Holiday Location Portugal | Karma Surf Retreat

Locations and surroundings of the Villas

Lisbon Area

Algarve

Guincho Bay Villa

The Guincho Bay Villa is located in Figueira do Guincho, right on the coast in a privileged residential area consisting of a handful of villas, with stunning views of the nearby Praia do Guincho and offshore coastline, just a 35 minutes’ drive from Lisbon. The south-facing location guarantees sun all day long.

The stylish and cozy villa will enchant you with the postcard-like panoramic sea view, which you can enjoy from each of the 5 rooms and the apartment. The huge property with natural garden surrounded by wild coastal scenery continues to offer numerous hideaways and chill-out areas being it cozy arranged natural places, meditation deck, hammocks or hanging chairs, and a large pool area with sauna, jacuzzi, and deck chairs, from where you can see all the different tones of blue fading from ocean to sky. There is a large yoga deck embedded in the hillside with fantastic views of the cliffs and the sea.

Find more details about your accommodation here.

Malveira da Serra

Malveira da Serra is a small picturesque mountain village which has kept its traditional regional charm and its friendly inhabitants lead a happy life close to the ocean.

There are some nice restaurants (Portuguese cuisine, seafood, pizza and other snack options), bars, hairdresser, pharmacy, banks, a bakery, a butcher, some small shops and a supermarket – all in about 10 minutes walk from our Villa .
The village itself is situated on the slopes of the Serra de Sintra, a mountain chain of at least 529m altitude, running from the Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point of continental Europe) to Sintra, a small historic town (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Activities

The adjacent National Park of Serra de Sintra offers numerous routes and hidden paths and trails for mountain biking, jogging, hiking, climbing, or even meditation. Many explorers have already discovered mystical places, hidden in the wild, ivy-curtained eucalyptus forests.
In close proximity (20 min. Radius) you will find huge range of possible leisure activities.

Whether in the water: surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, wakeboarding, scuba diving, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, sunbathing, etc.
On land: tour riding with a racing or mountain bike (MTB), quad (4WD), Segway or on horseback at the beach. Sightseeing, hiking, climbing, tennis, golf, etc.
Or even in the air: parachuting, paragliding, flying light aircraft, aerobatic or helicopter.

What ever you are interested in: We and our partners will take care of it!

Beaches

From the villa you can get to the beach of Praia do Guincho in only 5 minutes. Many other nice beaches are within a radius of 15-20 minutes and should satisfy everyone’s taste. It could be for example animated city beaches with calm water on the south coast (Linha) or the deserted beaches and coves of the wild shore of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast. The world-class surf spots from Ericeira are only 45 minutes away and it takes approx. 1h15 by car to Peniche. Even that close to Lisbon you have plenty of surfing and swimming beaches to choose from. See more about beaches in Lisbon area here.

Places

The nearby sights and attractions of the former fishing villages of Cascais and Estoril, or the historic Sintra, which lies in the mountains just behind the Villa, can be reached in just 15 minutes. You will find there many attractions, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs / night clubs, a beautiful beach promenade to stroll and even a casino.

It takes only 35 minutes by car to Lisbon. The proximity to the campital offers of course the advantage to explore this exciting city in your spare time. Here you will find a fascinating range of cultural, culinary delights and of course nightlife for the untiring among you.
This vibrant, growing, international city, reminds us somehow of our home city Berlin – with the only difference being the waves for surfing and sun.

Algarve Villa

The Karma Surf Retreat Algarve is situated amidst the beautiful rolling countryside in the Western Algarve, on the Parque da Floresta resort, which is one of Europe’s most spectacular golf resorts.

The resort itself is nestled in the hills between the south and west coast and is no more than 5 mins by car to the south and 15 minutes to the west coast beaches which are some of the best surfing beaches depending on swell direction and time of the year.

