This is the story of how Noemi and I met, fell in love and moved to Portugal to open an Eco Surf House.
We wish we could say our tale is extraordinary, but unfortunately it is terribly cliche. We just want to share it with you because in the past years, since we founded Lemontree, we have been asked a million times how we got here.
Some of you might find it boring, some of you might just think how stupidly lucky we are and then someone else could even find it inspiring.
Surfing in Portugal brought us together
Before diving into how we managed to open a surf house in Portugal, we want to give you an overview of our backgrounds and how we met.
The first time Noemi and I met was of course in Sagres, Portugal, just a few hundred meters from where our surf house is standing now.
I was at the time teaching surfing at a local surf camp, while Noemi was unlucky enough to take part in my lessons as a novice surfer.
I guess from Noemi’s side, it was definitely not my surf instructor skills that impressed her. To this day, I still struggle to understand what she saw in me.
While in my eyes, Noemi was from the beginning an incredible thing. What struck me the most about her was the energy, positive mindset, impulsivity and her trust in the universe. A Quality that I miss completely. Well only after a week of surf camp there was already no chance to take different roads.
Our Journey before Sagres
At this point in time I was moving to France to coach and manage a surf camp not too far from Biarritz. Noemi was still studying psychology in Switzerland. In order to spend as much time together as possible, Noemi turned her passion for Yoga into an opportunity to come and work at the same surf camp.
She travelled to India, got her teacher degree and joined me in France. I can only now understand what a huge gamble this was for her: leaving the “city life” and the prospect of a career, just to follow a silly surf instructor, live by the ocean and say goodbye to a normal life…this was brave.
We spent a few years in this comfortable situation, till we got bored of France and disappointed of the surf industry that too many times is so far from the values that it advertises.
The sad reality and the Idea for a Surf house
As we were saying, after quite a few years spent in the surfing industry, we sadly realised that now everything that shines is gold.
Don’t get me wrong, in our path, going from surf camp to surf camp we met wonderful people and we are grateful for the opportunities we had, however we also got to see the gloomy reality of many surf businesses.
What is wrong with Main Stream Mass Surf Camps
Among the things that we were most disappointed with was the hypocrisy and falsity of most big surf establishments. What you get sold is the idea of an inclusive place where everyone can be happy, guests and staff members.
However this is false, a lot of times guests are treated like a number, like a piece of meat to put on top of a surfboard. Equally so, employees are completely underpaid and overworked. To tell the truth, noone is happy.
On top, the eco-friendly side of things is a complete lie. Sometimes even the trash that is apparently recycled, at the end of the day gets thrown away in the same container. Food wise is a disaster too, but do not get me started with that…I’m italian.
The Ideal Surf House
Anyway, after being punched in the face by the sad reality, we started to dream how we would do things differently if we had the freedom to do our own project.
The main idea was: let’s do the opposite of what most big surf camps do.
We imagined a place where quality is more important to quantity: it is much easier to care and provide quality for a more familiar number of guests.
Secondly, we wanted to give our guests the possibility of structuring their time with us as they wished (in most surf camps you have the whole day organised for you, stealing the freedom away from your holidays). Thirdly, we wanted to provide a genuine surfing experience where the goal is not only standing on a board, but also learning about the ocean.
We thought about serving local and healthy food that is bought from farmers in the area. Lastly, we imagined a place where recycling actually works and nature is cared for.
Back to Portugal to win the Lottery
Lucky coincidence was that every year, when summer season was over in France, we would travel back to Sagres to enjoy the best weather you can find in Europe, reconnect with old friends and enjoy the stunning nature of Algarve.
So, we were there, just walking back from Tonel beach after a long surf session, craving some ice cream from Gelateria Alice (best Italian ice cream in Portugal and just opposite our surf house), when magic struck……there it was: a handwritten “Vende-se” sign (for sale), hanging on the gate of a beautiful old Portuguese house.
We picked up the phone and made a call that changed our lives!
Risk it for the Biscuit
Unfortunately, a phone call wasn’t enough to create a surf house out of thin air. In front of us lay a long and challenging journey filled with fundraising, paperwork, securing the necessary licenses, brand creation, and plenty of hands-on construction work.
Funny enough, neither Noemi nor I ever questioned whether this was the right path. From the very first moment, we were both 100% committed, and not once did we consider giving up on our dream.
The first major obstacle was, of course, gathering the funds. As a surf instructor and a yoga teacher, we definitely hadn’t saved enough to buy a house, though, luckily, back then, prices were much lower, and the start of COVID caused a brief dip in the market, just enough for us to seize the opportunity. In the end, we put every penny of our savings into the house and were hugely supported by both our families.
And just like that, we bought Lemontree!
The Surf House’s first years: more work than you imagine
If you think running our own surf business was going to be a walk in the park, well… you might be mistaken. The first couple of years at Lemontree have been an overwhelming amount of work—sometimes so much that we still struggle to fully grasp it.
At the beginning of April, we kicked off construction and renovations. We only had a few months before summer, and we had to open by then—otherwise, we would have been broke. Silly enough, we didn’t plan our timeline well enough, nor did we properly manage our finances, which put us under enormous pressure in both aspects.
However, and for this, we will be eternally grateful, our friends came to help (apparently, asking people to help open a surf house is an easy sell).
With no money left and 12-hour workdays, seven days a week, we somehow managed to open our doors in July.
Opening Doors
Once we welcomed our first guests, we quickly realised just how much work was ahead of us. And this was with the nicest, kindest guests imaginable, just imagine if they weren’t! Noemi and I, now running everything on our own, had to take care of breakfast, cleaning, check-ins, check-outs, emails, phone calls, marketing, Instagram, the website, organising surf and yoga lessons… the list went on and on.
Still, by working as a team and supporting each other, we made it through. And, in the end, our first season was a huge success.
Now, I’m Italian, and I tend to complain even when I probably shouldn’t. The truth is, we have been incredibly lucky, the support from our family and friends, the opportunities we seized, and everything we’ve built. But this is also a reality check: having your own business means living by the beach and setting your own schedule, but on the flip side, it’s the hardest job a lazy surf instructor like myself has ever done!
Lemontree Eco Surfhouse and us now
To be completely honest, the craziest part of our journey is that not even for a moment did Noemi or I questioned our project, doubt ourselves, or our relationship. Somehow, through it all, our bond actually grew stronger.
People often advise against working with friends or family, and we lost count of how many times we were warned about starting a business with a partner. The common belief is that mixing work and relationships is almost always damaging.
Well, we don’t see it that way at all. Of course, working together has its challenges, but after everything we’ve been through, we realize just how much stronger our relationship has become.
It has been five years since we first saw that *”Vendese”* sign hanging from a charming Portuguese house. What a journey it has been….more wonderful than we could have ever imagined.
We want to thank everyone for giving us the opportunity to keep running Lemontree and following our dreams.
If you ever find yourself in Sagres, you’re always welcome to stop by Lemontree and say hi! After all, our slogan is: “Lemontree Eco Surfhouse, every surfer’s home.”
If you want to find out more about Sagres, Surfing in the Algarve, Our Surfhouse and Our Story, you might find these interesting:
