Information du profil
Évaluation d'hôte
90 %
Last replied
4 mai 2024
Taux de réponse
95.7 %
Usually responds ≤ 4 jours
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47
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Infos
Description
Hello, and thanks for your interest in reading more about us:-)!
Short summary:
Our project is a sustainably built and functional off grid retreat centre located in a valley where 2 rivers meet and not far from the Serra da Estrela Mountain Range (the highest point of mainland Portugal) which makes for dramatic beauty in nature. Since 2017 we have welcomed Workawayers to help us build, expand, and maintain the retreat centre…. It has been a pleasure to meet so many beautiful people from across the globe and we’re really grateful for all the helping hands!
Workawayers enjoy the complete immersion in nature and get to learn about what is involved in living & working off grid. Attending Yoga classes during their time here is a happy bonus for many! They enjoy exploring the area on their days off... Hiking, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, visiting the local sites and markets etc. We have a car that once we know the workawayer well enough, we’re happy to lend for the team to use on their days off to venture locally (within 45min of the property).
About US!
Ashley - Yoga Teacher/Yoga Therapist and Lead Facilitator of 200 Hour RYS Yoga Teacher Trainings. Her background is working as a pediatric critical care nurse in the USA where she is from. After experiencing burnout, she took a break from nursing to travel around Central and South America for about 6 months where she got together with Rory.
Rory - Civil Engineer and Natural Builder who specializes in timber frames and originally from Ireland. His background is working as an Engineer in various roles, volunteering in Guatemala building eco friendly homes for families, and opening a couple of tourism businesses in Guatemala.
Together, we moved to Portugal (in 2017) and bought this river front property with dreams of transforming it into something that would be benefit the land itself plus would provide a gorgeous space in nature for people to heal and enjoy. With the help of many, we've managed the invasive/non-native tree forest and have planted many native ones, built all of the buildings for the retreat centre and our home from natural materials, and opened for business as a retreat centre in 2019. We've hosted a variety of retreats, workshops and Yoga Teacher Trainings. We now tend to have groups come from abroad here to rent the venue for their retreats and trainings. Ashley runs a 3 week long Yoga Teacher Training during the year, and offers Yoga classes to the community. These community classes, you are welcome to join!
The retreat centre is a place for wellness in wild and breathtaking nature. In the garden, building, and how we run the space we use many permaculture based principles from what Rory learned in a Permaculture Design. Together we trial, learn, and grow!
Workawayers have their own living space about 5 minutes walk from the retreat centre. Here, there is main house that has a kitchen and living space where they share and live in a communal way.
*A requirement is that oncoming workawayers are happy with this co-living/communal style of living*.
There is some separation between life and work, since most of the work tasks will be done at the retreat centre, 20 hours/week. The additional 5 hours are done at the Workawayer House, mostly maintenance, gardening, and sometimes projects that improve the property. Workawayers cook meals together and maintain the living space. It's a gorgeous place to be in nature. Often workawayers play games together and enjoy the surrounding areas on their time off.
Note: Rory and I live a healthy and yogic type lifestyle and personally do not drink alcohol. We don't mind if you have the occasional drink, but we ask that people keep it to a minimum to maintain a healthy and peaceful environment for all staying.
This is an *off grid life* so for example, things that use a lot of electricity cannot be used when the sun comes out, the house is heated with a wood burning stove, and the water comes from the land so we ask it is conserved (less than 5min showers etc etc.... Please ask about this if you are unsure.
Accommodation is in a shared dorm house (shared by 3-4 volunteers at a time), or a private tent if you prefer this.
There are 2 rooms with a double bed which are suitable for couples, one of which is in the main house.
The bathrooms: 1 shared dry compost toilet. 1 flushing toilet (to vermicompost) and a shower (has hot water). 1 en suite off of one of the double bed bedrooms in the main house.
