The Salty Surf & Yoga - Cascais Portugal

Salty pelican is a beautiful hostel. Its very clean. They clean every day all the commune area. They have 2 houses. Every guest is treated well. The surf camp is well organised and the yoga instructor are amazing. Thank you for this amazing experience

Loved it! A truly relaxing stay in a great location, just a short walk into Cascais. As a solo traveller, I felt completely safe and genuinely welcomed by everyone. The staff were fantastic, the food was excellent, and I met such an interesting mix of people from all over Europe, the USA, and Brazil. We practiced yoga twice a day — 7:30 am and 4:45 pm — and many guests also tried the surfing taster session. I loved having access to the kitchen to cook and store food in the fridge.||I stayed in a shared 4-bed room on the lower ground floor with no windows — I’d recommend choosing a different room if you prefer natural light. One thing to note: this is very much a hostel-style hotel, so you’ll need to be flexible and open-minded about the variety of guests. One night, eight surfers arrived for a single night and brought plenty of noise. On my last day, a group of about 15 people on a wellness retreat completely took over the space — their group leader even started giving a presentation over breakfast while laptops came out around the table!||Overall, it’s a warm, vibrant place — as the group lead said embrace a "growth mindset" and you’ll have a wonderful time :)

Really amazing accessible luxury chill feminine hostel experience if you go there alone you are for sure gonna make friends. The vibe is super chill. Everyone is there to help the breakfast is amazing and the girls there are super kind and all similar vibes. They also organize some pretty cool adventures activities like hikes and surfing. Kind of wellness chill looking for peace, yoga classes are in a beautiful Location where you can see the sunrise and the yoga teachers are also really good was super happy and I love the different package that really provide complete wellness experience. A good mix of chill wellness and adventure. like a DIY Retreat experience.

Overhyped, overpriced, and ultimately underwhelming — The Salty Pelican in Cascais I don’t usually write reviews, but in this case, I feel future guests deserve a more realistic picture — and the Salty Pelican team might benefit from some honest feedback too. Let’s get straight to it: this place looks great online, but the experience doesn’t live up to the promise. The dreamy combination of surf, yoga, and good vibes is heavily dependent on branding — not on the actual on-the-ground quality. Location: not what you think While the website suggests you’ll be steps from the surf, the actual surf spot is a 20-minute scooter ride away. And even the nearest beach requires a steep 6–10 minute downhill walk — which is less fun on the way back up, especially if you’re barefoot or carrying gear. That easy, breezy coastal feeling? It’s not what you’ll get. Accommodation: tired and poorly positioned We stayed in the second house, which is a bit of a trek from the main area with the pool and communal vibe. That wouldn’t be an issue if the house itself was a pleasant retreat — but it’s not. It’s dated, The showers are worn, Rooms are small and basic, and It has a more “budget hostel” feel than the boutique wellness space it claims to be. Value for money: way off the mark This is where it really falls apart. The price-to-quality ratio is completely off. You’re paying a premium for what’s essentially an average stay with a nice concept around it. Yes, the yoga was good. Surfing’s always great. And the idea of a retreat is attractive. But in practice, it’s not cohesive, not luxurious, and not worth the money. To their credit, the staff are warm, kind, and genuinely helpful. They do their best — this is not about them. The problem is structural: the infrastructure doesn’t match the promise, and the location logistics are far from ideal. If you're thinking about booking here, my advice is this: Book your own surf lessons, yoga classes, and accommodation separately. You’ll likely get a more comfortable stay, better flexibility, and save a significant amount — all without the disconnect between expectation and reality. Because in the end, the Salty Pelican sells a vibe it doesn’t quite deliver on.

Had a great stay - good location only 15 min walk from station ( regular trains from Lisbon for about 2.5 euros) in a quiet area. Friendly helpful staff and good food and cocktails available if you want to relax at hostel after all activities. Enjoyed yoga and surfing easy to book in to just sign up day before . Would really recommend the meditation hike

Very nice hostel! The rooms were clean and the staff was very friendly:) Loved the morning yoga on the peer! I've met so many kind people there and would definetily go there again sometime. The beach was just a 15minute walk away from the hostel. Thank you for the great stay in Cascais!

Just had an amazing stay at Salty! The staff is super sweet, food was amazing, yoga sessions were top level, all the spaces were clean. I didn't joined the surf lessons but heard from other guests that they enjoyed it a lot. Highly recommend!

I had my first solo travelling experience here and met some lovely people. The hostel itself was incredibly clean, spacious and comfortable, located a short walk away from Cascais. The daily yoga on the pier was one of the highlights, as well as the daily dinner options. My only negative review would be around the surfing lessons and some of the hostel staff. While some of the hostel staff were pleasant, there were others that unfortunately dampened the experience as they came across as quite unfriendly and rude. Additionally, the surf 'lessons' weren't really what you'd expect when paying for a surf camp. On day 1, were given a 2 minute crash course on how to stand up on the board, and for the rest of the week we'd go into the surf to practice with little to no guidance from the instructors. Tomi was probably the only instructor that seemed to be invested in our progress, but the others seemed quite frankly over their jobs and just wanted us in and out. I was also surprised that there was no safety briefing. There were quite a few others in the group who weren't from Salty Pelican, and the learner-instructor ratio was around 6-1. Nonetheless, I had a good time as I was fortunate enough to have a fun group from the hostel. However, I know that this was the general feeling across the whole group, Some of us had tried to give feedback throughout our stay with no success. Overall, I would recommend this camp for a bit of fun and good vibes, however, if you are wanting to learn how to properly surf (and not fend for yourself 1 hour a day), when I would recommend going somewhere else.