Workaway reviews, feedback and ratings - page 4

My wife Melissa and I originally intended to stay 2 weeks at the Farm, but we ended up staying nearly 2 months, from January-March because we became so involved in several areas of the farm and connected so well with Mayoor, Mukunth, and the rest of the staff. I think it is important for future workawayers to understand that coming here will not be a vacation. It's a real, working farm with a working business (cocoa processing and chocolate-making). This means that there are many tasks and a lot of work to be done constantly, and you will be asked to participate. The work can include any or all of the following: - manual labor (building, digging, moving earth, moving construction material) - construction and property maintenance (fixing plumbing, making paths, painting... whatever needs to be done) - management of social media accounts - taking care of animals (washing them, emptying the manure tank, checking for fleas and ticks, etc) - general gardening/landscape/orchard/irrigation work - processing of cocoa pods/beans during the cocoa season (March-June) which includes breaking pods, moving heavy amounts of beans around for fermentation/drying - cooking and cleaning when the normal staff are on their off days The living situation is also basic (but always improving). You will be sleeping in dorms with other volunteers and sometimes other staff. Bucket showers, simple washroom setup, with a pump that needs to be intermittently turned on to fill the water tanks. Hot water was always available (not that you'd want it during the summer....). Communal kitchen with potable water and a common area. The entire farm is constantly being developed, too, so there could be construction going on during the day, etc. Food was vegetarian and fairly typical of South India (lots of rice in different forms + some sort of curry). Because the number of volunteers and staff fluctuates a good amount, some days we'd have more food than necessary and sometimes we'd have less and have to do a little cooking ourselves (or Mukunth would take over the cooking). We'd usually have plenty of eggs for those that wanted that protein. The farm is located right on a bus stop on a busy road, so getting to Mangalore or to the beach was fairly easy and cheap. It takes about 1 hour or so and a couple bus transfers depending on the day to get to one of the many beaches and maybe 30-45minutes to get to Mangalore center. The busy Kateel temple, where there are constantly folk dances nearly every night, is a 15 minute walk down the road if you're into that. During the summer it can get very hot and very humid. Took us a couple weeks to truly get used to it. With all that said, we stayed because the experience was incredibly rewarding, the relationships we developed were genuine, and the work we did felt meaningful. What Mayoor is doing on this farm goes beyond just running a cocoa and chocolate business; he is emphasizing equitable employment (much of the staff are women from the village), sourcing cocoa pods from many farms he has cultivated relationships with over many years, focusing on biodiversity and climate change-aware farming methods, and prioritizing human welfare alongside business profitability. The daily work is mostly coordinated by Mukunth, the volunteer coordinator. Mukunth does a fantastic job of structuring the work and navigating volunteers' skills. We really appreciated the way that Mukunth was so open to feedback and his desire to continue improving. He was always available for anything we needed and values communication, which the farm benefits hugely from. In our down time, we had many great conversations on a wide variety of topics with him. We are grateful to have developed such a good relationship with Mukunth and now consider him a good friend. We hope to see him in our area :) to do some fishing in alpine lakes, take some walks in the forest, and do some hiking in the mountains. Thank you Mukunth for being a good human being. Mayoor became a good friend with whom we spent a lot of time talking about business strategy, politics, religion, traveling, relationships, climate change, science, cocoa and coffee (Mayoor roasts some really good coffee). We also spent plenty of time just hanging out and talking about less serious topics. We were fortunate to visit several different farms with him, as well as take a several-day trip him to Bangalore and Chikmagalur as he met with farmers and coffee plantation owners. Melissa was happy to initiate a collaboration with a local coffee shop in Mangalore city where we organized a first-of-its-kind chocolate + coffee tasting event at TLC Art Cafe expertly-guided by another volunteer who is a trained chocolate taster (thank you Cathleen!). Hopefully many more of these events will happen in the future as Mayoor's cacao beans and chocolate become more in demand (and his chocolate truly is amazing!). Kevin and fellow volunteer Marcus redid much of the drip irrigation system for the new trees that were recently planted but missing water. Hopefully the watering of the orchard becomes a simpler task with the improved system and the instructions + schematic that we developed. Future volunteers with irrigation or agricultural experience can hopefully improve upon it further and help nurture these trees to maturity. Kevin also did some business development by registering the business with Restor.eco, doing photography for the Farm plus a number of the different farms that work with Mayoor, and building profiles on Restor.eco for each of them. This work will hopefully continue as the network of sustainable and organic cocoa growers vetted by Mayoor grows. Melissa spent her time taking care of the animals (milking Babu and delivering the milk to Mayoor's uncle's house further down the property, washing+feeding the puppies Shunti, Mallige and Sambige, the cats Pilli and Pella, and the adult dogs Robin, Pulli and Munchi), gardening, cleaning the dorms and the bathrooms, and organizing the chocolate tasting event at TLC Art Cafe. The staff at the farm becomes quite large during the cocoa season, but they are all kind and helpful. Thank you so much to Ramya and the other ladies who kept us fed and to Shwetha and Deepa who brought us chocolate to taste whenever they'd make a new batch. Melissa and I are truly grateful for the 2 months we spent and we hope to come back to see the puppies and kitten all grown up, the cocoa business scaling, the network of farmers growing, and the orchard at the farm thriving. Thank you so much to Mayoor, Mukunth, and the ladies that keep the place running. We are humbled by your generosity, kindness, and friendship and thankful for having made lasting connections with you.

