Workaway reviews, feedback and ratings - page 2

The Fool Who Found His Garden There is a Tarot card that most people misread. The Fool stands at the edge of a cliff — not from ignorance, but from a different kind of knowing. He has walked every road. He has slept in the belly of a twelve-metre bus while Europe rolled past the windows like a dream someone else was having. He has read Dostoevsky by lamplight and understood, in his bones, that the underground man was right — and wrong — at the same time. He arrives at the cliff's edge and does not fall. He plants. Jan is an engineer who never stopped being a philosopher. An anarchist who builds things that last. A musician who understands that the most radical act is to make something beautiful in a world that profits from ugliness. The bus was not an escape. It was a laboratory. Twelve metres of mobile truth — testing what is essential, what is theatre, what dissolves when you remove the scaffolding of fixed address and social performance. Jung would say: he was circling the Self. Dostoevsky would say: he was burning through his illusions the honest way — by living them to their edge. La Palma was not the end of the journey. It was the answer the journey was always circling toward. "It's paradise — it's only people that are able to create hell out of it." This is not cynicism. This is a man who has seen enough of both to know the difference — and who chose, consciously, to become a keeper of the former. Even the name spirals inward — toward center, toward depth, toward the ancient dragon tree that has survived everything by simply being rooted and reaching simultaneously. That is Jan. He says life is a theatre and he is the Fool. But watch carefully — in Shakespeare, in Tarot, in Jung's trickster archetype — the Fool is the only one who tells the truth. The only one free enough to see the whole stage while everyone else performs their assigned role. He found the best seat. Not to disengage — but to see clearly. And from that seat, he keeps making beauty. Not as decoration. As resistance. As the only answer worth giving to absurdity. If you arrive looking for paradise ready-made, you will miss it. But if you arrive ready to participate in the beautiful illusion — conscious, willing, awake — you will find something rarer than paradise. You will find a place where someone decided that creation matters more than comfort, that roots and freedom are not opposites, and that the spiral always leads somewhere worth going. Thanks for coming, he says. As if he is the guest. As if the gift flows both ways. It does. — Written in the spirit of La Palma, where the volcano reminds you that everything is impermanent, and the dragon trees remind you that some things endure anyway.

Dear Jan, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your extraordinary contributions during your time with me as a Workawayer. Your unwavering work ethic, constant willingness to help, and kind, respectful demeanor were truly wonderful. Your presence brought positivity and warmth to my home, and it was an honor to host you. As you embark on your new adventures, please remember that you will always have a place in my heart and home. I wish you much success and happiness, and I hope our paths will cross again by chance. Thank you for being such a wonderful Workaway participant. Nuri

Aditya and Krupangi are two wonderful people, very competent in their respective fields, who were an invaluable help! They spent a week with us and worked on video production, social media, cooking… They are very curious and open-minded, always eager to discover new things. It was a pleasure to have them, and we hope to see you again soon!

Quedarte con Ramón, Claire y Alexander es como estar en casa, absoluta autonomía. Pero también tienes la opción de compartir con ellos todo cuanto quieras. De hecho te invitan a todos sus planes y acompañarlos siempre ha sido genial. Con Ramón nunca te va a faltar la conversación, no importa en qué idioma. Claire es una mujer súper interesante, me hubiera gustado que mi francés fuera mejor, menos mal que ella ha desempolvado todo su español. Y Alexander es un chico genial, educado y que no necesita que lo entretengan, pero siempre te va ha invitar a jugar con él. También tuve la oportunidad de conocer al hijo mayor de Claire, a su madre y a un montón de amigos y amigas que me acogieron de una forma cercana y amable como si fuera una más de la familia. El trabajo no tiene misterio, encargarte de la casa y las comidas. Si puedes hacer eso, para ellos es suficiente. Ha sido una gran experiencia. Gracias a todas y todos, pero sobre todo a vosotros. Nos veremos de nuevo!