What you can expect from us:
-accommodation and communal living quarters as described above
-2 full consecutive days off to explore the area or relax here
-use of a shared car - once we know each other a bit
-access to yoga classes (offered on a weekly (sometimes more) basis)
-Time off can be spent swimming in the rivers and hiking the local trails as well as the use of paddle boards.
- As a business, workers from Workaway register on the books here to be paid the minimum hourly wage in Portugal but do not get meals included in the exchange
What we expect from you:
-20 to 25 hours per week, with 2 consecutive days off per week. (avg. 4-5 hours/day)
-Outside of those hours, pitching in to keep our shared spaces clean and share the cooking duties
-Respect of the spaces - both the retreat centre and the communal Workaway house
-fluent in English and/or Portuguese.
- As a business, workers from Workaway register on the books here to be paid the minimum hourly wage in Portugal but do not get meals included in the exchange
Winter time jobs (Nov-Mar)
Our low season for retreats etc… Tasks may include land clearing/landscaping, planting trees, developing the kitchen garden, building/expanding, preparing firewood, and maintaining facilities like our biological swimming pool, sauna, and hot tub. We will have the occasional retreat when we’ll need help in the kitchen, cleaning and accommodating guests. A 2 week minimum commitment during these months is essential.
Summer time jobs (Apr-Oct)
Our busy season for retreats etc… Tasks may include cleaning spaces (room change overs, communal spaces used by the guests, toilets & showers), pool cleaning/maintenance, help in the kitchen - we have a chef, gardening, building/expanding, preparing firewood. The main focus is around keeping the space clean & nice for the retreats.
A 4 week minimum commitment during these months is essential.
If you have any questions about our project, us, the work, the living or anything... please ask!
**Perks to staying long-term:
-opportunities to learn timer frame building and other natural building techniques with Rory
-get to know the area and alternative community in which we are located in like a local!
-if you're a yoga teacher or wellness provider, opportunities to offer classes and workshops in the community
- **Per the Workaway platform, as a business workers are paid the minimum hourly wage (on the books, meaning you must be able to legally work in Portugal). Meals are therefore, not included in the exchange.Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Projets artistiquesAide avec des éco-projetsJardinageBricolage et constructionS’occuper des animauxAide dans une fermeCuisine/repas pour la familleAide à la maisonEntretien généralObjectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
The area is rich in Portuguese culture. The weekly market in Tabua is a great place to meet people in the area, both Portuguese and estrangeiros (foreigners). There's a unique hospitality and way of life in Central Portugal that's refreshing and fulfilling, which Rory and Ashley have fallen in love with, and hope that workawayers will enjoy as much as we do.
Ashley and other yoga teachers have regularly scheduled yoga classes. There is a river beach on site and a deep creek for swimming in. Workawayers will have the opportunity to learn about off grid living, building with natural materials, gardening, and helping host retreats.L’hôte offre un salaire correspondant au salaire minimum
Cet hôte offre l'hébergement et une rémunération.
L’hôte a indiqué qu'il paierait au moins le salaire horaire minimum de son pays pour chaque heure travaillée et que l’hébergement serait fourni. Il demande de l'aide dans le cadre de son entreprise ou activité professionnelle. Contactez l'hôte directement via la messagerie du site pour en savoir plus et avoir des détails sur le salaire proposé. Tous les arrangements devraient être conclus à l'avance avec votre hôte.
Aide
Helping on various projects and maintainence. 5 hours of help per day, 5 days per week. We expect help with cooking and keeping the volunteer hub clean and nice.
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Portugais: Intermédiaire
Espagnol: DébutantHébergement
Shared dorm or private tent
Autres infos...
The property and area around it is ideal for free outdoor activities such as swimming, kayaking, hiking and cycling. There are plenty of river beaches in the area, and we have paddle boards available for use. With the Serra de Estrela mountain range nearby, there are plenty of breath-taking hikes. But if you want a break from the country side there's a train just 15 minutes from the project that connects to Lisbon, Porto, and anywhere else you'd like to discover on time off.
Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Espace pour garer des vans
Parking available.
