June and early July in the Algarve, Portugal. Warm water, empty lineups, small groups at the Quinta. This is what Portugal looks like before the summer crowds arrive.
13th June 2026
There's a window in the Algarve. Starts around the beginning of June, closes somewhere around mid-July when the school holidays kick in and everyone remembers Portugal exists.
Photo by @albaguell
During that window, something good happens. The water warms up but the crowds don’t arrive. The surf is consistent. The evenings stretch out. And at the Quinta, the groups are small enough that you actually remember everyone’s name by day two.
We’ve started calling them The Quiet Weeks. Not because nothing happens. Because the right things happen.
You get more waves. You get more time with the coaches. You get dinner around a table where everyone talks to everyone because there’s no option to hide at the back. The yoga sessions are smaller and slower. The whole rhythm changes.
[BOOK A QUIET WEEK →HERE]
This year we're building the Quinta as we go. Painting rooms, building furniture, shaping boards in the workshop. Guests show up and end up helping.
It won't last. By late July the Algarve fills up and the lineups get more crowded and the restaurants need reservations. That's fine too. But if you have the option, and your diary has any give at all between now and mid-July, this is the bit.
The quiet bit. Before everyone else turns up.
[BOOK A QUIET WEEK →HERE]
Photo by @albaguell
Here's a thought. You've been meaning to do this. Your mate's been meaning to do this. Neither of you have booked because you're waiting for the other one to commit first.
So here's a nudge. Book a week at the Quinta together before mid-July and we'll throw in a complimentary massage for both of you. Surf, yoga, food, sunshine, and someone to debrief with after every session.
The price doesn't change. You just get more out of it. And you finally stop talking about going on a surf trip and actually go.
Email us at enquiries@soulandsurf.com for more details
[BOOK A QUIET WEEK →HERE]
The calm before the crowd