This was my first workaway and it was perfect. Howard, the owner, is a man with a big heart. He's kind, easy-going and cheerful, The gang was friendly and helpful. There was good camaraderie. The work was easy. 4 hours each day, managing check ins and check outs and whatever guest-related tasks that were required. Yes, I would do recommend this to anyone eager to try workaway. Melaka is a cosy small town and this hostel is a perfect start.

This 3 weeks I spent with Alex that was good 3 weeks. I’ve got a lot of help and a great companionship during coldest polish wither from last 10 years. Alex could cope with all type of weather conditions we faced during this weeks. He is keen to learn and work and I can recommend him to anyone who is looking for 5 stars volunteer :)

Coco and Stella did a fabulous job looking after my dog, house and guests when I travelled overseas for 2 weeks. They are both kind, considerate and fun to have around. My house was absolutely spotless, my dog was very happy and my guests all left the best feedback. Coco and Stella were happy to help with anything I asked them to do and cooked some very delicious meals for us all. I would highly recommend them to anyone and everyone. We loved sharing our home with them and hope they keep in touch and pop in for a cup of tea if they are ever back in Auckland. Thanks Coco and Stella, you did a great job and we miss you x

Lovely girls Great english

Sorry for the late feedback, Junio! He was such a fabulous guest and will be hard to beat in terms of all-round friendliness, helpfulness and positive energy. He’s very knowledgeable and interesting to talk to about all sorts of topics, and he jumped into every task with enthusiasm. He helped clean and repair the roof and water tanks, rearranged and painted my shed, and was always proactive in finding ways to help. I honestly felt a bit spoiled with cooked delicious Italian meals and nice guitar and singing sometimes. He was also wonderful with my dog and even minded him for a short time while I was away, which I really appreciated. Highly recommend- a truly lovely, generous person to have around!

If you need a gardener and some help with cooking, Alex is a good choice.Alex stayed with us for one week and in that week he managed to create a new garden for us and cook a couple of meals. He was willing to learn how to do sourdough bread and fermented cabbage. He showed a great knowledge about plants and gardening and was a pleasure to talk with.We can suggest him to anyone and wish him good luck with his journey. Yelena and Mike

Alberto is a great all-round handyman - hard working and very competent at, seemingly, everything. He was only here for a few days but in that time he fixed what needed fixing on my car, re-worked some pallet building, collected and hauled many bags of gravel, helped move an iron bath (uphill!) and was, generally an all-round nice guy - getting on well with everyone here- and an absolute pleasure to host. The only drawback of his stay was that it wasn't nearly long enough - if I was rich I'd offer him a full time job here - and I really hope he comes back at some stage of his journey - he will always be welcome. Though, I'm sure he will be snapped up by any host he approaches - as he should be. He's a star Workawayer and I advise any prospective host to say yes - you won't regret it. I'm very glad I met Alberto and grateful for his input here - and wish him all the best for his New Zealand travels.

What a memorable month! After 10 years travelling, this experience will always stay with me: helping with the sweetest cats in the most beautiful place. The shelter is doing a great job of supporting Dahab's street cat population. You will be working with cats with various ailments and varying levels of health, but they are all so friendly, inquisitive, and positive. They really need and deserve love and help from volunteers! At times, it can be hard if there's an emergency at any time of day/night and, of course, you must be prepared for sadness if one does not make it. However, this is part of life, and it's so worth volunteering here if you are a cat lover. Shifts are morning and evening (9am-12pm and 5pm-7pm) and most likely you will share a bedroom and have access to a shared kitchen and bathroom. The programme suits those who are genuinely committed to working hard and making a better life for the sweetest cats. It attracts genuine souls, both foreigners and local staff like Mahmoud, so you are bound to make lasting friendships. It was easy to communicate with Gillian before the project and she helped me organise a taxi from the airport so everything was easy and seamless for me. Dahab is a wonderful place with loads to do outside of your volunteering hours. Bring or buy a snorkel for hours of world-class snorkelling offshore. There is also great hiking and day trips. There are so many great cafes to relax, and the community of locals and foreigners is wholesome and easy to tap into. But beware - you will want to stay forever!