I am happy to get volunteers like Jona, it really helps me, thank you for all this time while you were in the jungle, I, Romi, representing my team, say thank you very much.

It is an amazing authentic place, surrounded by nature and wilderness. Romi and the guys are very helpful, kind and a lot of fun to hangout with. It helps if you learn a bit of Indonesian. The work depended a lot on the week and day, but it was mostly maintaining the land and building with basics. A lot of fun! Food was good and you can sleep in a tent or bungalow. Lots of wild animals to see everyday and the river is great for a swim. Anyone is welcome here and it feels like a family.

They are very lovely people. Even though my English is so bad, They were always very kind to me. And every food they make was really tasty and they provided me very comfortable staying. They also took me some beautiful places and treated me to great food as well. I really recommend you for your great experience. Thank you for everything to me xxxx

This arm is a beautiful project focused on community and education. it is a farm but it acts as more of a community centre where the locals can learn English and volunteers can get grounded and create meaningful connections and beautiful memories. I was lucky enough to spend 17 days here and it was one of the highlights of my travels.

Emile and Stephanie are a sweet hard working couple, who took on the various projects with vigour and good organisation. Emile is very handy on the tools and did a great job of the hedging and Steph sanded and repaired the metal gazebo. They also enjoyed cooking and made some lovely dishes.

Lena and Quentin came with specific skills of carpentry and completely restored 10 outdoor wooden chairs that were quite rotten in places; they literally rebuilt them, sanded and painted them back to their former glory. They also cooked some amazing French and African dishes. Super lovely and kind people and highly recommend them to other hosts.

I had such an incredible experience here, i met many other volunteers, teachers and children who i will remember dearly for the rest of my life. i was very lucky to celebrate holi while i stayed here for 2 weeks which was such a fun experience spreading colors and getting colored too. i have electrical experience and can fix anything just about but we got lucky cause the water treatment system went down but i was able to work with experts to make the changes to keep the water flowing. i did a bit of construction work and i was able to also teach the student some math. i learned a bit of nepalese here too. i am truly grateful i stopped here along on my travels and many thanks for hosting me!

I stayed with Jane and Tom for about a month, and I’m truly grateful for the time I spent with them. They are the most wonderful couple I’ve ever met (apart from my own parents, haha!). Jane is usually calm and gentle, and her smile always made me happy. Tom has a great sense of humor, but he is also a very thoughtful person. My speaking and listening skills weren’t good, but they were always patient with me. They spoke slowly when needed and kindly encouraged me to ask questions as many times as I wanted. They also cooked delicious and healthy meals every day and we enjoyed watching movies together. My work mainly involved gardening and cleaning. Living with them gave me a chance to reflect on relationships and ways of living and working. I truly appreciate everything they have done for me. Thank you so much.

I had an amazing time with William his family and the other work awayers. They were extremely kind, generous people and are more than willing to help with anything that comes up. Their schedule was very flexible, which worked great for me. I loved its open forest and being able to go off and be alone for long periods of time and I often found myself listening to music for hours on end. I’m extremely lucky to have connected with them and would love to come back if again if possible.

