Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
17 Feb 2025
Reply rate
68.4 %
Usually responds within 5 days
Feedback
26
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Details
Description
We are an easy going English couple who moved to North East Brasil to semi-retire and enjoy the lifestyle and culture of living on a tropical Island - Ilha de Itamaracá. We now have a block of luxury holiday apartments - so now we are no longer semi-retired - So maybe working harder but the positive thing is waking up to the sounds of sea, mostly beautiful deserted beaches, sunshine filled days a relaxed enviroment and friendly locals.
The apartments for Brasil standards are top end in terms of quality and the service we offer. We manage eleven apartments plus a number of other houses dotted around the Island which is connected to the mainland by a single road bridge. The apartments are in a small, friendly complex with a shared swimming pool and fronts the beach. The main season here is short - December, January & carnival, outside of these times visitor numbers are reduced and often you can have the whole beach to yourself.
Itamaracá is an authentic holiday island without trendy beach clubs and fancy restaurants. It is pure, Brazilian and not really discovered by international visitors. So if your looking to kick back and reassess life, then its definitely the place for you.
You will find great beach bars who serve delicious fresh fish and you will find space and authenticity.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The Island is steeped in history, in the early 1500s before Portuguese colonization, the island was the site of a trading post for furs and other native goods, Forte Orange first built by the Dutch in 1631 and rebuilt by the Portuguese in 1654 is well known throughout Brasil.
There are opprtunities for you to help out at the local school and library. Help in the local community with an evolving project developing an ecologically friendly society, reducing litter and the use of plastics and assist us in the community garden.
You can learn about the many local fruits and plant life not found in Western Europe & walking in the Atlantic Forest it is possible to spot a sloth.
With a population of circa 28,500, the people here are super friendly and majority live a very simple existence. They love to share their culture and are always interested to learn about our culture and that of other foreigners. Famous for a musical style known as "ciranda," of which Lia de Itamaracá is the most well-known singer. You can build a great rapport with our guests too, from all around the world who are always happy to spend time chatting about their lives and culture.
The Island has beautiful beaches, a natural coral reef protects the beaches, great for snorkeling, swimming & kite surfing
Help
We are looking ideally a couple to open & air apartments most days, help with apartments - especially cleaning windows - the salt air and sea spray make this a never ending task - bonus though is that the views are great. If you are handy at DIY there are always other tasks to be done too.
The other key role is looking after our Jack Russell dog Bronson some days & possibly overnight. He is full of energy and potentially has the ability to play fetch the ball with you for the whole of the time he is with you
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Intermediate
Accommodation
On site Apartment offering Air Conditioned double room with large en-suite
- free WiFI access - avg 35MB speed
own kitchen
fridge freezer
water cooler
TV
What else ...
The Island is quiet, there are local bars and a town square where people meet but do not expect late night venues or gourmet restaurants. You can get around using local combi's, very cheap hop on & off. We are approx 90 minutes drive from Recife International Airport, you can taxi or bus to us but with notice we can usually plan a day in the city and meet you at the airport
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Usual internet speed 40mb with dual switch providers.
Space for parking camper vans
We have a car park that with the exception of super busy periods you can use and its really safe to leave outside if you had to but we do have access to secure parking most of the time with our neighbours.
Can possibly accept pets
A friendly small dog will be most welcome - our dog Bronson is always on the hunt for a playmate.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (14)
The apartment was nice and big, it was right by the beach and had a swimming pool and grill right out front. The perfect getaway especially in low season where it is very quiet and peaceful and just has locals on the island.
We worked in the mornings and therefore… read more
Queríamos que eles fossem ideais e eram, mas também fomos muito comunicativos e felizes em ajudar com qualquer coisa.
Nós realmente recomendamos esses caras
Always on time each day to start their tasks and aways with smiles on the their faces, they helped us with the ominous cleaning of sea salted windows, deep cleaning, painting,… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(4.8)
The apartment was nice and big, it was right by the beach and had a swimming pool and grill right out front. The perfect getaway especially in low season where it is very quiet and peaceful and just has locals on the island.
We worked in the mornings and therefore… read more
Queríamos que eles fossem ideais e eram, mas também fomos muito comunicativos e felizes em ajudar com qualquer coisa.
Nós realmente recomendamos esses caras
Always on time each day to start their tasks and aways with smiles on the their faces, they helped us with the ominous cleaning of sea salted windows, deep cleaning, painting,… read more
They helped us in day to day tasks & also in doing some redecoration - we would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.
Also girls the people up the road still want to know if you want a puppy ????!!!
Thanks for all your help - happy sailing
Communication was a problem, our French is non-existent & usually we manage through google translate but even with writing down tasks, there was still some confusion! Tasks done were however completed very quickly & to a fair standard and Nelson… read more
They did a fair bit of cleaning & painting for us, thanks for painting the doors guys ! Pleased you saw the therapeutic side to it.....
We also had a few good days out… read more
Every morning we woke up to the sound of the waves and Bronson's ( Jackie and Marks clever and kind dog) smile and eagerness to play fetch.
We stayed with Mark and Jackie for 4 weeks.… read more
We would not hesitate to recommend Diego & Gláucio - with an eye for detail and great hospitality skills they completed all tasks we asked them to do and always did more than we expected - nothing for them was too much trouble, they are super organised and efficient, flexible in approach.
Gláucio also created a herb and… read more
We’d be delighted to welcome them back at anytime - safe travels guys
From the first moment they already helped us, coming to pick us up at the airport.
The stay on the island was very relaxing and a very good start to our trip.
Both Mark and Jackie are super attentive, and they helped us in everything we needed.
They showed us a bit about the island, gave us… read more
The morning was devoted to work (preparation of breakfast, reception of tourists, cleaning of apartments).
In the afternoon I was free to visit the island, talk with sinners, and enjoy all the Brazilian dishes.
Brazilians live simply and that's what is beautiful. Here we appreciate the moment.
A… read more
Work was very doable. For instance: I was cleaning the beach, cleaning the windows (fortunately just once), then I was watering the grass and so on.
They even introduced me to their friends, which was great as well. We had a lot of fun.… read more
Jackie & Mark were great at making sure we had everything we needed to settle in really quickly and also took time… read more
