Meet Inês, your expert in the Algarve!
🌍 Lives in: Monchique, Algarve
Regions of Expertise: Algarve, Alentejo, Northern Portugal
Languages: English, Português
Experience: 10 years in the Algarvian hospitality industry
Inês’ specialties:
Get to know Inês!
“Hi! I’m Inês, born and raised in the warm and sunny Algarve, Portugal's southernmost region.
If you’re planning on visiting Portugal, you’ve come to the right place! Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve traveled the country on road trips with my family. Now, as a mom myself, we still travel all over Portugal, just now with me in the driver’s seat!
I have always been in love with everything Portuguese, from the local food to our stunning natural areas, our complex history, and the diverse Portuguese language with all its international influences.
For the past 10 years, I’ve worked in hospitality as a concierge, reservation agent, and hotel receptionist, presenting my country, and especially my home region, and sharing the best insider tips with travelers from around the world. Once the pandemic hit, I used my hospitality knowledge and writing skills (my lifelong passion) to work as a freelance content writer and continue sharing information on the best that Portugal has to offer!
Read more
Outside of work, I’m an amateur landscape photographer and I enjoy hiking, spending an afternoon at the beach, and sampling our fantastic local cuisine. As a history lover, I never miss the chance to learn more about a city’s past, and I consider myself a lifelong student.
In case it’s not yet clear (but I bet it is!), I am extremely passionate about Portugal. We have so many wonderful places waiting for you to discover, and I would be delighted to help you plan your visit through the Algarve, Alentejo, and North of Portugal.
My goal is simple: to make every traveler enjoy Portugal as much as I do!”
Q&A with Inês
-
What I love about Portugal is the diversity in such a small country. From North to South, the landscape, culture and gastronomy change so much, making you feel you're in a different country, while traveling from one region to the other.
-
Start the day at the beach, and after a few hours, head for lunch somewhere overlooking the ocean. After lunch, drive out into the countryside to explore the rural charms of the Algarve, and then make your way to the Monchique mountains in the evening to witness the most amazing sunset of your life. I can’t imagine a better way to spend a day.
-
A kayaking tour to Ponta da Piedade. Yes, it’s touristy and lots of people do it, but that’s for good reason - it’s spectacular! This is a not-to-be-missed activity.
-
Luar da Fóia in Monchique (where I live). They only use local ingredients, all the food is home made by experienced hands, and the view over the mountains and coastline is stunning.
-
Seafood Cataplana - seafood stewed in a special copper pot and cooked for hours to retain all the flavors.
Bacalhau com Broa - codfish and typical Northern Portuguese Broa bread baked with olive oil, garlic and sprouts.
-
I enjoy hiking and landscape photography, reading a great book and spending an afternoon at the beach.
-
I especially enjoy road trips, as I love having the freedom to go wherever I want without much planning. While traveling abroad, I enjoy city breaks where I can travel light, visiting monuments and historical locations and admiring nature.
-
Rome was my favorite trip of all time. It gathers everything I love: food, history, language and landscapes.
Portugal Travel Consultations
Plan a better trip with some help from Inês
Sit down with Inês for a one-hour planning session to get her expert advice and the best local tips and recommendations.
Our travel consultations are the perfect solution for do-it-yourself travelers who want to plan on their own, but could use some expert local advice. Each consultation is personalized, and Inês is available to help in whatever way you need.
From working on your itinerary and advising on routes and transportation, to ideas for off the beaten path destinations and truly authentic experiences, she's got you covered.
For the best local advice, go ask a local!
Why plan with Inês
Spend 60 minutes tapping into Inês’ hyperlocal expertise to plan a better trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Consultations cost $150 USD.
-
Consultations are held over Google Meet. Once you’ve scheduled your call, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing the link for your video call. On the scheduled day and time, just click that link to join.
-
Each consultation is different, but here are some common things that our experts typically help with:
Itinerary planning
Transportation, driving routes, and tips for how to get around
Practical travel information; culture, safety, weather, language, money/tipping, etc.
Suggested hotels/accommodations and advice on where to base yourself
Local recommendations for restaurants, activities, and unique experiences
Advice on reputable tour guides, tour operators, and excursions
Pro tips on how to best visit popular sights and attractions
Ways to avoid overcrowded destinations and tourist traps
Insider ideas on off the beaten path places, authentic experiences, and ways to connect with locals
-
What you can get done in an hour depends on your goals for the consultation and how organized you are coming into it.
In most cases, an hour is ample time to create a solid itinerary, answer your major travel questions, get practical advice on how to travel in your destination, and discuss lots of great local tips and recommendations.
To ensure that the hour is used efficiently, when you schedule your call, our pre-consultation questionnaire will ask you what your primary goals for the consultation are. Prior to the call, your Local Expert will review your questionnaire and prepare detailed information addressing those goals.
They’ll come into the call ready to share specific advice, recommendations, itinerary ideas/revisions, and useful links and resources for you to review together.
-
Yes! Each consultation is guided by a comprehensive pre-consultation questionnaire that you fill out immediately upon booking.
We’ll ask you a series of 30+ detailed questions that really dig into you, your trip, your interests and travel style, and what you want to discuss with your Local Expert.
The questionnaire will cover things like: the dynamics of your group, the things you enjoy while traveling, your budget, how early you want to start your day and how late you want to end it, whether you want to hit the highlights or roam the back streets, and even what types of restaurants you want to eat at.
Your Local Expert will focus only on your interests and travel style.
-
Our Local Experts are seasoned travel professionals who have spent decades working in their countries/regions. While their personal interests may be different from yours, they’ve worked with thousands of travelers and have recommendations and advice for every type of individual.
They know their destinations in-depth and can help plan a trip for every traveler and taste.
-
No. Our service is geared toward independent, do-it-yourself travelers who intend to make bookings on their own.
Our goal is not to plan your trip for you, but rather to help you plan a better trip independently. To that end, our Local Experts will give you all of the information that you need to confidently put your trip together yourself.
When Local Experts recommend things like restaurants, hotels, excursions/activities, tours, drivers, etc., they’ll provide you with contact details and links so that you can make the final arrangements on your own.
-
Almost every Go Ask A Local expert has at least 10 years of professional travel experience as a guide or trip planner in their country/region.
We work with a vetted team of seasoned professionals who know their destinations inside and out.
Unlike other companies, when you book a call, you’ll always be connected directly with your chosen Local Expert. We never pass anyone on to a junior sales associate or some anonymous back office team. With us, what you see is what you get.
Ready to plan with Inês?
Here’s how to schedule your consultation:
