Help us improve our quiet place in the Algarve countryside, not far from Lagos, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  Hi, we are Phaon and Annabelle. We are a retired British couple living in the Algarve. We have been in Portugal for six years now and we love it here. Last year we moved from Lagos to a house in the country with a hectare of land, about 10km from the town. The village of Arão is a short walk away, and the small towns of Odiaxere and Mexilhoeira Grande are also nearby.
  
  This is a comfortable and modern house, but we have been working to improve it so it better meets our needs. We have a borehole to provide our water, have solar water heating and have recently installed solar panels for electricity. We have not yet installed batteries so we are not fully self-sufficient, but we aim to generate more power than we consume, as well as providing charging for our electric cars.
  
  We have 3 cats - Mia, Miaxu and Soony.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  This is an opportunity to enjoy a relaxed Portuguese country lifestyle. We will be happy to introduce you to aspects of the British and Portuguese cultures, and are keen to learn about your culture. We may be able to help you with your English - and maybe even some Portuguese, if you are beginners.
  
  If you are thinking of moving to Portugal we may be able to offer some advice on this.
  
  In exchange for some work you will have spacious and comfortable accommodation, and free time to explore and discover the surrounding area.
  
  I'm sorry but we can't accommodate children.

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  Help

  This will depend on the time of year and also your particular skill set.
  
  There will always be work to done in the garden. Garden work could include mowing, strimming/brush cutting, trimming hedges, and digging/planting. At some times of year there are almonds to be collected, dried and shelled. Also sometimes carobs to be collected.
  
  There may be maintenance work on the property such as painting or mending fences.
  
  For most of the work no prior experience is needed - we will tell you what needs to be done, and provide the tools and equipment you need.
  
  There are however times when we would appreciate help in more technical areas such as irrigation, pumps, heating systems, plumbing and electrics. So, any experience of working in these areas would be a bonus.
  
  If we go away while you are here, you will need to feed and look after our three cats.
  
  We are both good cooks and enjoy a wide variety of foods. We would like you to join us for meals some times - we can cook for you, and you can cook for us. We are not vegetarian or vegan and will eat most things.
  
  We are both learning Portuguese, so if you are Portuguese speakers - or learners - we would welcome the opportunity to practise our conversation with you.
  
  Equally if you are not native English speakers we may be able to help you with the language.
  
  We both speak French to a reasonable level.
  
  We strongly believe that both the host and workaway must enjoy their roles and strive to reach a "win/win" situation - it's the only way to keep everybody happy.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are both native English speakers Phaon speaks reasonably good French, Annabelle basic French We are both learning Portuguese. We passed our A2 exams but would like to learn Portuguese to a much better standard.
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own apartment which comprises a very large bed sitting room, your own shower room and a kitchenette with three burner hob, refrigerator with freezer compartment and microwave. There is a small private courtyard area.
  
  Your living area is accessed either by a staircase from our hallway, or through the garage. It is very private.
  
  We will need to access your area sometimes to use the washing machine, which is in your kitchen, although we plan to move it into the garage eventually.
  
  We will provide your breakfast food, a welcome food pack and it would be lovely for you to join us for a meal two or three times a week.
  
  We have very fast unlimited fibre internet access with wifi throughout the property.
  
  We have a large garden with lots of relaxing areas and a swimming pool that you are welcome to use which is generally heated from April to October when we have sufficient surplus electricity from the solar panels.

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  What else ...

  We live in a quiet location in the country. We are 600m from the small village of Arão and 4-5km from two small towns. We are 11km from Lagos and 15km from Portimao. There are buses but they are infrequent (3 times per day). The bus stop is 700m away. You will have the use of bicycles, and may also be able to borrow a car when necessary, assuming you meet the insurance criteria. We often go into Lagos and can give you a lift if convenient. Uber and Bolt are in the area and cheap.
  
  Arão has a cafe and there is a good local restaurant nearby. The small towns of Odiaxere and Mexilhoeira Grande have a few bars and restaurants, mini-markets, a post office, a pharmacy and a Bank.
  
  Lagos has just about everything. It is a fine historic town and also a major holiday destination with excellent beaches, many large supermarkets, a marina, a sports centre, a cultural centre, dozens of restaurants, nightlife and entertainment. it also has a weekly local farmers market and a fish market. Portimao is even larger and has a major shopping centre.
  
  We are about an hour's drive from Faro Airport.
  
  The beautiful Algarve Beaches are very close by with the nearest one 8km away.
  
  If you have your own camper van we can provide room to park with electric and water supplies.
  
  We have a swimming pool which you will be able to use.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  Your space has a desk and an office chair. We have very fast (over 500Mbps) fibre internet, with wifi access throughout the house and in most of the garden. We also get good 4G and 5G mobile data coverage here.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We can accept any reasonable size of van, provided you can get it up our driveway, which is quite steep.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Although we love animals, unfortunately we cannot accept workawayers with pets. We have three cats and there are several dogs, including hunting dogs, on the nearby farms.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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