The Salty Pelican Yoga & Surf Retreat Portugal

Loved staying at The Salty Pelican. I went there on my own and met a lot of like-minded people. The vibe is just great. The mansion is very clean and lovilgly furnished. My highlights were definitely the sunrise yoga classes by the beach and the meditation hike. Would totally recommend doing the hike! Hope to come back soon.

My boyfriend and I booked a three day surf and yoga stay with Salty Pelican and had the most amazing time! The staff there definitely made this trip for us. Super helpful and friendly! Answered all the hundreds of questions that I had, gave us some great recommendations for places to eat, day trips, etc. and were just super accommodating, pleasant to talk to and to hang out with. Highlight of the stay for us was definitely the yoga classes, which were incredible especially in the morning - on the pier, with the sounds of the ocean around you. The teacher is awesome and has the most soothing voice. We also got the best massages. Highly recommend the Salty Pelican to everyone and anyone; and really hope to return for a longer stay soon! Thanks so much guys :)

I understand what some people like about Salty Pelican, but I noticed some things that looked too good on the website and weren't as cool when arriving: - Morning yoga on the pier: what the photos on the website don't show is that right next to the pier there is a train track and motorway making quite a nice - Evening yoga: the evening yoga is in a pretty shabby backyard, with a lot of flies landing on you the whole time and car traffic right outside the fence - the mattress was very uncomfortable for me (though I sleep often in hostels and never head a problem with sleeping) - my room didn't go full dark in the night because there was a window over the door from the hallway that always let in light. - SUP course: you can only stand up paddle in a small area of the harbour that you discovered after 1 hour. You can't go anywhere else because of the waves - the breakfast buffet is very limited and after 3-4 days you get bored by ever eating the same things - as for the 'unlimited herbal teas" are just teabags and a water boiler - the beds don't have power outlets next to it - while you can book and cancel before check-in you can make NO alterations to your booking. So please think twice if this resort is ideal for you. I would only recommend it to people who are more into party and surf than to people who want to relax and do yoga.

We booked a private double room and the "Short Surf & Yoga" package. The yoga and surf classes were well organised and prepared. There are two yoga classes everyday, one in the morning at the Pier and one in the afternoon in one of the houses. The afternoon yoga is very disappointing as it takes place basically in the garage/tiny garden of the other house, and we had to squeeze ourselves with 20 other people. There are trucks and cars going every other minute, we could hardly concentrate in yoga. The accommodation was shocking. Our private double room was in the other house and there was only 1 shower to share among 13 other people in the house. We were aware of the shared bathroom, but not that we would have just one to share among 13 people. The condition of the shower and toilets are filthy, much overdue for renovation. Not what we expected for what we had paid. The location of the houses is also disappointing, as it is +1km walking distance (not 600m as advertised) to the beach. There are no views whatsoever and very loud with trucks and cars going by the whole day. We could not sleep unless we had the windows closed, however there is no air conditioning so it left us with very little options. Aside from what is included in the package we had booked, extra classes or activities are overpriced, considering the average prices of nearby retreats or classes. (20eur for an extra yoga class, 30eur for a hike) Me and my partner were very disappointed that we left the retreat after 2 nights, with hardly a refund. Most of the staff tried to help us, however there is only so much they can do. We also never received the vouchers that we were promised, instead of a refund. We would not recommend this to anyone who expects a relaxing retreat with a comfortable and hygienic accommodation, which is what you expect when you go to a retreat.

I was looking for a small get-away for a week where I can relax and enjoy the Portugal sun and enjoy in some yoga and surf activities. This was my first "hostel" experience and didn't know what to expect, but what I got was one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. The team at the Salty Pelican are just some of the nicest and warmest people I have met, and the guests that stay there are just as amazing. I got everything I wanted from the trip and more, and I even changed my return flights so I could stay even longer as I wasn't ready to leave! I can't say enough positive things about the experience, but I will say that its a magical place with a magical vibe, and I can't wait to visit again. :) Highly, highly recommended!

I booked a three night stay with a friend of mine last autumn and we were completely disappointed by the retreat and the location. We felt like we were misled by all the good recommendations and the - very well done - marketing. We booked a female dorm and on the website it was said that there is only few daylight. As we thought we would be outside all day long we guessed that this shouldn't be a problem. When we arrived we noticed that the dorm we booked was actually a cellar room with no windows at all (only two small slits). It was very humid down there and the room did not look like the other rooms as well, it looked like they refurnished their party room to make a bit more money with additional beds. The girl who was showing us around told us that we had the room all to ourselves except for another girl arriving in a few hours. However we were quite confused because when we entered the room there were socks and sunlotion lying around and the beds looked unmade and had hair on it. We asked more than once if they really are sure that no one else was staying there and they said that it was all cleaned up besides the stuff that was apparently left behind. It was not possible to change our booking as every room was fully booked so we slept there. At night it was really noisy because the living room was down there as well and people who were smoking and talking next to the entrance upstairs were doing so right in front of our "windows". Next to our room were two bathrooms which were used by the whole house. The bathrooms were filthy, the shower full of sand and hair, it was really not nice to shower in there. We stayed for one night and then told one of the guys from the staff that it was all completely different to what we expected. We also told him the story about our messy room and he doublechecked with the cleaners. It turned out that the room was never cleaned after the people who stayed in there left so we slept in unmade beds which is a bit disgusting to do in a hostel. Because of this fault we were able to make a fair deal with the guy from the staff and left the retreat after one night. We were still allowed to take part in all the activities as we only got a refund for the room. We only took part in the morning yoga and took the massage, however that was our personal decision. The massage was really good and relaxing. It was in one of the nicer bathrooms where they set up the equipment for it. The morning yoga was really nice and I think the location for it was not too bad as well. The train was loud but i didn't think of it as too disturbing and the spot is right at the water which compensates for the train a bit. They have a studio for rainier days which was okay as well but not too nice. The only downside about the yoga were the cheap and dirty mats. Apparantely they were freshly cleaned but there was a lot of sand on it and they never really dried. It was not nice to lie on them, especially because they were also quite thin and the ground beneath was uneven and of stone. I can imagine that some people who do not have too high expectations and standards really like salty pelican, especially because it's easy to meet other people. However I would only recommend it to younger people who like staying up late and partying and not to people who really want to take a yoga retreat. The staff was however mostly friendly and we were really lucky with the guy with whom we talked about our complaints. He was trying hard to find out what went wrong and to find a convenient solution for us. That's why I'm still giving the two stars, but I do feel like the accommodation really does only deserve one.

I've spend one week in Cascais and I absolutely loved it. It was the perfect mix for me between an hostel and a yoga and surf retreat. The place was quiet thank to the winter season and I appreciate it. The surf lessons were better than expected, thanks to the professor. So, thank you !

The Salty Pelican is real haven. Surrounded by the beautiful jungle, neighbouring friendly monkeys and peacocks, this place makes you feel welcome from the very first moment. Not to forget the Manager Gianluca (who also is the most amazing yoga teacher) and Beccy who always have an open ear and make the retreat even more unique! It's easy to meet new people, venture out to the beautiful beaches or just chill by the pool with a good book. I will definitely come again next year xxx