Marta Sequeira
Founder · Central & eastern Algarve
Born in Portimão, Marta has guided the central coast and the Ria Formosa for over a decade. She writes our Lagos, Tavira and food guides and knows which tasca is worth the detour.
EST. 2016 — LAGOS
We're two guides, one coast, and a refusal to write clichés.
Tidewater Guides started in a Lagos kitchen in 2016, out of frustration with travel writing that treated the Algarve as a single golden beach. It isn't. It's a dozen different coasts, and we write each one from the inside.
How we got here
The region gets fifteen million visitors a year, and most of them see the same five postcards. We wanted to write the version we tell friends over dinner — where to be at eight in the morning, which boat to skip, what to order when the menu has no pictures.
That started as a blog and grew into a small planning practice. Today we publish free guides and itineraries, and for travellers who want it, we build bespoke trips on top of them.
The guides
Who writes this.
Tomás Brito
West coast · Surf & walking
A surfer and Rota Vicentina trail leader based near Sagres, Tomás covers the wild Costa Vicentina — the surf breaks, the cliff paths, and the right beach for the day's wind.
Our editorial standards.
On the ground, always
We live here. Every guide is written from repeated visits, not press trips or desk research. If a place has slipped, we say so.
Independent & ad-free
No sponsored listings, no affiliate-stuffed 'best of' lists. We recommend the same places we send our own friends to.
Local-first
We point you toward the markets, family restaurants and quieter beaches that keep money in the region — and keep the magic intact.
How trips work
Three steps, no pressure.
- 01
Tell us your dates
Send a note with when you're coming, who's travelling, and the kind of trip you're after.
- 02
We sketch a route
We draft an itinerary from our guides — beaches, towns and tables matched to your pace.
- 03
You travel it
Book it yourself with our notes, or have us handle the logistics. Either way the plan is yours.