Chrissi et Nala ont fait étape quelques jours chez nous. Elles ont été très discrètes et la présence de Nala a réconcilié ma fille avec les chiens tant c'est un animal doux et calme. Chrissi a ramassé les feuilles du jardin en un tour de main et nous avons eu de nombreux échanges très plaisants, en espagnol, en français ou même en allemand. Au plaisir de nous revoir Bonne route

I am beyond grateful to spend 5 weeks (jan, feb 2026) in this finca, in this beautiful paradise surrounded by wonderful people and stunning nature, where the sea is just 30 minutes away and the mountains are just above your head when you wake up. Its magical walking around among the oranges, lemons, avocados, marakujas with so much green around, where you can hear birds chirping all the time and breathing fresh air. It is so cleansing and freeing as we spend most of our time outside (except the nights). I could feel my nervous system calming down and being in peace! People here are so warm, Ana, Bruno and Fred were since the very beggining so welcoming, open, inclusive and friendly. I really felt like I belong here soon after I arrived. I am especially grateful for the energy, lightness and peace they nourish there that it contagious. Everything is done without rushing, with lightness and mindfulness, care and respect. This month I learnt a lot about myself and life, through the different lifestyle and the living there in general, through other beautiful people there, through the rituals, morning pujas, meditations, singing mantras, dancing, stories , work ... I already miss the morning time in the temple, daily gratitude circles and singing before our family meal. About the work is that I worked 5h per day 5 times a week. Sometimes we maybe also changed according to the weather if it was raining a lot and we couldnt do anything. If I couldnt manage to do/finish my hours in one day I could add it to the next days. The work was diverse and changing, we talked about it everyday in the morning. Also the finca is just 10-15 minutes walk from Orgiva, very alternative town with LOTS! of stuff to do! If you are interested in singing circles (where we always went all together and I absolutely loved it), meditations and meditative concerts, extatic dances, yoga, creative workshops and so on and so on ... this is the place to go. Also surroundings of Orgiva are definitely to explore! But enough spoilers! I am very grateful for my time here and for the learnings I have in my body and heart that I took home. And for the beautiful connections I made here. Thank you so much for this healing environment and magical experience, Hug Mira<3

Greatfull for being able to stay at Amanda's for over a week. I received support, perfect place to slow down and to explore the area. House and garden are amazing - calm, peacefull, plenty of birds, and the best bananas I've ever had! Although Amanda was not around that often, so it was mostly independent work, it was very nice to spend some evenings together and connect. She's very caring, helpful and honest. The garden is on very promising path to grow into something truly amazing - fingers crossed for all the projects that are on the making. Amazed by workaway magic, that allowed me to have another safe place to come back to on the opposite part of the world 🙏

Thank you Kaaren for this opportunity and experience ! Lovely to share a month together, enjoying dinner like a family with you and other Workaways !! Enjoy the pool and your garden now it’s your time to relax and have quality time at home :) See you and, à bientôt ! Clem & Tibo

We were so happy to be able to host Julia and have her part of the family, and miss her so much now that she is gone! Julia is very easy to get along with. Very kind and helpful, and shows great initiative to be able to see things that need to be done around the house before being asked. My two little girls loved her, and I think our dog is still pining after her, haha, she was a huge hit with everyone! We loved that Julia was independent and happy to go exploring and skiing by herself, but also loved when she joined us on family trips. We highly recommend her to other hosts and she is welcome back here any time :)

Had a wonderful experience thanks to silvia at the hostel. Always friendly, helpful, and attentive to guests’ needs. With her positive attitude and willingness to assist really made the stay comfortable and enjoyable. Truly excellent service — highly recommended!

Had a wonderful experience thanks to Bryan at the hostel. Always friendly, helpful, and attentive to guests’ needs. Bryan ’s positive attitude and willingness to assist really made the stay comfortable and enjoyable. Truly excellent service — highly recommended!✌️ 👍

She was the first Taiwanese for this year. I would definitely recommend Bella to her future host. She was flexible and available when ever needed. She created strong bond with my wife and daughter Sophia. And..her hand was so strong to that extent when she help to massage my ankle..I can feel the pressure when she pressed it. She always welcomed in the future.