Surf Vida is a welcoming, cozy space that allows you to sink in and enjoy the idyllic sounds of nature, the ocean views, and de-stress from the constant “go, go, go” of our modern world.
A place to connect with like-minded individuals whilst having the comfort of your own space. Here is the story of how co-founder Jessica Roberts found her way out of the hustle and bustle of America to the homely and beautiful Ericeira.
Jess landed in Portugal in 2019 to start an Adult-Only surf house in Ericeira that now hosts working professionals, digital nomads, students, and entrepreneurs from all around the world.
Surf Vida was created after thorough market research and we interviewed Jess about how everything started and how COVID-19 impacted her hospitality business.
Hey Jess! Please tell me a bit about yourself, who you are and what your business does?
Originally from Calgary, Canada, I grew up snowboarding on the weekends and that passion continued to be fuelled when I moved to Denver, Colorado in 2008. (There really is nothing like a blue-bird powder day in the back bowls of Vail….) I had pursued nursing as my first career, fresh out of high school and into university because at the time, I thought job security was something to strive for.
The emergency room and critical care nursing suited my high-energy personality, brought out my caring nature and allowed me to travel and build a career in the US for the last 10 years.
I tried to follow societal norms in North America - I bought a beautiful house, I had a successful career, I married a wonderful man, and we even had the French Bulldog to match.
I left the “golden-handcuffs” of nursing as quickly as I could once I landed my Green Card, and leapt at the opportunity to work for my real estate agent who offered me a position on his team.
Although working for him didn’t pan out, and against all the advice of others, I launched out on my own. I worked countless hours, with so many sleepless nights, but within my first year of real estate I pulled in 6 figures, as Denver was and continues to be a booming seller’s market.
Unfortunately the cracks in my life started to show soon after that first year. My marriage lost any resemblance of what we had, I felt inauthentic in the real estate world - driving a new Volvo SUV, wearing high heels, designer brand clothing, the hair, the makeup....
From the outside it looked like I had the perfect life, but if you really get the truth, that is rarely the case. From the inside, nothing was right.
Eventually we ended up deciding to divorce and I decided to leave real estate as I couldn’t handle the emotional volatility of the highs and lows. I sold the house within 2 months as my last transaction in real estate, and then started planning to travel the world for the next year. It was really the start of my self-growth journey. In all the books I was consuming, I knew I needed to learn from other entrepreneurs and I knew the best way to do so was to connect and surround myself with my mentors. One of my real estate mentors, Heather Bacon, suggested that her husband was looking for an executive assistant for his tech start up.
I believe in hustle, and I believe if you want something badly enough, you work for it. So I reached out to her husband, and along with my email, I offered to work for BWBacon (a recruiting and staffing firm for tech start-ups) for free for the first two weeks. It was such a good personality fit, they hired me for the summer, even knowing I was leaving to travel.
The CEO/Founder -- Dave Bacon -- is a charismatic legend in Denver. It gave me a chance to see the business as he saw it, the big picture and the direction in which he wanted to go, and how he delegated his time as a CEO. It opened my eyes to possibilities. It allowed me to spend time with someone that was a visionary, to see how he ran a multi-million dollar company, and who led a very contented and independent staff. It was the first time I saw running my own company as a reality.
I left on my worldly travels in September 2018, and flew across the Atlantic to walk the Camino de Santiago. I started in Saint Jean-Pied-du-Port in France and walked 780km to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, minus 200km or so due to a badly sprained ankle. The 33 days I spent on the trail were life changing.
I have always been goal orientated, and somewhere in years past, I had written down that I wanted to own a Bed & Breakfast. For me it’s the perfect combination of nurturing, hosting, feeding people delicious food and building a home and a sense of community.
Along my pilgrimage, I met a few of the Albergue / Hostel owners and over long discussions with plenty of vino, I was able to see the creation of my vision starting. I loved Northern Spain, but pilgrims are transient and with only staying for a night or two, I could see the challenges of creating a community and a space that would build connections. Both of these concepts I wanted to bring together in a space, I just didn’t know where.
I came to Lisbon after my Camino to process, and decompress after the previous intense month. They say on the Camino that the “gifts” come afterwards and aren’t always present immediately.
During that month in Lisbon, I rented an old school VW van to take a solo surf trip north up the coast to explore the coastal towns. My first stop was Ericeira and as soon as I rounded the corner on route N-247 and saw the town on the coastline, my breath caught and I knew in my heart that this was the place. This was home. In the same week, I also knew I would come back here one day to live.
