About: Perched on the dunes of Santa Cruz along Portugal’s west coast, Noah Surf House is a funky blend of surf camp spirit and sustainable innovation. Its 8 rooms and 13 bungalows were built using recycled materials and local driftwood, exuding a casual, creative vibe that mirrors the waves out front. Every element here has an eco-twist. The property is powered in part by solar panels that provide ~70% of hot water needs – once those are met, surplus solar heats the infinity pool or the rooms’ radiant floors. High-efficiency heat pumps and LED lighting cover the rest, and keycard systems cut power use when spaces are unoccupied. Noah has banned single-use plastics entirely: no straws, no mini toiletry bottles; guests receive stainless steel water bottles to refill at filtered water stations, eliminating disposable bottles. An on-site organic garden plus a dozen free-roaming chickens supply fresh veggies, herbs, and eggs to the Noah restaurant, which serves healthy dishes and bar snacks with ingredients from its own land and local farms. (Guests are even invited to visit the happy hens and composting center – part of Noah’s educational ethos.) The décor is surfing-meets-upcycling: old locker doors become headboards, plumbing pipes are repurposed as lamps, reclaimed wood and even retired fishing nets find new life as art pieces around the property. Beyond aesthetics, Noah Surf House is all about experiences. Daily surf lessons and paddleboard sessions get you in the Atlantic, while an oceanfront skate bowl (built with recycled concrete) and a rooftop yoga deck keep the stoke high on land. By night, guests gather around the bonfire or relax in the rooftop jacuzzi under the stars. Throughout, the staff fosters a warm, community atmosphere – weekly sunset BBQs, live music, and even graffiti workshops for kids are common. Impact: Noah takes sustainability and social responsibility seriously. It operates on a zero-waste mindset: comprehensive recycling bins are everywhere, food waste is composted on-site to nourish the garden (closing the loop), and even the buildings’ green roofs help insulate and reduce runoff. The hotel trains its young staff in eco best practices and involves guests in beach clean-ups and local community events. Family-run and family-friendly, Noah Surf House has quickly become a model for sustainable hospitality on Portugal’s coast – proof that a surf retreat can be cool, conscious, and wildly fun all at once. Guests love that they can “feel the soul” of the place: from waking up to ocean views in a solar-heated bungalow, to skating and surfing with new friends, to knowing their vacation generates minimal footprint. Noah Surf House invites you to hang loose and love the planet, all in one go.