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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
8 Jul 2025
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Details
Description
I am an American-born & French woman who, after 5 years biking through 15 countries & teaching 35+ cob building workshops, has chosen to create a beautiful cob ecovillage on beautiful São Miguel Island in the Azores (Portugal) in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Only 2 hrs by plane from Lisbon and 5 hrs from Boston, it's a perfect mixing ground of visitors on this magical, peaceful, lush, fertile, temperate island I have made my home for now. I have 2 acres of beautiful bountiful (bananas, guavas, chickens, veggies, forest, ocean) land and have created a little Ecovillage with 3 cob bungalows, my 2-story cob home, a sauna, outdoor kitchen, cob oven, compost toilets, hot showers, outdoor bathtubs, treehouse and yoga deck for people to experience a sustainable ECO-LIFESTYLE.
I have been teaching Cob Building Workshops (natural building with clay, sand & straw walls) all over the world for over 20 years and have recently hosted 8 on my land in which we built 5 structures and a pizza oven wth benches. I am looking for 1-2 hard-working individuals who are willing to weed and garden and griw food first and foremost, as well as other possible small projects which may include earthen plaster! If there is a need for earthen plastering & finishes, I will show you how to do this. Its not very difficult physically but I would like someone who ideally has some experience in this kind of work or at least is physically fit and active.
There's always something to do here, however PLEASE do not expect to learn cob building from me!!! This is my profession and I have a business for professional cob building trainings around the world. You may get to sleep in a cob bungalow if they are not rented out to travellers or others, otherwise I can offer you a tent wth a mattress or pad and bedding. From June through September they are usually in demand and I prefer to rent to travellers as this is a source of income for me.
Looking for a NON-smoker of cigarettes or marijuana, someone who either doesn't drink alcohol or drinks in a healthy non-addictive way, healthy and active, outdoorsy and not too talkative or needy person. Someone peaceful and independent. I like to chat but also enjoy quiet and solitude, in balance. My diet is pretty vegetarian and I don't cook meat or fish here, but eat canned sardines or tuna sometimes. I have three outdoors cats and ALOT of egg-laying chickens.
My place is awesome, a 5 minute walk to the natural swimming pools in the ocean and 3km from the closest black sand beaches and surfing. Stores are close ( 5 and 15-minute walk) and the capital is a 20-minute bike ride away. You can use my nice mountain bike to get around while you are here and the bus stop is a short walk away and goes around the whole island, and you can even put the bike on the bus. Monday through Friday are 5-hour help days and you can stay here through Sunday providing your own food needs. Between Monday and Ftiday I will provide the food you like and you make ur meals unless we decide to make something together or I decide to cook.
I would like someone who enjoys working hard & well, takes it seriously and has a positive attitude and who who loves weeding as much as anything else!
I speak French, Spanish & Portuguese as well and happy to host people who speak these languages and English of course. I am learning Mandarin Chinese so if u speak Chinese we can do a language trade!
Its Paradise here and you will love it! The help is physical so no wimps please or people who complain about weeding! If you enjoy moving your body and working hard I will be happy and feed you well! I also love moving my body and working hard but may not be working with you and expect you to help out independently. Afternoons are off for sightseeing, swimming, biking and after 5 days I usually take people to the hot springs after lunch. Weekends are off too.
I like a minimum stay of one week. If things are not looking good for me or you, of course we can change the plan. Usually two weeks is the max, unless we agree otherwise and I have the space to keep you.
RyanAir , TAP and Azores Airlines fly from Europe and TAP, Azores Airlines, United and Delta fly from Boston, Newark and JFK.
I prefer only one or two people at a time.
Thank You❤️🙏🏽
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
Interests
Van life
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Self development
Farming
Writing
Plant care
Languages
Music
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Carpentry
Architecture
Yoga / Wellness
Team sports
Water sports
Hiking
Cycling
Dancing
Camping
Beach
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We can speak in any of my languages, you will see the island while you are here and learn natural building/finishing skills and planting/gardening.
Help
Help with gardening, planting, pruning, cutting firewood, feeding trees and plants, WEEDING EVERY DAY, finish on plaster & floor of earthen buildings, floor mosaic
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Italian: Intermediate
Chinese (Mandarin): BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I speak English, French, Spanish & Portuguese and want to practice Chinese.
Accommodation
cob cottage if available otherwise I will provide tent and bedding or you can bring your own of course
What else ...
There is a bus service around the whole island, you may use my mountain bike with lock or rent a car to see so many cool things on the island. If you are a surfer, there is surf on both sides of the island but you will need a vehicle. There are hot springs, waterfalls, many hikes, beaches, botanical gardens, natural pools, whale watching, scuba diving, sailing, kitesurfing, surfing, and of course biking. The buses accept bikes and everyone is so nice here. A great place to visit!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
While I dont have wifi on the land, if the workawayer has a local SIM card for 10€ they can hotspot to their phone and get a perfect connection or go to the nearby hotel or cafe.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Feedback (12)
After an initiation process of weeding where one is left to their own thoughts which in time shifts from… read more
In the mornings, my work usually included… read more
Photos
Feedback
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After an initiation process of weeding where one is left to their own thoughts which in time shifts from… read more
In the mornings, my work usually included… read more
During my 2 weeks of volunteering with Claudine I was lucky enough to discover the amazing and fascinating world of cob building while… read more
WHile they did not get to do any cob unfortunately, they helped me greatly in beautifying my land and preparing it for the… read more
