Soulspot Surf School — Sintra, Praia Grande

In Sintra, facing the Atlantic, there's a stretch of coast called Praia Grande. Wide sand, cliffs as a backdrop, swell that comes in with character almost year-round. It's here that Soulspot Surf School has been teaching surfing and bodyboarding since 1999 — one of the schools with the deepest history on the Sintra coast.

Who founded it

Soulspot was born in 1999 by Renato Paço, competitive surfer and bodyboarder. In 2009, Renato finished 5th on the world bodyboard circuit — the best international result of any Portuguese athlete in radical-sport surf or bodyboard. In 2000, a Portuguese sports foundation awarded him for the youth surf training work he did in the region.

More than two decades later, Soulspot keeps the same register: instruction based on technique and sports pedagogy, not on a fast-lesson-take-photo-leave model.

Where they operate

The school is at Avenida Alfredo Coelho, Praia Grande (Colares, Sintra). Praia Grande is where lessons happen — one of the most consistent beaches on the Portuguese coast for surfability. The edge of this beach: open sand, sandy bottom (no exposed rock in lesson zones), and strong exposure to the NW swell that keeps the surf rolling in regularly.

Lesson types

— Group surf lessons at a max ratio of 1 instructor : 5 students

— Bodyboard lessons at a tighter 1:4 ratio

— Private lessons for full attention or specific-level progression

— Surf Camp with full board, hotel facing Praia Grande, and two lessons per day

Equipment (board + wetsuit) and insurance always included. Minimum age 8. Schedules flex with wave and wind forecasts — no point teaching in a bad sea just because the clock says so.

What to expect from a lesson

The pedagogy follows a clear sequence: warm-up → safety → paddling → take-off → whitewater → swell. Each step only introduced once the previous one is comfortable. No skipping to impress.

Instructors are certified by the Portuguese Surf Federation and carry years of experience in both surf and bodyboard — some schools only do one. This one carries both sides of the same culture.

One number worth knowing

Over 80,000 clients have passed through Soulspot across these 25+ years. For a school on a smaller stretch of coast (it's Sintra, not Ericeira), that's a consistency signal you rarely see — generations of Portuguese surfers walked over Praia Grande's sand with the green-blue logo on their back.

Book your lesson

Soulspot is available on Surf Booking. Online booking, secure Stripe payment, instant confirmation by email + push. Show up at the beach with everything sorted.

See available lessons at Praia Grande

Soulspot Surf School
Sintra · Praia Grande · Avenida Alfredo Coelho
Surf + bodyboard · since 1999
Available on Surf Booking