My travels continued into 2019 and I spent a month in Sri Lanka. Almost all the hospitality properties on the south coast, in and around Ahanghma, Welligama, and Midigama inspired me. It was in Sri Lanka that my vision for my own place started solidifying. Even today, I still pull so much inspiration and ideas from that time and those places.
I fell in love with the surf culture ever since I lived in California for a short while. I love the laid back nature, the surf style and I love being in the water. It is incredibly cathartic for me to balance my high energy. I have always been a competitive swimmer and waterpolo player so paddling has come naturally to me, the pop-up not so much….
Surfing to me is the most humbling sport I have ever done. It’s unlike any other sport. It challenges me, both physically and mentally every time I am in the water, the waves are never the same and you must have some patience and respect for the ocean.
I returned to Portugal in March 2019 with the solid intention of finding a property and making my dream a reality.
I found the ideal property with the help of a local and we closed the deal in June. The place needed significant cosmetic renovations and took most of the summer, and a small team of us, but we were able to open mid-August 2019.
I renovated the property to reflect the surf and ocean chill vibe, with a modern design but trying to keep some of the Portuguese charm. The property offers ocean views from the top floor, a gym/studio space, a garage that houses the surf boards and rental bikes, a large courtyard with a BBQ for events and gatherings, and plans for a hot tub and deck in the front of the property, in the near future.
We are an Adult-Only property and we cater to working professionals, digital nomads, students, entrepreneurs and adult-only travellers.
Who are your partners?
I try to focus on partnering with female run businesses but I do not limit our partnerships to only those. Our partnerships include:
Raw care Studio - they make handmade beautifully crafted artisan soaps, shampoos and many other Skin care products.
Palm & Pine Skincare - sunscreen - ocean friendly vegan - no plastic bottles.
Ay Mamita - Argentinian - latin street food which I am planning future events with at Surf Vida
Pranama Yoga studio - local yoga studio that we have partnered with since we don’t have yoga on site at surf vida.
Ericeira Waves - this is who I organise the surf lessons with when people come to stay - they tend to have small group size classes and quality equipment.
Lunna Plants Ericeira - Totally Vegan bakery & Food - they also supply juice cleanses and retreat catering.
How did you get into it surfing?
As a teenager I had my bedroom wall plastered with cutouts from surf and snowboard magazines. At my first opportunity to travel with nursing, I headed down to Orange County California to learn how to surf.
There are only a few places in the world where you can surf and snowboard on the same day. My very first lesson was in Huntington Beach, where the pro surfers go, and the biggest lesson was how to do the “sting-ray shuffle”. I was completely lost, and my 14 year old instructor wasn’t incredibly helpful. I don’t think I was even surfing on a foamie.
Surfing only really started to solidify for me when I took a trip to Costa Rica for a week. Epic girls trip to Nossara where we surfed twice a day, and did nothing else! The waves were super mellow with hardly anyone on them, it was the perfect opportunity to learn. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions!
What is your dream vision for Surf Vida guest house in Ericeira?
I am creating a community vibe but I am learning very quickly that everyone still wants their own privacy.
We are 100% female owned, female operated and our target market is for anyone likes to be active, connect with other like-minded people and enjoy our quaint little town of Ericeira in Portugal.
Eventually we will focus on female only retreats and bootcamps, with a focus on surfing and nutrition.
As we are continually evolving and growing we will be expanding to host entrepreneurial retreats, targeting small start-ups and teams to offer retreats and workshops focused around connection, and be an amazing space that people can escape to.
We have this amazing tranquil, quiet space closer to Foz do Lizandro, which can be a blessing, rather than being right in the town centre in Ericeira.
How has Covid 19 affected your business?
Because of Covid affecting tourism so heavily this year, we have had to pivot and change our entire vision for this year. As we are still a small business and run by a company of 1, I heard this wonderfully accurate quote recently that says “It’s easier to pivot with 2 feet”.
Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, but I see everything as an opportunity, and maybe this is the way we evolve instead. To flow with changing times, we have converted to long term rentals for the season, and maybe even longer.
This is allowing us to still create the community feel while giving us time to create our future events, workshops and be ready for 2021!
Interviewed by Leila Tansley
Boards, Books, and Beer. Leila is a part time accountant and also collaborating with Surfpreneurs Club as an intern to inspire you with the most exciting ventures in the surf community.
