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Host rating
80 %
Last replied
26 Oct 2025
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32
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Details
Description
Home is in a once abandoned beautiful traditional village in the foothills behind Santa Catarina, It is situated in the east Algarve ... just 20 mins drive from the stunning Rio Formosa coastline, between Tavira and Faro.
We are a creative, active and busy family and have lived here for over 20 years. Our daughters, aged 18 and 20, have now left home to go to university. They regularly come back for weekends and holidays.
It started with one small stone walled ruin, overgrown with trees and without a roof which we lived alongside in our truck home , and slowly restored to become our family home. As years went by we have managed to buy more ruined houses in the small hamlet. We are restoring this village using traditional and ecological materials at hand, capturing its original charm and bringing it a new purpose. It is set in an empty wild valley with hills that stretch for miles all around. We've travelled the world to many remote places and our home remains one of the most peaceful places we've ever discovered! We live here with a changing number of animals - mostly rescued. Right now it tallies 2 horses, 3 dogs and 1 cat.
We run a busy campervan business, which we have built up over 17 years, starting from one 1970's van restored beneath a carob tree in our front garden to a now thriving business. Our business restores and builds campervans and we rent them out from 5 different location bases across Portugal and Spain.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House sitting
Interests
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Camping
Mountain
Dancing
Beach
Adventure sports
Hiking
Outdoor activities
Events & social
Sustainability
Pets
Vegetarian or vegan
Van life
Self development
Farming
Culture
Writing
Performing arts
Drawing & painting
Carpentry
Animals
Cooking & food
Plant care
History
DIY & crafts
Books
Art & design
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Experience living in a different culture
Enjoy living in a beautiful peaceful rural setting and caring for animals
Learn hands on practical skills
Having the space and peace that surrounds our beautiful home …. It’s like a sanctuary
Help
We are seeking volunteers to come and help around our rural homestead.
There's much to do here and we generally find a task to suit the skills and interests of whoever visits. Practical hands on skills, the right attitude and the ability to act independently is essential!
If you have an artistic eye- there are many possibilities , such as collecting interesting stones from the river bed and learning how to add these into walls.
If you like to be with animals they all need attention! - the horse need feeding , brushing and field fences repairing, the dogs needs walking and brushing .Someone with experience with horses would be most welcome, but not essential .. They are all easy beasts to get to know.
We have a lot of land and it always needs care - the veg plot tended and the carobs, almonds and olives need to be collected, depending on the seasons. Its always good to have volunteers who can bring ideas regarding irrigation and help here. Learning how to grow food in this hot mediterranean climate can be very challenging but also very fruitful when you get it right.
If you enjoy working on the land , you can help with our reforesting efforts. Each winter we tackle a new area - plant native trees, install irrigation. and tend existing saplings . The aim is to re-wild areas around here that were burnt during a fire 13 years ago. This is a long slow process so any knowledge in this area most welcome.
We are interested in hearing from any artists who would appreciate the inspirational peaceful surroundings and enjoy having a creative hands-on project to be involved in alongside having the personal space to develop their own ideas
I am particularly interested in hearing from any ceramicists, as this is an area I am currently enjoying experimenting with.
Occasionally we may need to be away for a night or weekend, so being responsible and keeping the animals fed and watered is essential.
We would like someone or a couple who are happy with their own company and space, as we often work long hours. So having volunteers who value this and are capable of making decisions and to live independently is definitely welcomed.
We will eat together only at times, the frequency will depend on what projects are happening. We will provide food and ingredients in a separate independent kitchen for guests to cook what they wish and eat when they wish. We are vegetarian.
The independent stone cottage has an ensuite bathroom and a fully equipped kitchen.
We are looking for helpers initially for one to 2 weeks but this could become longer depending on skills offered and our development of particular projects. Its always changing ! We always need help throughout the summer.
The nearest village is a 10 minute drive away- so we are relatively remote and this place is not for everyone. We can arrange to drop guests in nearby towns on days off, if we are heading that way. Our work place is in Sao Bras Alportel, so we often go this way . We also provide mountain bikes. Many guests feel they don't need to go anywhere when they are here !
We do expect workers to leave the space cleaned at the end of their stay.
We are also very happy to welcome a van dwelling couple/individual with the option of an amazing free park up in exchange for flexible care taking when needed!
We look forward to sharing our space and hearing about what you can bring to the village!
To clarify- i am sorry but we cannot offer exchange where workers help with our business.
Thanks for reading!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
Accommodation
A cosy self contained stone house with own cooking facilities, electric etc-
Or perfect private parking with use of a bathroom and electric for vanlifers.
What else ...
We live in an isolated traditional village that was deserted 20 years ago. We are slowly bringing it back to life. The nearest beach is only 20 minutes away by car, it’s a 20 minute drive to Tavira which is is a stunning historic town on a tidal river. We live near a river and our surrounding area is spectacular for walking, bird watching, mountain biking and horse riding.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
For digital nomads living in vans we can offer an amazing park-up with incredible views and good mobile reception to use your own wifi-box. We can negotiate number hours worked for those with own vanlife accommodation.
Space for parking camper vans
We initially found our home here after years of travelling Europe in our converted truck and our business is now based on the van life concept, so we enjoy welcoming independently-minded adventurous nomads. Having your own wheels explore this area is a bonus but not essential as there’s many beautiful walks in the hills around here.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
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Offering my help in the garden while I was able to continue growing my projects has allowed me to act in a more conscious way.
The property is as large as some of its carob trees.Its mountains invite you to breathe and listen to the silence. Perfect for… read more
They are super funny and really open minded family.
So, I want to say thank you because I could have my privacy, enjoying of the views and seeing the gentle horses every morning was super healing.
I could learn how to create a mosaic with stones, what was hard, challenging… read more
They are really friendly guys, with a beautiful space and loving pets. Day by day we were affectioned for everything...and we feel fortunate that we could take care of their house.
Claire and Loyd show us how they constructed this lifestyle and made us fall in love.
We feel freedown… read more
They became a part of our lives and fitted in so easily. Little Loopy their dog fell in love with our old stray and they became lady and the tramp.
Rob and Marieke became key figures in our business and I still think they will come back at some point and be involved with it. We gave them a… read more
Our eyes opened wide as soon as we arrived, driving up the long, winding track to reach their hidden village in the hills. There are beautiful views across the valley, which is also a… read more
Maisie and Lara (their daughters) are great and we had a good time making music, homework and cakes with them. Too bad they were in school so much :(
Our work consisted of:
-Helping out around the house cooking,… read more
They are conscientious and competent workers , who enjoyed getting stuck into projects and tackling new tasks with enthusiasm . They had a good eye for details and can be trusted to do a good job independently .
They are also an easy going , good fun couple to have around !
Bob is an incredible… read more
I was shown what it means and takes to ingratiate oneself into a community in Portugal, taken out for meals and celebrations, in short , treated as a real part of the family.
The work was different from… read more
They are energetic , talented and competent workers . Our girls adored them ! We felt both our animals and children were in very good hands in their care .
They both accomplished many varied tasks with a good attention to detail , always doing that little bit more to help .
They… read more
TOM X
Our children adored her ! She is responsible and easy going .We will miss her ! Happy travels lisa !