The villa is elevated and idyllically situated in a quiet peaceful location on a south facing hill which guarantees sun all day, with well maintained gardens and stunning panoramic views over the 18 hole par 71 golf course right on the edge of the beautiful Costa Vicentina nature reserve. Luxurious villas and charming village houses surround the centre piece of the resort.

Apart from golf there are many other leisure activities available at the resort such as golf driving range, floodlit tennis, bowling, football, choice of several swimming pools and gymnasium, Spa and a range of bars and restaurants.

Budens and Salema

The sleepy village of Budens is on your doorstep. But you can find there a large well stocked super market, petrol station, bakery, post office and some restaurants and local bars and cafes.

The traditional fishing village of Salema is just 2 minutes drive away. With its beautiful beach and small village houses, Salema offers a nice place to sun bath and has a vibrant summer ambience with some fine restaurants and bars nestled amidst its cobbled street.

Activities

The beautiful Costa da Vicente nature reserve offers numerous routes and hidden paths and trails for mountain biking, jogging, hiking or even meditation. The Western Algarve is a unique location where you can experience the simple joy of sun, sea and living, breath taking nature and incredible beaches.

Whether in the water: surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, wake boarding, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, boat trips including dolphin watching, deep sea fishing, etc

On land: tour riding with a racing or mountain bike (MTB), quad biking (4WD), motor biking, horse riding in the countryside or on the beach, blow carting. Sightseeing, hiking, guided walks, tennis, golf or just sunbathing.

Or even in the air: parachuting, paragliding, flying.

Whatever you are interested in, we and our partners will take care of it.

Beaches

The West and Southwest coast offers some of the few remaining undeveloped beaches in Europe, and most of them have easy access by car. With incredibly variety there are plenty of beaches to choose from, be it tiny sheltered bays or long stretches of golden sand with windswept dunes, or beaches farmed by towering cliffs. Depending on swell and season all of them can become incredible good surfing beaches.

The villa is only a short drive away to all of them (max. 25 Minutes).

Along the West coast are the predominate surfing beaches which have surfing conditions throughout the year such as Cordoama and Amado. If you are a bit more adventurous or have a bit more time it’s worth while driving up to Arrifana, which takes you around 45 minutes starting at the villa, one of Europe’s popular surf spots

Places

Sagres, the (al)most westerly point in Europe is framed with its dramatic coastline and surfing beaches such as Marreta, Tonel, Beliche is just a few kilometres further west from the villa. It takes only 15 minutes by car and you can find here good local night life, bars and restaurants. Aswell as the spectacular Lighthouse with breathtaking high cliff top views and an impressive old fort with maritime museum. This is where the early Portuguese explorers set sail when discovering the New World.

The market town of Lagos, with its Marina and long golden sandy beaches is aswell just a 15 minutes drive. Lagos has history, the old town is surrounded with its medieval walls and a network of cobbled streets with boutiques. You can find numerous restaurants, large fish and meat market, cafes and bars. The town is lively on summer nights.

Along the south coast in a radius of max 5-15 minutes you can find several more little fishing villages and beach bars to relax or to eat out such as Praia da Luz, Burgau, Figueira, Zavial, Ingrina, etc

On the way to Sagres you can visit the Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe Chapel which is situated just a few minutes outside the Parque da Floresta Resort. This small chapel is dated form the 13 century and has several gothic elements in a Romanesque architectural base and had recently been restored.
If you have a bit more time and you would like to explore more of the Algarve we would recommend to make a day trip to visit the mountain area Monchique and the small interesting Spa town with lot of Portuguese charm. Its located aprox 40min drive away from the villa. There are restaurants, cafes and a few hotels on the side of the road which serve good value local food.

As well Silves is a very picturesque historic midsized town at the foot of Monchique and is worth visiting on that tour. There is a hill top Moorish castle and a cathedral to visit. Or just have a wonder through the streets with small shops, restaurants and bars and one of the best seafood restaurants in the Algarve.

The nearest airport to the villa is Faro Airport aprox 1 hour drive away.