Help us with gardening and explore beautiful Northern Portugal

Portugal

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24
Last activity
02/07/2022
Reply rate
89.5 %
Average reply time:
within 9 days
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2022

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Description
Ola! We are Tracey ( New Zealander) and Tonie ( Dutch) living in the beautiful Minho region of Northern Portugal. We have a lovely home in a small village near the Geres Peneda national park. After many years of traveling and living in in different cultures around the world this is the place we have chosen to call home.
At present we are transforming our terraced gardens and house and would love to have the help of refreshing travelers looking for a vibrant break with a fun loving creative couple.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Here you will enjoy the beauty of Northern Portugal and life in a small village. I am a chef so can teach you how to create something when you believe you have an empty fridge! We are both very creative and very passionate about this region of Portugal.
We are a few meters from one of the marked walking trails in the area that takes you through picturesque stone villages to a peaceful river. There is plenty to discover.
We make a lot of large artistic creations in wood and bamboo and welcome your creative input. Please mention “gezellig” in your message so we know you know who we are.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Hello fellow creatives!
At present we are looking for some builders/ carpenters with some experience and expertise to help Tonie building a large platform in wood.
We also need some help updating our website, social media etc… help!!!!
We have 1600 square meters of fertile terraced land with extensive organic gardens that need upkeep and creativity in landscaping and nurturing our vegetable and ornamental gardens. We love teaching what we know and learning new techniques. We would love to have some energetic experienced gardeners to help prepare the gardens for late seasonal planting.
We also have some pretty basic interior painting jobs
There are ongoing building projects with Tonie as we make all our own indoor and outdoor furniture from local sustainable and recycled wood.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Indonesian: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Accommodation
You will share the house with us and have your own bedroom and bathroom. Cooking will be done together. We are foodies and love people who love food. We will provide meals. We eat a lot of Asian food so be prepared for global flavors!! Cuisine is a big part of our creativity so no restrictions please.
During the warmer months we have a lovely, very comfortable bell tent with an outdoor kitchen and compost toilet.
What else ...
We are very well connected to Braga and the small town of Terras de Bouro, the bus stops right at our gate. There are many beautiful hiking trails and a beautiful river near by.
There is a wonderful bar, restaurant, cafe across the road connected to the church ( bells only ring once every two weeks!)
There is a bread truck passing at around 9.15 am everyday with fresh pastel de nata.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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Feedback left by and about host (24)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

03/08/2020

Left by Workawayer (Noa) for host

Tracey and Tonie are great hosts!!! :) And Frida the dog!! They hosted me for two weeks, I had a lovely time and enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed talking together, make art, cooking amazing food! and exchange recipes (Tracey is a chef). I have maid some art projects, watered the garden, and open the chicken house (good morning chicks:).
They live… read more

(Excellent )

26/07/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Noa)

Noa is a dream to have at home! First of all her smile says it all, she is a delight and delights in life. Her artistic skills are outstanding and she made a very precious willow lampshade for us and an incredible painting of our wedding ... no easy feat and the individual touches she adds make it even more special.
We had so much fun in the… read more

(Excellent )

09/06/2020

Left by Workawayer (Richie) for host

Tracey and Tonie are fantastic people. Simple as that. It was an absolute pleasure to stay at their wonderful home, and even better to be asked to extend our stay for an extra week. Even still it all flew by so quick! Mental.

Tracey is an amazing cook and an absolute character. After every meal I had a satisfied stomach full of delicious food… read more from around the world, but it was sore from all the laughing! She had me in stitches with her stories! Herself and Tonie are well travelled and have many interesting tales about the characters and places they encountered along the way. I enjoyed many great chats with Tonie as well about everything from films and books to sports and all sorts. Their book shelf is certainly heaving.

Tonie gave me some great little tips while we were doing various jobs with timber, as well as great series and book recommendations. His woodwork is fantastic. The kitchen alone – wow! The hen house he built is fit for humans! I was travelling with my friend, Cat, and while she worked on developing their website and social media accounts, I mostly worked with Tonie on various projects in and around the house.

We all chipped in together ahead of the arrival of guests to get the last licks of paint done and tidying, clearing, and cleaning sorted. We got many little tasks ticked off the list and all the work was very satisfying whether it was clearing the back driveway to relocate the trailer from the front of the house, or working with bamboo on finishing the henhouse or a sunshade umbrella.

Myself and Cat shared a lovely big spacious tent in a gorgeous shaded spot complete with a mini kitchen and hammock so we could chill in the afternoons. It was so cosy, and held up perfectly well during a heavy storm one of the nights. The rest of the time was so calm and perfect for camping surrounded by the wonderful trees and plants growing all over the lower terraces. Tracey keeps a fantastic veggie garden that she takes great pride in.

