Why Santa Cruz?
After years of vacationing all along the Atlantic coast from Bretagne in France to Zarautz in the Basque Country, we decided to take a plane and fly to Portugal. It was love at first sight! Lisbon with it’s beautiful buildings, great restaurants and amazing vibe. A little futher up north beautiful nature, fantastic beaches, picturesque villages and of course the ocean! We sarted to fantasize about living there. To live where I can surf every day and where Faith can enjoy her hobby (cooking).
Looking for a location, a home. We visited different villages and places, all in about an hours drive from, just to see what they had to offer. But then we drove into Santa Cruz … First you see the big roundabout with the fish hooks, followed by the avenue to the center which is a gift! Arrived in the small city center you find a number of shops, restaurants and all small white houses. The whole town is build along the sea line. There is a look out point, high up in the village which gives you the most beautiful view over Santa Cruz and the over the ocean. What a beauty! Along SC’s beach you will find several nice places where you can eat and have a Sangria. Next to the coastline are the rugged, robust rocks where the waves hit hard. What a violence! It just felt right, “this is the place” we are going to live here.
Santa Cruz is a ” diamond in the rough” a beautiful tourist attraction in the making. Now still nice and quiet, with almost no tourism. Only August is busy with mainly Portuguese tourists. Especially in the early and late seasons, because the weather is often bad in the more northern countries of Europe, it is wonderful to relax in SC. Fantastic weather, sun, sea and beautiful nature. In addition, the location of SC is very favorable for surfers but certainly also for people who want a more cultural holiday. For the surfers, we are exactly between two surf giants, namely Ericeira and Peniche. In other words, there are more than 25 surf spots between these two giants that you can visit and surf, all in a short drive . Nazaré, with its monster wave is also not too far away and most definately worth a visit. In case the swell is too large from the (north) west, we are also close to the beaches near Lisbon, like Carcavelos. These are more sheltered, so always surfable. Sintra, Obidos and Mafra are also certainly worth a visit, all less than an hour’s drive from SC.
We have only been here for a year and have been away in the winter but we already know for sure, we made a good choice back then. Everyone that stayed with us loves our home and it’s surroundings in SC, Portugal and the wonderful Portuguese people. In short, it is fantastic and you are more than welcome to join us in the fun!
-J-