An oceanfront boutique surf hotel for the whole family
An oceanfront boutique surf hotel for the whole family
An hour north of Lisbon, the road reaches Santa Cruz, a low-key seaside town of whitewashed houses, long beaches, and jagged cliffs. It sits between its better-known neighbours, Ericeira and Peniche. Same Atlantic swell, and a mellower, less crowded surf scene. Locals call this stretch of coast Magic Land.
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Save 10% on your stay and 5% of F&B when you book with us
An hour north of Lisbon, the road reaches Santa Cruz, a low-key seaside town of whitewashed houses, long beaches, and jagged cliffs. It sits between its better-known neighbours, Ericeira and Peniche. Same Atlantic swell, and a mellower, less crowded surf scene. Locals call this stretch of coast Magic Land.
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Save 10% on your stay and 5% of F&B when you book with us
This is where Marta and Gonçalo built Noah Surf House, just above Praia da Física. The project began with a beach restaurant and surf school in 2015, followed by the hotel three years later. The design is playful and resourceful: plumbing pipes became lamps, an old water tank became the reception fireplace, and reclaimed bricks from industrial coal furnaces line the walls. Fishing nets, octopus traps and old boats are woven into the interiors, celebrating the region's deep connection to the ocean.
The twenty-one rooms and bungalows are arranged around an infinity pool, alongside a skate bowl, rooftop bar and organic garden complete with its own hen house. For all the considered design, Noah still feels like checking into a lively family beach house. It is especially well suited to design-minded travellers and families looking to stay within an easy walk of the beach.
This is where Marta and Gonçalo built Noah Surf House, just above Praia da Física. The project began with a beach restaurant and surf school in 2015, followed by the hotel three years later. The design is playful and resourceful: plumbing pipes became lamps, an old water tank became the reception fireplace, and reclaimed bricks from industrial coal furnaces line the walls. Fishing nets, octopus traps and old boats are woven into the interiors, celebrating the region's deep connection to the ocean.
The twenty-one rooms and bungalows are arranged around an infinity pool, alongside a skate bowl, rooftop bar and organic garden complete with its own hen house. For all the considered design, Noah still feels like checking into a lively family beach house. It is especially well suited to design-minded travellers and families looking to stay within an easy walk of the beach.
Rooms
Eight rooms occupy the main building, while the thirteen bungalows are spread through the grounds. The Mar Rooms (46m² ) sleep up to four, with sea views, a mezzanine, fireplace and 10m² balcony. Facing the garden, the Terra Rooms (45m²), including a generous 30m² terrace with an outdoor shower and surfboard rack. Depending on the layout, they sleep up to six with a mezzanine or eight with suspended beds reached by ladder.
The bungalows are compact and private, perfect for friends, couples, or small families. The Mar Bungalows (25m²) sleep up to three, with sea views, a fireplace, balcony, outdoor shower and surfboard rack. The Mar & Cook Bungalow (40m²) sleeps up to four and adds a terrace and a fully equipped kitchen.
Across the categories, beds can be arranged as twins or queens. There is no air conditioning anywhere, by design. Aerothermal radiant floors handle the cold; large windows, fans and the Atlantic breeze handle the heat.
Eight rooms occupy the main building, while the thirteen bungalows are spread through the grounds. The Mar Rooms (46m² ) sleep up to four, with sea views, a mezzanine, fireplace and 10m² balcony. Facing the garden, the Terra Rooms (45m²), including a generous 30m² terrace with an outdoor shower and surfboard rack. Depending on the layout, they sleep up to six with a mezzanine or eight with suspended beds reached by ladder.
The bungalows are compact and private, perfect for friends, couples, or small families. The Mar Bungalows (25m²) sleep up to three, with sea views, a fireplace, balcony, outdoor shower and surfboard rack. The Mar & Cook Bungalow (40m²) sleeps up to four and adds a terrace and a fully equipped kitchen.
Across the categories, beds can be arranged as twins or queens. There is no air conditioning anywhere, by design. Aerothermal radiant floors handle the cold; large windows, fans and the Atlantic breeze handle the heat.
Food & Drinks
Noah Restaurant is run by chef André Jesus, a lifelong Santa Cruz local, who spent ten years at sister-hotel Areias do Seixo. His menu is Portuguese, land and sea, built on fish from the local coast and vegetables from the hotel's organic garden.
Some dishes date back to the original beach restaurant: the fish rice with shrimp, the John Dory fillets with malandro tomato rice. New signatures include the grilled octopus with sweet potato and garden pesto, the fish pica-pau with sea plants, as well as the pasta from the garden with seaweed and coconut.
Above it, the rooftop opens from 5 to 10pm with the best view over Santa Cruz, cocktails, snack menu, and a Wednesday barbecue with a DJ.
Noah Restaurant is run by chef André Jesus, a lifelong Santa Cruz local, who spent ten years at sister-hotel Areias do Seixo. His menu is Portuguese, land and sea, built on fish from the local coast and vegetables from the hotel's organic garden.
Some dishes date back to the original beach restaurant: the fish rice with shrimp, the John Dory fillets with malandro tomato rice. New signatures include the grilled octopus with sweet potato and garden pesto, the fish pica-pau with sea plants, as well as the pasta from the garden with seaweed and coconut.
Above it, the rooftop opens from 5 to 10pm with the best view over Santa Cruz, cocktails, snack menu, and a Wednesday barbecue with a DJ.
