Algarve romantic B&B in Portugal
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
First of all, the Serra de Monchique is a volcanic mountain range with thermal springs and a special type of rock called Syenite. It contains a high percentage of Feldspar and mining companies are eager to explore these mountains. I started a movement to convince the Portuguese government to refuse licenses for quarries. So far we succeeded but we have to be alert all the time because the whole process is not very transparent. It has been taking a lot of my time but by now we have an organization that functions well.
These quarries threaten people’s health, waterlines and wildlife. We have several kinds of eagles, among which the Bonelli Eagle and the Mangust that have their habitat in the projected areas.
I am also an active member of an organization called “A Nossa Terra” (Our Earth. We focus especially on Monchique and we have several goals. One is to promote Monchique as a place for sustainable tourism. We organize cleaning actions and thematic walks, we support the sale of local products and the use of perm culture this includes reforestation of Eucalyptus areas with original trees like the cork oak.
The insulation of our buildings is done with the traditional thick layers of cork, therefore, they are cool in summer and stay warmer in winter. We have water coming from a well that gives some 40.000 liter per 24 hours. Since this is far too much for us, we share it with neighbors. The pool has water from this well and is of excellent quality.
Community
We share our water with neighbors but we also share seeds and seedlings for the garden.
Our neighbors produce the famous Medronho which is a alcoholic drink distilled from the Arbutus Unedo, also called the ’Strawberry Tree’ because the fruit looks like strawberries. It is quite a strong drink but lots of people like it and the neighbors sell their stock, they will happily show you the Lambique (distillery) where the stuff is brewed.
Next to the medronho, they sell eggs from the chicken that walk around the house and when they have goats the women make fresh cheeses from the milk. The local bakery makes wonderful sweet cornbread with fennel, small rolls with chorizo (local sausages) and traditional breads in a wood oven. Another local business is black pork, these are dark pigs that shuffle freely around in the woods. They are free of chemicals and antibiotics, if you are a meat eater you will absolutely appreciate the taste which you cannot compare with the poor animals that were raised in the bio-industry. These are ways to support local business and it is really necessary because Monchique is a low density population area and the young people go more and more to the towns to look for a job.
We having been offering work for 7 persons during one and a half year, mainly construction and garden work. This was during the phase of building and reconstructing, now that we are open, we will offer direct employment for two people and from time to time one or two extra worker to clean the land and maintain the fruit trees.
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