Emigrating To Portugal: Our First High Season Is Behind Us | Quinta Da Cerejeira

Our first high season is behind us. What are our findings?

Over six months ago, we emigrated to Portugal, and there have been so many ‘firsts.’ We could write a whole book about it, but in this blog post, we’ll focus on our first high season.

What went well, and what didn’t? What will we do exactly the same next year, and what will we do completely differently?

Every month is different

August is the vacation month for the Portuguese.

We heard from all around us that August is the vacation month for the Portuguese, but we couldn’t quite picture it. Now we can. In August, it’s really busy everywhere. At the campsite, in the supermarket, and at the river beaches. We had already noticed more bookings coming in, but by the end of July, the phone calls started pouring in. On average, about 30-40 calls a day asking if we had availability.

We could sense that the atmosphere at the campsite changed. While in the off-season guests often stayed in pairs, the Portuguese prefer to gather together. Their rhythm is different, with cozy evenings full of good food. The pool was well used, and children were playing on the field. It was a true ‘cosy’ campsite vibe.

Augustus in numbers:

Toilet rolls

Unique guests

Portugues

0 %

Wat did we learn?

We’ve mainly learned how the Portuguese celebrate their holidays, namely:

Together! – They prefer coming with a group of friends or family and stay close to each other.
They love barbecuing. We had already put up a second BBQ, and it turned out to be no luxury at all. We’ve been invited several times for a delicious lunch.
Surprisingly, many people forget their tent poles.
They spend a lot of time at river beaches (Praia Fluvial) during the day, unlike ‘foreigners’ who tend to explore towns and culture.
They all make use of the shared refrigerator.

Today, we attempted to take some photos of the yog

Winter camping life is no easy feat—it takes eff

Reserve agora a sua estadia para janeiro e feverei

✨ Queridos todos, Desejamos a vocês um ano nov

Load More Follow on Instagram

Next year..

We’re going to do a few things the same, but we’ll definitely be doing some things differently. We’ve realized that handling the high season just the two of us, without any support, is quite tough. So, we’ve decided to bring in help next year, especially for cleaning.

We’ve received a lot of positive feedback that the campsite is peaceful and calm, even when it’s fully booked. We had already decided to keep the spaces spacious, and we’ll continue to stick to this approach.

This winter, we have a few projects planned that will add value for the next season! We’re going to switch from a chlorine pool to a saltwater pool, my yoga studio is being built, the toilet block will get an update, workspaces will be created for digital nomads, and the fourth family apartment will be built.

There are also plenty of ‘small’ ideas we’ll brainstorm about this winter, like expanding the bread selection.

Emigrating to Portugal: Will and Henk in Search of Their Dream Home

Emigrating to Portugal: Will and Henk in Search of Their Dream Home In early November, the moment finally arrived: Will

The 10 Best Markets in Portugal for 2024

One of the most enjoyable activities during your vacation in Portugal is visiting local markets. Here, you can immerse yourself in the daily life of the Portuguese, soak up the atmosphere, and discover unique products

4.7 based on 430+ reviews on google