worry. We all stood up on our boards within an hour, thanks to our experienced tutor. In our second lesson, all we need to do is pump (to move the board faster) and steer.
“When will we be going on our next surfing vacation?” the boys ask as we debrief over homemade energy bars and say goodbye to Bruno in the car park.
Upon returning to Muxima the boys share their experiences with anyone who is willing to listen. In addition to discovering a corner of a country that is often visited, the boys also made new friends and learned new skills during this week. We wonder the next morning if this is the perfect recipe for a family holiday.
Muxima‘s Family suites starting at £202 a night B&B. Soul & Surf‘s Surf lessons for private groups are available. £60pp For two hours
