Portillo

Water

Warm and flat water, no waves, only outside the reefs an about 1m rolling wave. Many little reefs with sharp corals in the water, which can be easily seen in the clear water. With lower sun in the afternoon they are harder to see. At low tide they can stick out of the water.

Launch

It’s a beautiful beach, maybe one of the best looking setups in the DR. Lots of nice and soft sand and lots of space to launch. The beach is long, but not very wide with palm trees along the shore. You can launch from the water. At the point the beach is wider and the wind less gusty as further west, which makes launching easier.

Wind

The best season will be from April to August, you can have wind all year round except for October to December. It can be as consistent as Cabarete but not as strong. The usual direction is Northeast, trade winds, which gets accelerated with thermals. You can expect around 16 knots during summer. During winter northerly winds can blow bringing some waves.

How to get here

From the international airport Samana follow signs to Las Terrenas. Enter Las Terrenas and follow the main street to the beach. Turn right and after 2.8 miles you will reach Portillo. Here you can park at the side of the beach and walk for about 200m to the point or drive with a motorbike, quad or 4×4 closer to the water. Walk about 150m to the point.

Other

Be careful with the reefs. Don’t ride or jump too close to them.

Nightlife

It’s a nice little town with lots of hotels and good nightlife.