I had such a lovely time staying at the cabins! Tom and Annelise are such wonderful hosts, they really made me feel at home. We shared many delicious meals and so many cups of tea! They are both really interesting people and lovely to chat to. The cabins themselves are stunning, with every detail carefully planned out to create such a cosy atmosphere. The highlight for me was definitely the outdoor hot shower attached to a tree! There was a really good balance of work and leisure and I never felt like I was being asked to do too much. The work was varied and it was fascinating to see all the work that goes into creating such a beautiful home. The location is spectacular and Tom and Annelise have cut tracks in the bush so you can explore and see some stunning views. There is also a pool under a waterfall for taking a dip! I was able to get out and explore Greymouth for a day which was fun too. I saw lots of wildlife including wild pigs, weka and of course the tame Tom Tit who will come and accept a mealworm from your hand. It was a perfect place to slow down and reconnect with nature. Tom and Annelise have collected an extensive library so I spent lots of time relaxing in the hammock with a book!

Amelia and Matt were absolutely fabulous, quick to reply and easy to communicate with from the start. We felt it was a perfect exchange. As soon as we had a quick call with them, I knew we would enjoy their company and that we would all be a great match. They came to stay with us for two weeks and, after just one day, we felt completely happy leaving our house in their hands while we took our planned trip to New Zealand for a week. While we were away, they kept us updated with everything, which gave us real peace of mind. They were totally self-motivated and showed fantastic initiative throughout their stay. They helped enormously with our ongoing garden projects and worked really hard, diligently, and for far longer than we expected them to. In fact, we had to remind them to take breaks and call it a day. They even reconstructed our dry stone walling, which was above and beyond anything we could have hoped for. Personality-wise, they are incredibly easy to get along with, calm, funny, chatty and open. They were extremely respectful of everything and also helped with kitchen clear-ups and general tidying around the house. Amelia is also a very experienced and talented hair stylist, and very kindly cut and coloured my hair while she was here. She did a wonderful job. I do not think we stopped talking the whole time! It was genuinely so lovely getting to know them. They arrived as strangers and left feeling like friends. We have already invited them to house sit for us again later this year, and we very much hope we will see them again. If Matt and Amelia reply to your ad, you will be very lucky to have them come and stay. We wish them all the very best for the rest of their travels. A truly lovely couple of humans.

Jane is a wonderful host, she and Rob welcomed me into their home and their life, took me on tours in the area; a local festival, a local market, a trip to the beach... and of course walks with Maddie: ), and invited me meet their friends and family. I loved hanging around with Maddie (she is so sweet!), feeding the chooks and Penny (the duck), cooking and doing some tasks in their beautiful garden. The house is pretty isolated and surrounded with beautiful nature with amazing views, a great spot to watch the sunset! I spent there two weeks and feel like I learned new things. Thank you Jane and Rob for having me!

Nicholas was a pleasure to have staying in my home. He showed great respect and was just like one of the family. Everything was completed and cleaned up wonderfully. He was able to apply many skills in all the jobs he was asked to help with. Nicholas also used his iniative and saw other things that needed his professional care. Many lengthy discussions were shared between us both agreeing manners and self respect and caring for others are lacking in today's society.. It's all about ME. I would thoroughly recommend Nicholas as a trustful hardworking citizen to help in such a wide range of jobs across all areas as needed Thankyou Nicholas for your truly professional approach and dedication I will always remember you. Grace Brougham

