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I am considering moving to Portugal for my dotage. I fancy either Peniche/Obidos, just north of Lisbon, or Fuseta which is in-between Faro and Tavira. I only want sensible waves or flat water. Landboarding areas local would be a significant plus point.
Night life irrelevant!
Anybody have an opinion on which would be the best place to retire to? Suggestions for better or less "Touristy" locations within Europe would also be welcome!

Peniche has heavy waves, very good for surfing and when the waves are on, the swell is full of surfers. Obidos is nice... but get red kites, the sand there will turn it red/brown anyway. Sadly I do not know Fuseta.

Portugal is great fun to visit, I was lucky to go to peniche/baleal area a few years ago.
Went in fall while surf contest was on, kept looking for smaller waves, paddling out into "looks like head high" that turned out bigger.
Didn't get a lot of wind, 4 sessions in 9 days I think. It was sort of between summer and winter seasons.
Nazare was starting to fire, about 25'.
Found myself surfing out in ~2-2.5m waves a couple of times, made me realize I am now a shoulder to head high kind of guy.
Farther south will be warmer and somewhat smaller waves, but proximity to lisbon etc may tilt you toward peniche anyway.
Obidos lagoon works for an alternative to DOH+ ocean when the swell is up.
If nothing else have a great time scouting out the peniche and algarve regions before you become a dotard.

It's apples and oranges really. Peniche is a small town, but it's like a big city compared to Fuseta. The winters are much milder in Fuseta, but the summer months will probably drive you crazy with the sudden influx of tourists. As for kite conditions, I would say both are valid options especially if you are prepared to drive around a bit.

In Peniche you can kite with any wind direction provided it's strong enough, but the conditions in the winter will be much harder with the cold and big waves. There is always the option of the Obidos lagoon when the waves get too big and there are good conditions for landboarding on low tide. In the summer months you have good afternoon thermals between Peniche and Santa Cruz (and smaller waves) but no kiting in the lagoon. You are also an hour away from Lisboa if you ever feel the need for cultural enlightenment.

In Fuseta you will probably get more kite days in the winter with small waves on levante days, and if you buy a small motor boat there are hundreds of great spots to discover between the "rias" and the sea. You are 2.5 hours away from Lisboa, but only 1.5 hours away from Sevilla and 4 hours away from Tarifa. You are also 5 hours away from Sierra Nevada which to me is one of the best ski resorts in Spain, if you enjoy winter sports. The problem with the Algarve is the summer crowds (especially in august) and the SW thermals in Fuseta which will be weaker than the NW thermals in Peniche. But if you have your boat you can escape from the crowds and pick and choose the best spots for kiting.

My advice would be to try and rent a place to live a year or a few months in each town and see which one you like best.

Herman wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:23 pm

I am considering moving to Portugal for my dotage. I fancy either Peniche/Obidos, just north of Lisbon, or Fuseta which is in-between Faro and Tavira. I only want sensible waves or flat water. Landboarding areas local would be a significant plus point.
Night life irrelevant!
Anybody have an opinion on which would be the best place to retire to? Suggestions for better or less "Touristy" locations within Europe would also be welcome!

if you have the time
then....why not both?
portugal is awesome if you like waves... all that atlantic swell.
and i believe the windy season is right now.

just spend a season exploring the whole coast...and then retire where you fancy it most.


hell, explore northern spain and the south coast of france too...
there are many many epic spots that arent ruined(yet) by mass tourism

Hi. Each place is very differente. Fuseta warmer, Peniche colder and lots of humidity. Like very much both. I agree with the other previous chat. Do a trip from Viana do Castelo (in the North of portugal), place of a kitesurf world cup competitiom in 2018 and pass in Ria de Aveiro and their beaches, continue to Peniche/ Óbidos, then Costa da Capartica and finish at Algarve. You have also Ria de Alvor in Algarve, one of my favourite places.