Pull up
a chair.
Mesa matches families in the Algarve — whether you've been here years or just arrived — with the people you'd actually have something in common with. Hand‑curated. Hosted in real life. No swiping.
nobody
warns you
about
You moved for the sunshine. The hard part is everything else.
You worked out the visa, the house, the school, the doctor. You've started saying bom dia without thinking. The view is unreal. The kids are happy.
But months — sometimes years — in, you still don't have your people. The friends you'd open a bottle of wine with on a Tuesday. The kids who become your kids' first proper friends. The neighbours you'd actually want as neighbours.
You thought it would happen naturally. It mostly doesn't.
Three steps. Then dinner.
We don't believe in endless chats with strangers. Mesa is built to get you to a real-life hello in your first week.
Tell us about your family
A few prompts about your life, your kids, what you love. No selfies. No swiping. No "what's your job."
Takes 6 minutes
- 10 short prompts, no quizzes
- Couples can answer together
- Skip anything that feels weird
We read between the lines so you don't have to oversell yourself.
We find your people
We match your family with two or three others nearby who genuinely fit — not just kids the same age, but values, vibes, the way you live.
2–3 matches a month
- Hand-reviewed during the founding 100
- Vibe + values + village, in that order
- Mute or pass without awkwardness
Quality over quantity. You're not collecting; you're choosing.
Host the first hello
We suggest a real-life thing: a beach Sunday, a Saturday BBQ, a tasting at the local quinta. You take it from there.
A nudge, not a calendar
- Curated local plans for your week
- Easy intros — no group-chat drift
- First plan within 7 days
We do the awkward bit. You bring the wine.
Built for how you actually live.
Couples can answer prompts together. Kids' ages and personalities count. We're matching the table, not a single chair.
Every match comes with a curated suggestion: a beach Sunday, a quinta tasting, a long lunch. We do the awkward part of starting.
Founders are based in the western Algarve. Local hosts curate plans across each town — not a generic 'meet-up near you'.
We translate vibes into matches: introvert/extrovert balance, screen-time philosophy, food culture, weekend tempo. The boring fields stay boring.
We're starting where we live.
Mesa is launching first in the Algarve — Lagoa, Lagos, Carvoeiro, Albufeira, Portimão, Faro and the villages in between. We're testing it hyper-locally where we live, with families already here and those just arriving.
Expat, immigrant, returning Portuguese, or local who'd love new friends in the village — you're who we built this for. If the concept proves itself here, we'll roll it out to other family communities — Lisbon and Porto next, then wider Iberia and beyond.
Hi. We're Ty & Lotti.
We moved our family — Tiger, Indigo, and a yellow American school bus — to the Algarve looking for sun, slower mornings, and a different kind of life.
We got all of that. What we didn't get, immediately, was a circle. The mums' WhatsApp group helped. So did the school gates. But the families we clicked with — the ones we'd want round for Saturday dinner — were harder to find than we'd imagined.
Mesa is the thing we wished existed when we landed — and the thing we still wish existed for friends who've been here years. We're testing it in our own village first. If it works here, we'll take it to other family communities everywhere.
If that sounds like you, come and join us.
— Ty & Lotti
Be one of the first 100 families.
We're hand-curating our Algarve launch group. Tell us a little about you — we'll be in touch within a week.
Already in the Algarve and want to try it now? Jump into the live beta →
The honest answers.
Can I try Mesa now?+
Yes — there's a live beta running in the Algarve right now. Tap 'Try the beta' at the top of the page. We're matching by hand and gathering feedback while we build.
Do I have to be new to the area?+
Not at all. Mesa is for families already living in the Algarve and those just arriving. Honestly, some of the best matches happen between families who've been here for years and those still finding their feet.
Is it for mums only?+
No. Mesa matches families. You can sign up solo, as a mum, as a dad, or as a couple. Lotti's in the mums' WhatsApp groups, Ty's the one starting the BBQs — we built it for both.
Do I need to be an expat?+
Not at all. Local Portuguese families are just as welcome. Most expats thriving here have local friends too — Mesa makes that easier.
Where else will Mesa work?+
We're testing hyper-locally in the Algarve first. If the concept proves itself here, we'll roll it out to other family communities — Lisbon and Porto next, then wider Iberia and beyond. If you want Mesa in your town, sign up — we go where the families are.
Is it free?+
Joining the waitlist and getting matched is free. Down the line we'll add a paid tier for premium matches and curated events. Founding members get it free for life.
Is it safe?+
Profiles are verified by selfie. Every match goes through a human review before introduction. You control what you share. We never sell your data.