Spending four weeks with Jen, ChiLye, their daughter, two adorable dogs, and all the farm animals was truly a wonderful experience for our family. During our stay, other Workawayers came and went, and we all lived together like a team. Tasks were shared via WhatsApp — sometimes we chose what to work on ourselves, and other times we followed guidance. The balance between freedom and structure created a very comfortable and welcoming environment. Our living conditions were excellent. As a family, we had our own private room, which gave us the personal space we needed, along with access to Wi-Fi and showers whenever we needed them. Day-to-day life was genuinely comfortable. The food was one of the highlights of the stay. Freshly baked sourdough bread every day, and ChiLye's home-cooked dinners each evening — every meal was something we truly looked forward to. The variety of work was impressive, and what stood out most was that nothing was simply handed to us to complete — each task was explained thoughtfully and with care. In the garden alone, we went far beyond watering and weeding: we learned about plant propagation, adjusting soil pH for hydrangeas, pruning, and seed sowing. With the horses, we not only prepared and delivered feed, but also learned about horsemanship. Jen took the time to teach our children directly, and it genuinely changed the way they see and understand horses — a truly invaluable experience. On the DIY side, we worked on reinforcing the kitchen garden beds, building and painting fences, and assembling a chicken coop. Whenever we were unsure, Jen and ChiLye explained things patiently and clearly, which allowed us to work with confidence — and when each project was finished, the sense of accomplishment was real. What made this stay truly special, above all, was the bond that formed between the children. They clicked immediately, and watching them laugh and play together every day was something we will cherish as parents. They baked bread and scones together, ran around and played, and spent hours on card games — there are simply too many memories to list. Among them, the moments where the host's daughter shared her knowledge of horses with our children and learned alongside them were particularly meaningful. This is a place where not only adults, but children too, can learn and grow. The hosts speak directly to the kids, sharing knowledge and experiences in a way that makes a family stay genuinely enriching. For our family, this stay was a warm and learning-filled farm life — in the truest sense of the phrase. We would wholeheartedly recommend Jen and ChiLye to anyone who wants to learn something new, experience farm living, or simply be part of a warm and generous community. We already think of them as family, and we are very much looking forward to the day we can see them again.

I really enjoyed my time at Pikirangi a lot!! The beautiful, peacefull surroundings, the diverse jobs and the generosity of Mark and Maz with their delicious fresh, homegrown fruit and vegetables!! It was also an amazing place to meet new people and built a small little community :) This place will keep a really special place in my memory.

It was great to have Jenny on site with her knowledge of permaculture etc and we learnt a lot about it for future reference esp related to hugel kulture and the use of biochar. We were needing someone willing to do the hard yards that comes with garden work and at times Jennys level of expertise with her niche focus got in the way. In saying this, Jenny worked really hard in the vegie garden which we re-vamped and planted. Following a hugely impactful storm, with her specialised knowledge of climate resilience and watershed restoration and management we were able to write a detailed letter to local authorities requesting their action. Her input was invaluable. Whilst she was with us, there were several days of rain, one was used to write this letter, another to work on a document identifying future proofing the property aginst climate change impact. Jenny was a decent cook and company, with a musical leaning we shared a night of song which was good for the soul.

What a pleasure it was to have Luke stay at my place. He is a wonderful person i highly recommend as a workawayer..he is smart talented and kind and LOVED MY DOGS..SO MY DOGS LOVED HIM!! He helped out at a crucial moment with my house in transition and has great skills and heaps of caring and a unique world view that i enjoyed gettimg to know..Wonderful person all around..always welcome back!

We stayed for a week (far too short, but we didn’t have more time) and we absolutely loved it. First of all, the staff is very friendly, thank you to Ronaldo and Beto for the warm welcome. We also made some good connections with other guests; the place makes it easy to socialize. As for the work, everything was clear thanks to Jaja’s explanations (despite our “Portugnol” Portuguese). Our tasks involved exterior painting and varnishing, and seeing the before and after was cool. There’s always something to do. This is the most beautiful pousada we’ve stayed at during our two-month trip in Brazil. It’s well-designed, stunning, and lush with greenery. We were lucky enough to have a large bungalow to ourselves for the whole week. The location is ideal: you can walk to Lençois Maranhenses National Park after work, and there are also options for excursions on your days off. Thank you so much to Luiza and the whole team we wish we could have stayed longer!

Jana & Elias were a lovely couple, and we had the pleasure of hosting them at Titoki Vineyards. They were enthusiastic and willing helpers, taking on every task we gave them, including plucking, thinning, and harvesting grapes. Jana was incredibly organised, and our days ran more smoothly thanks to her efforts. It was a real joy to have her help with cooking for our big harvest day. Elias brought great care & enthusiasm to everything he did, and we were impressed by how much we were all able to achieve together in just nine days. We experienced a beautiful German meal, which we thoroughly enjoyed & also were introduced to savoury pancakes! Elias is a talented photographer, which was a wonderful bonus during their stay.We truly enjoyed hosting them both and would happily recommend them to any future hosts.