The People Behind Salty Garden
At Salty Garden, everything started with a small group of people who shared the same dream: living close to nature, creating a place people instantly feel at home, and building a community that grows season after season.
Here are the people behind the project.
Loïc – Co-founder, surf mind & gentle mastermind
Loïc is one of the co-founders of Salty Garden, and the person who makes everything look effortless, even though behind the scenes, he’s constantly preparing, organising, and fine-tuning so that everything runs smoothly for everyone.
Arriving in Portugal with Rachel in 2021, he spent four years running a surf camp, refining what truly matters to him: a place where surfing brings people together, where learning feels natural, and where community grows wave after wave.
What he brings to Salty Garden:
- Creator of our surf teaching method
- Professional surf instructor with endless ideas
- The guy who actually understands portuguese administration
- Chess enthusiast, always ready for a match.
- Brains behind the practical systems and low-tech builds
- Passion for chess, DIY experiments, and finding simple solutions to complex problems
Calm, patient, funny, and deeply practical, Loïc puts his heart into creating a place where people can feel at home, not because things magically work, but because he takes great care to make them work effortlessly.
Rachel – Co-founder, creative soul & atmosphere maker
Rachel is the spark behind Salty Garden, the invisible brain who quietly designs the flow of the place, imagines new projects, and turns raw land into a space where people immediately feel at home.
She loves exploring new ideas, testing projects, and imagining how Salty Garden can grow in ways that bring people closer and make them feel at home.
What she brings to Salty Garden:
- Vision for eco-conception, organisation, and community life
- The tiny details that make people arrive as guests and leave as friends
Creator of playful activities and collective experiences - Passion for surf, yoga, nature, board games, and trying new projects
- A natural ability to make people feel welcomed and supported.
She and Loïc met in Morocco over a chessboard.
Five years later, they’re building a home, a surf camp, and a growing community together, one project and one good moment at a time.
Manon and Lucy, Our Community co-founder, sunshine spirit & animal whisperer
Manon
Manon joined the project naturally, almost like she was meant to be part of it.
Belgian by birth, universal by soul, she arrived years ago as a yoga teacher and immediately connected with Rachel. The friendship turned into collaboration, and then into building Salty Garden’s community together.
Manon believes in harmony, simplicity, and communities where everyone feels seen and valued.
Lucy
Lucy is the joyful spark of the team.
She crossed paths with us last summer season, and everyone immediately knew she wasn’t just “passing by.” Her kindness, generosity, and adventurous heart made her a perfect fit.
Lucy embodies the playful, spontaneous, and warm side of Salty Garden.
Niki & Miou-Miou
Niki our friendly dog, loves slow mornings, beach walks and welcoming guests with a wagging tail. Miou Miou prefers sunny spots and quiet moments, always keeping an eye on camp life from a distance. Together, they add to the calm, home-like atmosphere that makes the surf camp feel welcoming from the first day.