Their place is a perfect base from which to check out the national park a stone’s throw away as well. Myself and Cat went for little adventures to nearby river spots perfect for swimming and relaxing. So gorgeous. We enjoyed some amazing sunsets and breathtaking views from Tracey and Tonie’s terrace alone.

I’ll definitely be back! I can’t thank them enough, especially for having us during such uncertain times around the virus, and just for welcoming us so warmly to Kasa Koru. Beautiful.

(Excellent )

08/06/2020

Left by Workawayer (Caitriona) for host

"The quickest three weeks of my life!"

My time with Tracey and Tonie went by in an absolute flash. I was incredibly lucky (and extremely grateful) to have spent such a wonderful time with these incredible hosts. Although the midst of the global crisis, Tracey and Tonie took a risk (with great care and due diligence) to bring myself and my friend,… read more

(Excellent )

07/06/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Caitriona)

One of my favorite quotes is from Oscar Wilde “ the greatest risk in life is not to risk at all “. During these challenging times it seemed to be a risk to take any workaways but after a brief chat with Cat we realized that to not take them would be our loss! They have been a joy to have at home for the last three weeks and Cat has really made one… read more

(Excellent )

29/11/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Martin & Romina)

We had a lovely couple of weeks with Martin and Roma, they did some really excellent painting jobs and were fun to have a round. They worked really well on their own and left everything very neat and tidy. Martin did and really superb job on creating a logo for us, we are thrilled with it. Sorry we didn't tap into Roma's creative skills as… read more

(Excellent )

27/11/2019

Left by Workawayer (Martin & Romina) for host

Tracey and Tonie were super cool and friendly! We stayed for two weeks in Ribeira painting some rooms and helping with the logo of the house. We have a lot of rainy days but we still had a great time and enjoyed the view of the beautiful landscape around the house. In spring and summer the place must be gorgeous. Also we visited the city of Braga,… read more

(Excellent )

19/11/2019

Left by Workawayer (Rita) for host

I have spent two weeks at Tracey's and Tonie's spacious beautiful house. Location is amazing! Very peaceful and pretty. I have done lots various works including indoors and outdoors cleaning, tidying, bringing wood for a fire, cleaning swimming pool, learned a bit of gardening, but what I have enjoyed the most was taking pictures of their airbnb… read more

(Excellent )

01/11/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Rita)

Rita stayed with us for 2 weeks and was a great help around the house but we had her especially to take photos of our Airbnb. She did a really superb
job and has left us with a beautiful portfolio of really creative , well edited and excellent photographs. We recommend her for this type of work. Thanks Rita, happy travels.

(Excellent )

14/10/2019

Left by Workawayer (Patricio & Camila) for host

We had an amazing two weeks together with Tracey, Tonie and the doggie Frida. They made us feel at home every single day, sharing a lot of funny stories and also great dishes!
Working and seeing the transformation was incredible and very enjoyable :)
We were sad to leave them, but very happy to have known such a creative and talented couple.
We… read more

(Excellent )

12/10/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Patricio & Camila)

We had a wonderful experience working with Camilla and Patricio, they are a very mature and enthusiastic young couple. They did extremely professional work on several large projects including repainting , to perfection, a tiled bathroom and preparing and planting an enormous vegetable garden for winter. These two are a pleasure to have at home and… read more

(Excellent )

14/09/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Dima)

We feel very lucky to have had Dima with us for his brief stay in Portugal, months would have been great!
He is a quiet, intelligent , extremely well mannered and very kind person who works meticulously and did some superb work here with us in a very professional manner. By the way he’s very strong!
It was a pleasure to have Dima here and learn… read more

(Excellent )

13/09/2019

Left by Workawayer (Dima) for host

Excellent. It was an amazing experience and a great 2 weeks with Tracey and Tonie. They are very kind, polite and nice persons. It was real luck to find hosts like them. I was really happy there. They told me a lot of funny stories, opened me plenty of new things from all around the world and helped me to explore their region of North Portugal. I… read more

(Excellent )

29/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Liam)

Liam has excellent knowledge in the realm of food forests and organic farming, he did a great job weeding and composting our fruit trees and building compost bins from recycled pallets. He's also a great baker if you have a sweet tooth.

