I started the MindeloCaboVerde blog in 2016.
After leaving my life in Rotterdam behind me, I spent some time in Brazil first before starting an
adventure in Mindelo. Both my parents were born in the city in the 1940's, so this felt special.
Born and raised in The Netherlands, I never thought that one day I would trade that for Cabo Verde. But I'd
seen the country change so much for the better, during holidays. Before making the decision to move there, I started to visit every year in December to enjoy the fantastic winter climate.
Back than, I could see the growth of the tourism industry happening year by year. Once I decided to go for
it in Mindelo, apartments became my first focus. As I worked on growing my AirBnb account I started working on a website to get some direct bookings as well.
Later I thought it would be good to put up a site with tourist information. The problem was that I had no
idea how to promote a website. That's when I got into online marketing. I learned how to do some blogging in order to provide visitors with the information they need when planning a stay.
Working in online marketing was fun, so I took on some clients. I helped them get up and running on
Booking.com and did a few websites. One of my clients told me about someone who was just getting in the business. She could use my help.
Partners
It was late 2017 when I started talking to Katy Morais about working together.
Katy was a young professional who always wanted to open her own Bed & Breakfast. After years of
thinking about it, she gave up her job as a manager in a popular restaurant in Mindelo's city center. It was time to chase her dream. She got her hands on a loan, and signed a rental agreement.
After months of hard work, Vannilla Residencial was ready to open. Katy had some contacts from her old
job and knew people around the island. That's how she got her first guests. But she had a small problem. Getting Vannilla on Booking.com somehow wasn't working.
Talking to friends, she heard my name for the first time. I received a message asking if I could solve the
problem for, so that she could start getting more bookings online. Since I wanted to take on some more clients, this worked out well for the both of us. Soon, we were talking on a daily basis.
From the beginning, Katy has showed me how important Vannilla is to her. Her first bookings led to her
first reviews, and those led to more bookings. Our partnership was off to a great start.
Future
It's been almost 8 years since we started working together. We're not done. Now, Katy has agreed to
join me on MindeloCaboVerde.com so that the site is updated, active and responsive to questions.
To those who've tried to reach the sitein these last few years, I apologize. I wish I could have replied to
all of you. After leaving Mindelo the website was a hobby for me. Unfortunately one that I did not have time for. I'm happy I did not take the website down, because now things are going to change.
Katy is a true professional in the tourism industry. She has received thousands of guests in Vannilla,
and is just getting started. Her B&B is a top rated accomodation on Booking.com. As part of our extented partnership I've promised Katy to continue blogging, which is the thing I enjoy most.
Our goal is to have an updated website, with an active blog and readers who can get their questions answered if needed.
That is the new and improved MindeloCaboVerde.com.
This post was written by: Freddy Gomes