The Calm After August
- David Moore
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
August, September or October: Which month is right for your Surf Cascais visit?
August at full volume
In August, the office phone rings while someone is checking into the Villa. A family is calling about their Surf School lesson, and the team is preparing for another full week.
August is our busiest month. Schools close, companies slow down and people finally have time to travel. The Villa fills up, while the Surf School welcomes families, children and plenty of last minute private bookings.
And we love parts of that intensity. Long days, warm evenings, busy BBQs. More guests means more chances to meet someone you connect with, including that one person who convinces everyone to go out or explore somewhere new.
But we also hear the other side. Guests return from lessons frustrated by the wind, small waves or how busy the beach felt.
July and August can be wonderful. They can also be overwhelming. Both things are true.
The change we feel
Then September arrives. Not on the first day, and not all at once, but gradually.
There are fewer families calling about lessons, fewer last minute requests and fewer things needing our attention simultaneously.
One afternoon, we realise the phone has been quiet for ten minutes.
We usually feel this change more clearly around the middle of September. Cascais can still feel like summer, while much of Northern Europe is reaching for another layer.
At the Villa, shared dinners, yoga and BBQs continue through October. What changes is the pace around them.
The team has changed too. Many colleagues arrive in spring with fresh energy and plenty to learn. By September, they know the operation and each other much better. There is tiredness after summer, certainly, but also experience. Some return refreshed from a break; instructors finding time for their own surf again bring that enthusiasm back into lessons.
Some photos of how this September is going so far
What calm gives us, and what it cannot promise
Cascais has a particular advantage: Guincho and Carcavelos face different directions. In a typical July or August, strong north winds can produce sizeable, messy waves at Guincho while Carcavelos stays almost flat. Smaller waves are not always an option just around the corner.
From September, stronger northwest swells can bring small, clean waves to Carcavelos, where north winds are offshore. Westerly swells and lighter winds can open up both beaches. Having two good options for different groups is a luxury.
Right now, in September 2026, Carcavelos also has some of the best sandbanks we have seen in years. They will change again, but today they give us another reason to be excited.
On land, less pressure gives us more room for conversations and individual feedback. That personal attention is something guests notice:
“The instructors really care for good technique and care for everyone individually.” Jasmin O., TripAdvisor review, September 2023
But fewer bookings do not control the weather. In previous Octobers, we have experienced full houses alongside powerful storms, rain and sessions at sheltered Praia da Torre. Some guests were disappointed. Others have visited in October expecting more social energy than they found.
We have also had beautiful, easy Octobers. That uncertainty belongs in the description too.
Which month is right for you?
If long days, warm evenings and a busy social atmosphere matter most, July and August may suit you perfectly. Expect more people and the possibility of persistent summer wind.
For a balance of atmosphere, weather and breathing space, September is usually our recommendation, particularly after the middle of the month. Early October can offer that balance too, with more weather uncertainty.
Returning guests remind us that the welcome matters alongside the forecast. Timothy, whose review was posted in October 2024, described his return:
“second time at the villa, always such a warm welcome. It has such a magic.”
Still, no month guarantees a particular group dynamic. Sometimes one outgoing guest brings everyone together, whether it is April or October.
If weather is your main priority, we generally suggest May to September.
If you want atmosphere with more breathing space, consider May, June, September or early October.
After thirteen summers, our job is to explain those differences honestly, so you arrive expecting the experience we can actually offer.
Explore Surf Camp availability, or tell us what matters most to you and we will help you choose your week.
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