An hour down the Portuguese coast from the legendary break at Nazaré, Noah Surf House is creating its own nucleus of surf culture. Except you don’t have to surf to be a part of it. But you should try at least once. But it’s okay if you don’t.

An hour down the Portuguese coast from the legendary break at Nazaré, Noah Surf House is creating its own nucleus of surf culture. Except you don’t have to surf to be a part of it. But you should try at least once. But it’s okay if you don’t.
Residents of the Azores are fiercely protective of their islands’ natural gifts. They’ve long been wary of tourism, but hotels like Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort show they’re slowly starting to come around — on their own terms.
The thing about forts and watchtowers is that they typically stand guard on some pretty choice locations. That doesn’t change when they’re converted into hotels.
It’s reasonable to say that Portugal’s boutique hotels are the most compelling in the world, pound for pound. But it might be more accurate to suggest that Portugal’s boutique hotels are the most compelling in the world, period.
If there’s one thing nearly everyone agrees on, it’s that surfing is cool. And while you may never attain the skills of Kelly Slater or Stephanie Gilmore, you can at least stay in a hotel that makes you feel like you could.