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Nombre d'heures attendues
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (22)
Jobs consisted of: cleaning inside areas (dining… read more
I spent one month here and it was very good and interesting experience. Rory and Ashley are very nice patient people and they use to make sure I'm always feeling okay with everything and with a good smile on their face 😊,
accommodation was nice for sure better (usually) then others places i have been to,
the… read more
Photos
Feedback
Ce sont des évaluations supplémentaires en option lorsque les membres laissent un feedback. La note moyenne pour chaque option est affichée.
Exactitude du profil:
(4.8)
Échange culturel:
(4.6)
Communication:
(4.8)
Jobs consisted of: cleaning inside areas (dining… read more
I spent one month here and it was very good and interesting experience. Rory and Ashley are very nice patient people and they use to make sure I'm always feeling okay with everything and with a good smile on their face 😊,
accommodation was nice for sure better (usually) then others places i have been to,
the… read more
She was punctual, respectful, and happy to help with all tasks needed done. We'd welcome her back anytime she'd like, and would recommend her highly!
The work wasn't difficult… read more
Thank you very much for everything! See you soon :)
There are a lot of things happening at the lodge, and we were impressed to hear how well they had thought through the design of their land, like irrigation and fire prevention systems. We really enjoyed… read more
They joined us at a bit of a difficult time as we were dealing with our ill dog who we then had to put down a few days after their arrival. They were so… read more
Sorry that my feedback took too long to response.
I just want to thank you for the possibility to stay and work at your place Eco Lodge. It were a remarkable tree weeks there. I feel really gratefull for all the time a could spend there, doing many kinds of work on the site, exploring the river and beautifull pure nature… read more
During my time here I helped on all sorts of jobs. The tasks were… read more
He's handy and skilled in carpentry, and often worked above and beyond both expectations and hours. He helped on projects at our eco lodge in the making with building a deck, repointing stone with… read more
First of all, so sorry for the delay of the feedback, it was a technicality!
Ok, so we were supposed to stay three weeks and we ended up staying almost four months. For the first 'real' experience in Workaway, it couldn't have been better.
The place is beautiful and Ash and Rory are great people, funny, kind and open to… read more
They welcomed… read more
I stayed there about 2-3 weeks, working 5 days a week about 4 hours a day! Work is various, interesting, and physical. I worked on various projects (clearing the land, building a geo-dome, patching old stone wall, etc... There is a lot to do over there always so you won't get bored! Ash… read more
Bonnie is a great worker -- self-motivated and creative. Whether it was digging, or clearing wood, or building a little fence around the garden independently she likes to keep busy and is always happy go lucky when it comes to work. Bonnie also cooked for the whole volunteer group for one of the weeks she… read more
They are excellent hosts, from so many points of view!
I had the chance to put a lot of creative input and was free to experiment and do my thing. Rory was always willing to explain, listen to my opinion and find a good way of… read more
She is happy to work hard at any project, and is very creative. We will miss having her here and wish her the very best at future workaway hosts, who… read more
It's a great place in a very beautiful area of Portugal wich was perfect for little trips by bike or walks through the nature.
I enjoyed working for the project and so nice people:) I really learned a lot.
Also thank you very much that you let me built… read more
We would highly recommend Johann for any project as he is sweet, caring and gets along well with everyone, not to mention he's an extremely skilled carpenter in the making! He built us a new kitchen table, new shelving, and an improved… read more
The work was a focus on building and clearing the land from and invasive-species tree. The work was not hard, usually 4 hours per day with a break in between. Rory not just gave instructions on how to do the tasks, but also explained their background and how… read more
We would highly recommend Jose to any project he wishes to be a part of. He’s a very hard… read more
A big THANK YOU for your feedback and these amazing 2 weeks I stayed on your site. I enjoyed every day on your property, grateful to experience the simplicity of life in a wonderful place with great company. Working with the chainsaw was fine for me and I was happy to help the ruin to… read more
Thank you so much ! And we will miss Hank Harvey and Hugo!