We leave from Porto near noon and arrive almost at 17:00 to Carrapateira, to our hotel: Carrapateira Lodge (60 € per night). The last section of the road was small and curvy, but nothing dramatic, especially for a Venezuelan.

The hotel was well located and the guys were nice. For cats phobic like me, the hotel street had lots of cats, but it was the only place I saw cats on the whole trip, which it´s something really important to me.

At these hours and after driving that much, the only thing we can think about was FOOD. So, we ate a few tapas in a downtown bar, 2 minutes walking from our hotel: great tostas and beers for 20 €. Then we drove to Praia do Amado, to have our first contact with the sea after a long time. The water was not so cold and it had a surfer atmosphere, just like the whole Carrapateira town.

After our first contact with the beach, we showered and dined at X’aboita … a pizza place where although the pizzas were good the service was very bad. This is something that became common and unexpected throughout the trip. I have the feeling that it is an area that is not yet ready for the amount of tourists that is going. It’s sad, because we have mixed feelings, obviously we do not want mass tourism to reach this place and become something similar to the Algarve, where it is difficult to get a place on the beach in August, but it is also not satisfactory to visit this area and not be treated well.
Anyway, Carrapateira town is super tiny, there are only a few restaurants, a mini market and one ATM. Everything is paid in cash, and the nearest beaches are: Praia do Amado and Praia da Bordeira.

if you have never surfed before, do not worry, in this area is very easy to find surf schools and it is also easy to rent the equipment (boards, neoprene, etc.)

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