Profile information
Host rating
90 %
Last replied
21 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
39
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
-- IMPORTANT - Due to our current working commitments, please make sure you are able to be at our place before 8 pm on your arrival day.
Hello! We are a Portuguese-Italian couple living in an old rural house with a big garden near Porto. It's a small village with not much movement even during day time. It is surrounded mainly by farms and some forest. There are several cafes around, where you can enjoy a beer or a traditional menu for a very cheap price. The closest supermarket is 5 minutes by car (20 minutes walk), but we prefer buying food at the local market, which happens twice a week.
The house where we live is old but has all basic comforts: hot water, electricity, washing machine, fully functional kitchen with wooden-oven during the winter :-), together with a big garden. We already had many volunteers who did a great job, but both the house and the garden still need a lot of maintenance and work: cooking, weeding, house renovation, fencing, pruning fruit trees, animal care ... We love having people around, sharing experiences and knowledge. Apart from volunteers, we often have friends coming over to help, improve some little things here and there: the house is always in construction!
At the moment we don't have any animals, but we dream of having ducks eventually, and we already had chickens and took care of several dogs and cats, including the neighbour's. We are dog lovers, although we don't have one at the moment, and we worry a lot about their well-being and positive interactions with humans, other animals and house dynamics.
We are always open to suggestions regarding organic farming, animal care and recycling of materials. Although the place is quite isolated, it is always possible to organise open events (music, barbecues, ...), as long as they are respectful of nature, neighbours and do not cause any harm to anyone.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The volunteers will be immersed in the rural life of a little village and will enjoy the company of both locals and travellers at the same time. We are also in touch with several alternative projects (rural communities, cultural associations, music projects) in the area, which we'll will be happy to show you, should you be interested.
Help
Volunteers will cook, do some gardening, construction. It is not necessary to have any specific ability, as long as you are energetic and proactive! Indeed, the main qualities we are looking for are adaptability, willingness to work and be helpful, and good disposition!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
French: Beginner
Accommodation
Private or shared room, depending on the number of volunteers (max 3 volunteers per room). Sheets and towels are provided. Shared kitchen and bathroom.
Although we are not always able to prepare meals for everybody (especially when we are running errands around), food is always available, it's just a matter of cooking it :-) We offer vegan food. Other food (meat, fish, dairy products, gluten-free,...) is not included, but you are welcome to buy it yourself and cook it if you wish.
Please remember that this is not a farm, our vegetable garden is still in development and besides the neighbor's cat Kiko (who comes visit almost every day) we do not have animals at the moment.
What else ...
Once you're here, it is mandatory to visit the city of Porto (15km), which has become one of the main cultural attractions in Europe during the past decade. The bus stop is at the door. Buses run from 6pm to 8pm (one bus per hour). There are less buses on Saturdays and Sundays, but we can give you a lift when we go there, together with several tips about local associations, cheap places to eat and alternative spots.
There are several religious and hiking paths near the house. Bicycles are available. Neighbour villages offer a lot to see, including Natural Parks, ancient monasteries, beautiful beaches..
You can always join nearby wild life events in "Parque Biologico de Gaia" (animals from similar climate), "Parque Ornitológico de Santa Maria da Feira" (worldwide birds) or "Estacao Litoral da Aguda" (Atlantic ocean's sealife)
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Vans can be parked near the house, just few seconds away.
Can possibly accept pets
We are happy to accept pets but we prefer for them not to sleep inside :-) We have plenty of space outside and a storage room where we can easily improvise a comfortable couch for them :-)
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
25 hours per week
Feedback (20)
During our stay, Martina (who was the primary contact) was away on holidays. Before our stay commenced, we were advised that Bruno had accepted a new job and wouldn't be home much and that our tasks would focus around… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.6)
Cultural exchange:
(4.6)
Communication:
(4.6)
During our stay, Martina (who was the primary contact) was away on holidays. Before our stay commenced, we were advised that Bruno had accepted a new job and wouldn't be home much and that our tasks would focus around… read more
I… read more
the house is on construction and the work to do are very interesting.
we stayed on their house only for 1 night because we had to come back to home suddenly because personal problem.
Please give Benji kisses from me. I hope he… read more
The work wasn't hard at all, he explained us perfectly everything we had to do and he was very flexible with the working hours.
We learned a lot… read more
The work and workers help was all planned well and the social aspects were great. Bruno was extremely fair with my time, definitely not a hard… read more
