Natural Attractions
The area’s natural attractions are obvious, the river Lima meanders to the sea through the verdant hills that fringe the coast. The sea air mixes with the essence of the rich greenery that surrounds for a healthy cocktail to inhale. The range of water states available to paddle is impressive. The large breakwaters that form the entrance to the port of Viana do Castelo mean that inside the harbour area is dead flat water for fitness work or learning while just immediately outside and adjacent to the breakwaters, the water is again flat unless there is swell, which the breakwaters actually then do a good job of cleaning the waves up into fast, refined peaks which increase in size as you move down the bay. Just a few hundred metres down the beach from the hotel the waves are very consistent with little swell needed to bring the sandbars into action. An indication of just how good the surf here is can be found right next to the hotel in the form of the Portugese Surfing Federation’s High Performance Surf Centre – which hosts teams from Portugal and around Europe to train as well as being the base for many national and international surf contests. If downwinders are your thing, then in summer a strong thermal wind blows side-shore from late morning most days there is clear skies and a north breeze forecast. If you think all this sounds too good to be true then put ‘Viana do Castelo surfing’ into YouTube and you will soon see its potential!
The natural ‘horseshoe’ shape of the bay means you can’t end up in too much trouble, but as an added safeguard the main watersports area in front of the hotel is well patrolled by lifeguards who have a rescue boat from May to September.