(Good )

23/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Juan Ignacio)

Juan is a very intelligent, gentle and well educated young man. We were his first workaway experience and he really impressed us with his ability to learn so many new tasks. He is now an expert interior and exterior painter, he can garden , he helped build a compost toilet and was generally a great help around the house and garden. He has a lovely… read more

(Excellent )

23/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Elina)

Elina is an absolutely dynamic and energetic energy to have working with you. She has a particular attention to detail , quite the perfectionist and is immaculate in her work. She did a tremendous amount of work in a far to short time here and left our home really transformed.
Beside her strength and fitness level which is very high she is such a… read more

(Excellent )

23/07/2019

Left by Workawayer (Elina) for host

Fantastic and unique! Tracey & Tonie is the lovely Frida (dog), a magical place, with attention and love to people, nature. Where collaborating was a pleasurable learning experience. Gratitude to all the moments we enjoyed, for the opportunity to collaborate and let a little of my energy, for the wonderful meals of Chef Tracie. Wishes of success,… read more

(Excellent )

31/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Blair & Aleysha)

These two kiwis did some really excellent work for is. Blair is an electrician and has all our systems go, go, go! Timers working perfectly and some really beautiful hanging lights installed....at a glance at our property one of his first comments was ... " ooh that needs strimming" next day job done. He built a bed frame and did an enormous job… read more

(Excellent )

21/05/2019

Left by Workawayer (Lola & Ian) for host

It was a spirit of the moment decision to contact Tracey and Tonie and we only stayed a week, yet we are so glad we choose to visit the Kiwi-Dutch connection in the beautiful north of Portugal and we could have easily stayed longer. Tracey’s vibrant spirit and her energy radiates through the whole house and the garden. Her eye for art and… read more

(Excellent )

21/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Lola & Ian)

Although we only had Ian and Lola for a brief week, in this short time they eased into our home immediately and accomplished an enormous amount of work which has given us a superb head start in getting our Airbnb plans running. They both work really efficiently without any supervision and gutted and painted a bedroom transforming a drab dull space… read more

(Excellent )

15/04/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Selene)

Selene is a real treasure, it was a delight to have her in our home for three weeks. Right from the start she tackled new projects with gusto and creativity leaving behind very carefully crafted and beautiful work in our home and garden. Don't be fooled by her size, she can dig a garden like a Portuguese farmer, weeding and creating new garden… read more

(Excellent )

13/04/2019

Left by Workawayer (Selene) for host

Tracey and Tony, an amazing couple living in the Portugal countryside, can give you the real opportunity to feel the real Workaway’s values.
I lived with them for 3 weeks: during this time I could learn some gardening techniques, how to reuse old things to make beautiful house decorations, how to recycling everything, but mostly I have been… read more inspired by two sage persons.
I worked for 4/5 hours per day for 5 days a week and during my free days I could visit Braga, the nearest big city, and Porto.
There weren’t shifts to follow, I chose when to start working and when take my breaks, so the job was based on trust and actually, this is truly admirable.
You can start working with your project and you can see It finished after 1 or at most 2 days: I really worked with all my heart because I couldn’t wait to see the project done.
I was sleeping in another part of the house with my own bedroom and a shared bathroom and kitchen.
They provided all the meals and Tracey prepared the lunch and the dinner and I made the breakfast for myself.
My experience was “special” because I stayed just with Tracey for most of the days: It doesn’t mean that It was a bad experience actually, the opposite, because I really enjoyed to stay just with her and listen her adventures and being inspired by a person who really lived her life richly.
They have a lot of creative building ideas for the garden and for handmade furniture and they really trust on your own creativity to create small things that make their place more special and unique.
Tracey is an amazing chef: she can cook topical plates from all around the world and obviously she adores to teach how to cook.
Tony is a smart artist: he built almost of all the furniture in the house so he can teach you how to build very useful things with just a few materials.
And their dog, Miss Frida, the princess of the house: she is a very smart dog and she really loves playing with the workawayers.
Thanks to their amazing adventure stories I could visit Thailand, India, France, Salento and a lot of more!
You can have also the opportunity to meet another Workaway’s host, Hervé: I spent a dinner with him and the workawayers who he was hosting and we had a really good time together.
I would really recommend this place to a responsible person, who really wants to treat their home like as If It were his/her own, a person who is not afraid to get dirty, but mostly a person who has a lot of creativity to share to this unique place.
I already miss you guys.
I hope to come back one day.
Thank you so much for everything.
(more than 5 stars)

(Excellent )

27/03/2019

Left by Workawayer (Mantas & Aistė) for host

We stayed with Tracy, Tonie and Frida (the cutest puppy ever) for two weeks and we were the very first workawayers for them. They were perfect hosts and raised the "hosting bar" super high!!

First of all - Tracy's cooking is just to good to be true. After you're full - you still want more. And Tonie's creations and his creativity is just… read more

(Excellent )

25/03/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Mantas & Aistė)

It's was an absolute pleasure to have Aiste and Mantas with us helping transform our gardens. They really worked beyond what we imagined and if I could give an extra star I would!!!
Our flowerbeds have been beautifully landscaped by them and a huge job clearing weeds and grass for a large vegetable plot was tackled with energy and always a smile.… read more

(Excellent )

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