Salema Eco Camp - Sustainable Camping & Glamping

I reserved the Salema Eco Camp for our one-night stay at Salema after walking from Sagres on the Rota Vicentina. Our experience here was wonderful once we changed our accommodation from one of the Woody tents to a studio. The staff were amazing at making this possible! The hike had been more technical and we needed a bit more comfort! The studio was excellent, king-sized bed and firm as we prefer. The private bathroom was super, excellent water pressure! One thing to keep in mind is that the Eco Camp is about 2 km outside of Salema, extra walk on a busy road after a hard day at the trail. Other than that, highly recommend it, as well as its restaurant.

Don’t bother…..We brought a tent after years of campervanning. After a five hour drive from a lovely spot near Nazare we arrived at Salema. First impressions are positive until you get the wristbands, tent label and vehicle label. Losing these incurs a 20 euro fee…each. You are also required to leave a form of ID at reception. No idea why? You are then told to go and pitch wherever you like. The site map is hopeless and no paper copy is available. The site is all over the place with lots of dead ends and very tight turns. I tore a huge hole in the front of my truck trying to get out of one of these on a tree stump that had been cut off at 18 inches and wasn’t visible from the cab. The laziness of leaving that in such a location said it all and our trip has now cost a fortune in body repairs. The site is on rock hard ground so you will need rock pegs or screw pegs. We eventually found a a tiny pitch squashed up against a kids playground. We couldn’t peg out properly but it was all we could find. As there are no marked pitches there are the usual suspects who take enough room for three and mark out their territory with washing lines and anything else they can use. The staff whizz around in golf carts, at speed and aren’t in the least bit bothered about it. On a positive note the on-site restaurant was very good and the staff there were really friendly and helpful. Frankly it has spoilt a long holiday as the damage caused by the tree stump will cost so much that the long journey back to Scotland won’t be much fun. Another point. The beach is accessible by walking along a busy road or there is a courtesy bus a few times a day from the site. Don’t be fooled by thinking you will have a romantic stroll through orange groves, you will have to dodge the cars and buses. The showers near our ‘pitch’ aren’t hot at night and we are struggling to find any bins. It’s touted as an eco site but it’s all smoke and mirrors as recycling around site should be paramount. This could be a great place if there was some good organisation. It seems a bit daft as marking out pitches would mean less people driving out again after an hour of searching for somewhere to stop.

We booked the studio, which was amazing. Clean, nice shower and very cosy. I would easily recommend staying here, perfect for a couple. Staf was helpful and friendly. At the check in we where asked to leave some sort of ID or public transport card. No problem, but a bit strange. Also you get a wristband. Again no problem, but a bit annoying to have to wear a wristband for 5 days.

Amazing experience, very polite and well trained team both in the restaurant and reception. Everyone was at their best, knowledgeable of what they are doing and always with a smile in their faces and even when dealing with the demanding August guests! Well done, congratulations keep going and don’t change anything!