Interview with Hugo Taipa, co-founder of Step by Step Atlantic
Step by Step Atlantic was born from a way of being in life.
In Azurara, Vila do Conde, Hugo Taipa and his wife, Joana, created a guesthouse where the sea, surf, the Portuguese Coastal Way of Saint James, and well-being naturally intersect. A space designed for those who arrive with a backpack on their back, a surfboard under their arm, or simply a desire to stop, breathe, and be closer to nature.
Hugo has been a surfer for over 30 years and a coach for two decades. He competed for around ten years in longboard, seven of which were on the world tour, represented Portugal at the highest level, and spent much of his life connected to the sea — whether as an athlete, coach, championship organiser, on surf trips, or as a surf guide in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia.
Joana, a psychologist, Reiki master, Yoga practitioner, and surf coach, brings a complementary dimension to the project, closely linked to the balance between body, mind, spirit, and nature.
Now, after several hospitality projects across the country, the two decided to create a space in Azurara that brings together many of the things that are part of their own story.
There is a special relationship between walking and the sea.
Hugo, yet another new project. This time it seems to be something different. How did the idea for Step by Step Atlantic come about, and where does the name come from?
The idea was very much born out of our own story.
We met on a surf coaching course, among waves and smiles. Years later, our paths crossed again on a beach, and it was there, with the sea as our witness, that our love story began.
Since then, we have shared many waves, many trips, and the building of a family. Along that journey, a dream was also born: to create a space where other people could feel the same peace and connection to nature that we have always found in the sea.
And so Step by Step Atlantic was born.
The name ends up representing much of what we believe in. Everything happens step by step. In surfing, in life, on a trip, on a walk. You don't need to have everything figured out or reach your destination right away. You just need to start and enjoy the journey.
There is also a very strong connection between the Camino de Santiago and the sea. Can Step by Step Atlantic be seen as a more holistic project?
Without a doubt.
The project was born precisely from this meeting of different ways of travelling and searching for a deeper connection with ourselves.
We have people who arrive because they are doing the Portuguese Coastal Way, others because they come to surf, others because they want to practise Yoga, or simply to spend a few days by the sea
Although they are different experiences, there is a common thread: the search for a pause, for nature, for contact with other people and, very often, for some kind of reconnection.
Our goal is to create a community of mind-liked peoplelike-minded people, who may stay with us for a day, a few hours, or several weeks, but who ultimately leave a mark and stay in our hearts forever.
We want that atmosphere to be genuine and truly reflect what we ourselves wish to convey.
Is that connection between body, mind, and nature also present in the activities you offer?
Yes. The surf lessons, surf training, and surf guiding have an approach that goes far beyond technique.
Surfing is a sport where we harness the energy of nature to have fun and connect, without changing anything, without polluting… we simply align ourselves with moving water…
Para além da técnica tentamos que a pessoa se conecte com o mar com o jogo entre técnica e fazer o que o mar\onda pede.
We have boards for hire, both conventional ones and others made specifically for certain surfers. For example, for surfers who have been surfing for many years but don't surf regularly. They are unique boards, created with a special purpose that help a lot with catching waves, for instance, but then turn in a very effective way that most of them would never imagine being able to do.
Let’s talk a little about that surf training component. Is that where your experience as an athlete and coach becomes particularly important?
Yes, mainly to try to break habits that lead to stagnation, such as using unsuitable boards, surfing in the wrong spots and at the wrong times, or wanting to perform more advanced manoeuvres without having properly corrected the basics.
Surf training is mainly for surfers who have been surfing for a few years but not very regularly, such as people who only surf on holiday, those who have stagnated and are now looking to keep progressing, or those who surf infrequently and, when they do, want to go to the best spot and have that extra bit of guidance.
You mentioned different ways of travelling. Your location seems to fit that idea perfectly. Why did you choose Azurara?
We’ve lived in several places, from north to south of the country, always near the sea. But this place touched us in a special way.
There is a balance here that is hard to find. The tranquility of the street, the beach so close, the quality of the waves, and at the same time, the proximity to towns like Vila do Conde and Porto.
Azurara allows us to be close to a major city without losing that feeling of being in a peaceful place connected to nature.
It was here that we felt we wanted to create this project.
The guesthouse is located right on the Portuguese Coastal Way of St. James in Azurara, Vila do Conde. We are about 30 minutes from Porto, 18 minutes from Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, and just minutes from the Mindelo Ornithological Reserve.
It is a place where someone can spend the morning walking, go into the sea in the afternoon, and end the day with a Yoga class.
And perhaps that is one of the most interesting features of Step by Step Atlantic: not forcing anyone to choose just one experience.
Exactly that.
We don't want there to be just one way to experience the house.
There are those who come to walk the Camino, those who come exclusively to surf, those who want to do SUP, those looking for Yoga, or simply a few days of rest.
And there are those who want to do it all.
The important thing is for each person to find their own rhythm
For us, the guesthouse is almost a meeting point between the trail and the sea. One person might arrive with a backpack, another with a surfboard, and another simply wanting to switch off for a few days.
After so many years connected to surfing, competition, and hospitality, what does it mean to you to create this project alongside Joana?
It is a natural evolution of our story.
Everything we've done over the years has ended up contributing in some way to this moment. Surfing, travel, competitions, students, the people we've met, the various accommodation projects and, above all, our own life experience.
Joana brings a very distinct vision, linked to psychology, Yoga, Reiki, and surfing. I come more from the side of the sea, training, and the in-water experience.
They are different worlds, but here they complement each other very well.
Deep down, we are creating a place that also reflects who we are.
To finish, what message would you like to leave for those who are just discovering Step by Step Atlantic?
Everything we do is with love and authenticity. With this project, we strive to leave a seed of inner and outer wellbeing, and for those who pass through here to leave a little piece of themselves.
