Gwen and Zé first met at 35,000 feet. They were both 19 years old, flying from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and—by pure chance—ended up seated next to each other after the airline rearranged the seating so a family could sit together. What seemed like a small change turned out to be the beginning of a very long story. To their surprise, they quickly discovered they both spoke Portuguese. What followed was an entire flight spent talking non-stop about surfing, travel adventures, and life plans that only 18-year-olds can dream up. By the time the plane landed in Hawaii, they had exchanged contact details… and went their separate ways, thinking that was the end of it. But life had other plans. Almost ten years later, Gwen moved to Cascais—only to discover that it happened to be Zé’s hometown. Fate had quietly brought them back to the same place. Their paths crossed again, though only briefly, when Gwen was about to leave for London. When Gwen moved back to Cascais once again 5 years later, this time they finally went for a drink together. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sintra has always held a special place in Gwen and Zé’s story. For each of them, Sintra was already somewhere magical, later, it became the setting for one of their early dates, weaving itself naturally into their story as a couple. Tucked between lush forests and misty hills, Sintra feels like something out of a dream. Often called the “European tropics,” Sintra’s landscape is a world of deep greenery, hidden paths, moss-covered stones and fairytale palaces emerging from the forest. There is something mystical about it—the cool air, the scent of eucalyptus and pine, the way the mist drifts through the hills. For Gwen and Zé, Sintra is both a place of personal memories and shared ones—a landscape that has quietly accompanied different moments of their lives. It felt only right to return to this magical setting to celebrate the beginning of their next chapter. ✨