Algarve holiday accommodation
How Algarve holiday accommodation makes a difference
Environment
The south-west of Portugal has the most sun hours in Europe and facilitates many outdoor activities - stimulating peoples’ contact with nature and awareness of its value. At this moment we have an organic vegetable garden, several fruit gardens and a diversity of flowering plants to attract bees and butterflies all year round. We use renewable energy sources for hot water, cooking and central heating. A solar tracking system produces electricity, rainwater is collected, we recycle authentic building materials of architectural value, and, whenever possible, we use natural materials in the developing processes. We use ecologically friendly cleaning products and recycle waste materials in order to create the lowest environmental impact possible. Recently, we started a tree sponsoring project, in which people are invited to plant a tree on the land and thus contribute to the creation of a food forest.
Community
The Quinta is a 10 minutes drive from Lagos (population 31.000 in winter), whose main industry is tourism and services. There are many foreign residents that are drawn to this area and a growing population of multilingual, travelled young people from all over Portugal. In the current economic and social climate many people are developing positive initiatives to see what ‘we’ can do to make this world a little brighter. We are continuously searching for possibilities to collaborate with local initiatives or to initiate them. We provide our guests with information on where to eat, where to shop and where to go. In this information we promote local establishments, (organic) markets, small-scale organizations and local cultural events.
Once the west wing is finished, we will offer (off-season) the possibility for artists-in-residence and there will be a unique space for workshops (with focus on art, sustainable living and personal growth) and small scale cultural events.
Part of the income from tourism and what remains from the activities after maintenance and energy expenses will be reserved for social projects like the integration of organic vegetable plots for retired people or people that live on social benefits, organizing activities with children. Where possible we will combine activities (for example: children in the vegetable plots to learn from people about (organic) gardening, music and theatre during a meal for older people).
As a Wwoof host (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) we receive volunteers from all over the world who help us maintain and develop the Quinta in exchange for board and lodging.
Algarve holiday accommodation
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