Most people pick between a surf hostel and an Airbnb in Aljezur on price and privacy. Fair enough. But the choice also decides a set of things about your surfboard that nobody puts in the listing: whether there's one on site, who picks the size, whether it comes home with you each night, and how it gets to a beach that's eight kilometres away.
We deliver boards to both kinds of place, so here's what actually changes.
What a surf hostel gives you
Aljezur has a handful of proper surf hostels and lodges: one in town, a couple in Arrifana, a few more down in Carrapateira. Most of them are attached to, or work with, a surf school. That shapes everything about the gear.
There's a board rack by the door. Usually soft-tops, sized for lessons, so 8' and up. If you're a beginner that's the right board anyway. If you've surfed a few seasons and want a 7'0, ask before you book. Some lodges have one, many don't.
It's rented by the day and it lives at the hostel. You take it out in the morning and it's back on the rack by evening. That's fine when the beach is a walk away (Arrifana). It's a chore when it isn't (everywhere else). Rates we've seen locally sit around €20 a day for the board, with the wetsuit priced separately.
Someone sizes you. This is the real advantage. A school instructor looks at you, asks two questions and hands you the right board. Nobody in a hostel is going to let you take a 6'6 on your second day.
There's a hose, and there are people. A hostel is set up for wet neoprene and sandy feet. And if you came alone, the shared kitchen is where you find someone to check the dawn tide with. We've written about that side in the solo surf trip guide.
What it doesn't give you: quiet, space for four people's gear, or a board that stays with you when you drive to Amoreira because Arrifana's blown out.
What an Airbnb gives you
An Airbnb in Aljezur, and especially in Vale da Telha, gives you a house, a terrace and, if you chose well, an outdoor shower. It doesn't give you a surfboard. That sounds obvious until you're standing at Faro arrivals working out how a 7'8 goes inside a Fiat 500.
No board, no rack, no instructor. You solve all three yourself. The old answer was to drive to a shop in Aljezur or a hut on the beach, queue, pay a deposit, and drive back with the board on the roof or with the seats folded and the nose between the front seats. Then do it again at the end.
The house is usually further from the water than the hostel. Vale da Telha is a grid of villas on a plateau. The nearest waves at Monte Clérigo and Arrifana are a 10 to 15 minute drive, and there's no shop in the middle of it. Our where to stay guide covers the trade-offs by area.
You do get storage, and you get a rinse. A ground-floor entrance, a garage or a covered terrace is a better home for a board than a hostel rack. And you get to decide when you surf without a rack closing time.
The board problem is the reason this business exists. We bring the board and wetsuit to the house, size you at the door, and collect at the end. Free delivery across Aljezur, Arrifana, Vale da Telha, Monte Clérigo, Amoreira, Rogil and Carrapateira, no deposit, and a free swap after day one if the size is wrong. The gear stays with you for the week, so it goes to whichever beach is working.
Side by side
| Surf hostel | Airbnb with delivered gear | Airbnb, rent it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board on site | Yes, from the rack | Yes, from day one | No |
| Who sizes you | An instructor | Us, at the door, plus a free swap | You, at the counter |
| Board sizes | Mostly 8'+ soft-tops | 6'6, 7'0, 7'8 and 8'6 soft-tops | Whatever's left |
| Where it sleeps | The hostel rack | Your terrace or garage | Your terrace or garage |
| Getting it to the beach | Walk (Arrifana) or borrow the school van | Roof rack pads, €2 a day, or walk if you're close | Roof rack pads if the shop has them |
| Wetsuit | Usually extra, per day | Included in the full package | Usually extra |
| Deposit | Often | None | Usually |
| Other surfers around | Always | Only the ones you brought | Only the ones you brought |
What a week costs, honestly
Take two people for seven days.
Hostel rental: around €20 a day for a board, call it €5 a day for a wetsuit, seven days each. Roughly €175 per person, €350 for two, and you're walking or driving to the rack twice a day.
Delivered to the Airbnb: our full package is €150 per person for seven days with a season-matched wetsuit, or €100 without one if you own a suit. Two people with wetsuits is €300, delivered and collected. Three-day minimum, pay on arrival, free cancellation up to 72 hours after booking. Full numbers on the pricing page.
Accommodation is the bigger line either way. A hostel dorm runs €20 to €40 a night per person, a private room or small apartment €60 to €100 a night for two, a villa with a pool €120 to €200. Split between two, a small Airbnb plus delivered gear often lands within €10 a day of a private hostel room, and you get a kitchen.
The cheapest combination in Aljezur is a dorm bed and a hostel board. The most convenient is an Airbnb with the board already leaning against the wall when you arrive. Between those two, it's about how you like to spend a holiday.
Which one, then
Take the hostel if you're travelling alone, you're a beginner who wants lessons, or you want to be in Arrifana and walk to the water. The rack and the instructor do the thinking for you, and you'll have company in the lineup by day two.
Take the Airbnb if you're two or more, you've surfed before, or you want to chase the best bank rather than the closest one. Book the board when you book the house, not the week before. In August the 7'8s go first and there's no back room.
The hybrid that works: two nights in a hostel with a lesson each morning, then a week in an Airbnb with a delivered board. You learn with someone watching, then you practise on your own schedule with a board that fits.
Frequently asked questions
Can you deliver a surfboard to a hostel?
Yes. We deliver to hostels and guesthouses in the zone as long as there's somewhere sensible to keep the board, which usually means the hostel's own rack or a covered yard. Let reception know a delivery is coming. If the hostel rents boards itself, check first that they're happy with you bringing one in.
Do surf hostels in Aljezur rent boards?
Most of them, either directly or through the school they work with. Expect soft-tops from about 8' up, daily rates around €20, and the wetsuit charged separately. Ask about smaller boards before you book if you're past the beginner stage.
Is a hostel or an Airbnb cheaper for a surf week in Aljezur?
Per person, a dorm bed with a hostel board is the cheapest way to surf here. Once you're two people in a private room, an Airbnb with delivered gear usually lands within a few euros a day of it and gives you a kitchen and a terrace.
Do I need a car if I stay in a surf hostel?
In Arrifana, no. In Aljezur town or Carrapateira, the beaches are a drive away and the hostels tend to run a van to the school's lesson spot rather than to wherever the waves are best. A car opens up Amoreira and Monte Clérigo on days Arrifana doesn't work.
Will a rental surfboard fit in my hire car?
A 7'0 or larger won't go inside a compact. Either have it delivered to where you're staying, or add roof rack pads for €2 a day and carry it on top.
Booked the house already? Send us your dates and the address and we'll tell you what fits, usually within a few hours.