Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Sep 2025
Reply rate
92.6 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
19
ID verified
Email verified
Badges (5)
Details
Description
🏡 Welcome to My Countryside Home in Melides
Olá 👋 I’m Laura (46), HR manager working remotely in the startup world for 15+ years. I live in a family home in the countryside near Melides, really in the middle of nowhere 🌿✨. If you love dogs, nature, and quiet days (with some chaos thanks to 4 furry friends 🐕🐕🐕🐕), this is the place for you!
🐾 Who lives here
•Me: I enjoy country life, books 📚, movies 🎬, cooking (no meat here 🥑), and the simple things. I practice aerial yoga and sometimes aerial silks.
•4 rescue dogs: Two are super cuddly, two are more shy (so patience + real dog experience is a must 💛).
•Friends: Sometimes friends come by for food, conversation, or a glass of wine 🍷.
Our last volunteer (who ended up staying for two years!) will be returning home in November, so we are looking to have new volunteers around.
🚙 Important to Know
•Driver’s licence is essential 🚗 (remote life + dogs = you’ll need it).
•Dog experience is a must 🐕 (if you only walked your neighbour’s cat once, sorry, that doesn’t count 🙃).
•No smokers 🚭.
•Minimum stay: 3 weeks ⏳.
•I speak Portuguese 🇵🇹, English 🇬🇧, and Spanish 🇪🇸.
•Buses do exist, but to explore freely you’ll want to drive (or use the 🚲 bicycle we provide!).
🛠️ What You’ll Do
Your help is focused on two things:
•Dogs, dogs, dogs 🐶
•Early morning walks (starting as early as 6:30am) 🌅
•Feeding, water, playtime, cuddles
•Picking up after them (yes, that too 💩)
•Countryside & Garden tasks 🌱
•Getting your hands dirty outside: gardening, planting, maintaining outdoor areas
•If you have permaculture knowledge, that’s a big plus! 🙌
About 5 hours a day, divided between mornings and evenings.
🛏️ What You’ll Get
•A private bedroom 🛌 and shared cozy spaces
•Meals provided (sometimes I cook for everyone, sometimes you cook your own) 🍲
•A bicycle 🚲 for exploring the area
•Space and quiet to work on personal projects, rest, or recharge 🌍
•Beaches just 15 minutes away 🏖️ — the Alentejo coast is one of the most beautiful in Portugal
•Couples welcome 💑.
🌟 Why You’ll Love It Here
🌳 Real countryside living — silence, stars, and space to breathe
🐕 Daily time with four unique dogs (endless love + some challenges)
🌱 Connection with the land — perfect if you like nature, gardening, and permaculture
🏖️ Explore nearby beaches, villages, and hikes
🍷 Shared meals and good talks when it feels right
This is the place if you’re kind, open-minded, autonomous, and motivated, with a genuine love for dogs and rural life.
💖 Ideal Volunteer Profile (Open to singles/couples)
• Dog lovers (rescue experience a plus)
• Comfort with rural solitude and farm tasks.
• Non-smoking
• Proactive, open-minded and friendly attitude
🍽️ Food & Meals
• Groceries provided for your own cooking.
• Shared meals: Occasional lunches/dinners together.
📩 How to Apply
Please send me a personalized message 🙏 telling me about your dog experience, your motivation, and what you’d bring to our little countryside life.
Looking forward to welcoming you to this special patch of Portugal 💛
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Politics / Social justice
Self development
Blogging
History
Music
Writing
Animals
Cycling
Dancing
Yoga / Wellness
Fitness
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I am a Human Resources manager and I speak several languages and love to travel. I've lived in different continents and love to exchange stories and experiences, namely while sharing a meal.
Help
I need help with taking care of our dogs, land and home!
With dogs, there is always something to do. The land is very big and needs lots of care: watering, planting, caring, collecting wood, cleaning forest & paths, moving sand and soil, etc. It's the kind of place where there are always new things that can be done.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Portuguese: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
Private room with shared bathroom, sharing the rest of the house: kitchen, living room,garden, pantry, etc.
What else ...
We are in the lovely Costa Vicentina (Alentejo) and beaches are a short drive away (15min). We provide a bicycle and there are a few buses from the main road, taking you to Sines, Santo André and Carvalhal.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Yes, we have good internet access.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Katniss
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (8)
Estou muito agradecido.
Hemos disfrutado de una casita independiente y de trabajo autónomo al aire libre con total libertad con los horarios.
Nos vamos felices y muy agradecidos.
It was a very nice but also relaxing time.
They leave you very free in the tasks you have to do and clearly indicate what they want. You get your own bedroom (with even a private bathroom!)
You also get a lot of your own time and know many tips for nice… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
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)
Estou muito agradecido.
Hemos disfrutado de una casita independiente y de trabajo autónomo al aire libre con total libertad con los horarios.
Nos vamos felices y muy agradecidos.
It was a very nice but also relaxing time.
They leave you very free in the tasks you have to do and clearly indicate what they want. You get your own bedroom (with even a private bathroom!)
You also get a lot of your own time and know many tips for nice… read more
Her communications skills are great, she is always in good spirits, she is super respectful and bright.
I would definitely recommend Agata and would love to have her back as a volunteer anytime!
Laura and Miguel are lovely people and always make sure you have everything you need , and they have a very good spirit always happy .Laura made delicious food , wow still remember the Teryaky sauce 😋with salmon!
The job is super chilled and feels more like helping friends with some house duties , I really do… read more
I loved every moment of my stay. They welcomed me into their home and showed me how to enjoy life.
I loved waking up to a beautiful view breathing in the fresh morning air, walking up to the main house for breakfast being greeted by… read more
Meg joined us for one month - August - and left a Meg-shaped whole in our hearts.
She is sweet, social, committed, very hardworking, super organized and detail oriented, a great cook (oh, the sushi and the chocolate banana cakes....!), plus she is a 5 star photographer. She could easily have a career as… read more
Laura is an excellent physiotherapist and helped me a lot with my back problems as well. She plays the piano and gave both me and Miguel a few classes! Nuria is a doctor-to-be and we had many interesting chats about Catalunha, Spain, independence,… read more
They hosted me like an old friend in their house and always were nice and kind to me! Laura is such a beautiful and welcoming person and I really enjoyed my staying with her! Unfortunately Miguel was on his work trip, so we met only on the last day… read more