Surfing
Santa Cruz is between Ericeira and Peniche but sees only a fraction of their surf traffic. Around town are roughly a dozen breaks, most of them forgiving beach breaks that work best on small to moderate swells.
Praia da Física, directly below the hotel, is the focal point: strong northwest swell exposure, consistent A-frame peaks, and a forgiving wave that suits learners and improvers. It is one of the friendlier places in Portugal to learn.
The surf school runs lessons at three levels, from beginner to advanced, with certified instructors. Each session is 90 minutes in the water, in groups of up to five, with transport to the beach on foot or by van. A separate Surf Kids programme for ages six to twelve. When Santa Cruz isn't working, coaches drive the coast to find waves that are.
There are waves year-round. Summer, May to September, brings smaller surf and warmer water, ideal for beginners. The bigger, more powerful waves arrive between September and April, especially December to February. Water runs 20-22°C in summer and autumn, dropping to 14-16°C in winter; a wetsuit is needed in every season. Ericeira's World Surfing Reserve is 25 minutes south, Peniche and Supertubos 40 minutes north, Nazaré an hour away.
Santa Cruz is between Ericeira and Peniche but sees only a fraction of their surf traffic. Around town are roughly a dozen breaks, most of them forgiving beach breaks that work best on small to moderate swells.
Praia da Física, directly below the hotel, is the focal point: strong northwest swell exposure, consistent A-frame peaks, and a forgiving wave that suits learners and improvers. It is one of the friendlier places in Portugal to learn.
The surf school runs lessons at three levels, from beginner to advanced, with certified instructors. Each session is 90 minutes in the water, in groups of up to five, with transport to the beach on foot or by van. A separate Surf Kids programme for ages six to twelve. When Santa Cruz isn't working, coaches drive the coast to find waves that are.
There are waves year-round. Summer, May to September, brings smaller surf and warmer water, ideal for beginners. The bigger, more powerful waves arrive between September and April, especially December to February. Water runs 20-22°C in summer and autumn, dropping to 14-16°C in winter; a wetsuit is needed in every season. Ericeira's World Surfing Reserve is 25 minutes south, Peniche and Supertubos 40 minutes north, Nazaré an hour away.
Activities
Most of the daily programme is included in the room rate: yoga, Pilates, floating-board yoga, skateboarding and surf-skate lessons, functional training, HIIT and guided walks along the cliffs. Bikes and skate equipment are free to borrow, and younger guests can join children’s versions of many of the classes.
The timetable is supplemented by evening fires, rooftop barbecues, cinema nights and visits to the hen house and organic garden. Within walking distance is Penedo do Guincho, a 30-metre sea arch that can be crossed at low tide, as well as the cliff paths running above Santa Cruz’s beaches.
Farther afield, Óbidos is around 35 minutes away: a walled medieval town known, among other things, for serving ginjinha in chocolate cups. Ericeira is a 25-minute drive south.
Most of the daily programme is included in the room rate: yoga, Pilates, floating-board yoga, skateboarding and surf-skate lessons, functional training, HIIT and guided walks along the cliffs. Bikes and skate equipment are free to borrow, and younger guests can join children’s versions of many of the classes.
The timetable is supplemented by evening fires, rooftop barbecues, cinema nights and visits to the hen house and organic garden. Within walking distance is Penedo do Guincho, a 30-metre sea arch that can be crossed at low tide, as well as the cliff paths running above Santa Cruz’s beaches.
Farther afield, Óbidos is around 35 minutes away: a walled medieval town known, among other things, for serving ginjinha in chocolate cups. Ericeira is a 25-minute drive south.
The People Behind
Marta Fonseca and Gonçalo Alves were both born and raised in Santa Cruz. In 2010, they opened Areias do Seixo, an eco-minded hotel set among the dunes nearby that went on to become one of Portugal’s most admired stays. Noah is its younger, livelier sibling: sportier, more informal and closer to the water.
The story began in 2015 with Noah Beach House, a restaurant and surf school on the sand at Praia da Física. The hotel followed in 2018, built on the grounds of a former holiday camp. Portuguese architects Alexandra Paiva and Vasco Vieira retained the bones of that structure.
The environmental approach is practical rather than performative. Solar panels provide around 70 per cent of the energy used to heat water, collected rainwater is used to flush the toilets, and the composting system is assisted by the resident chickens.
Marta Fonseca and Gonçalo Alves were both born and raised in Santa Cruz. In 2010, they opened Areias do Seixo, an eco-minded hotel set among the dunes nearby that went on to become one of Portugal’s most admired stays. Noah is its younger, livelier sibling: sportier, more informal and closer to the water.
The story began in 2015 with Noah Beach House, a restaurant and surf school on the sand at Praia da Física. The hotel followed in 2018, built on the grounds of a former holiday camp. Portuguese architects Alexandra Paiva and Vasco Vieira retained the bones of that structure.
The environmental approach is practical rather than performative. Solar panels provide around 70 per cent of the energy used to heat water, collected rainwater is used to flush the toilets, and the composting system is assisted by the resident chickens.
Booking
FROM
€195
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Surf Hideaways guests receive 10% off their stay and 5% off food and drink. Book with the code HIDEAWAYS.
FROM
€195
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Surf Hideaways guests receive 10% off their stay and 5% off food and drink. Book with the code HIDEAWAYS.