​This is the minuvida dinner, a weekly performance at the quinta, and yes, I'm, perhaps, not a social buterfly. At least not until I know someone fairly well... which doesn't bode quite so well in a industry of quick friendships and frozen smiles. I hope the food makes up for it.

The dinner started as a food lab experiement back in the U.S. We invited friends and family to test some ideas as we planned to move to the Azores and start a business in hospitality. We wanted travelers to come to love the Azores through the food, not just all the beautiful scenery, hot springs, whale watching, yada, yada, yada. We wanted them to connect somehow. The dinner is now a standard offering in the minuvida experience package.
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​The dinner presents a journey through Azorean flavors, reinterpreted.

Since I lived a good chunk of my life outside the islands, I experienced food in many new ways, in many new shapes, from many origins -- from gourmet experiences to ethnic bodegas, or at home with friends from far corners of the world. Had I stayed living in the insular world of the remote Azores in the 90's and 2000's, I would have never obtained that kind of exposure.

The minuvida dinner is an Azorean food journey tainted by the rest of the world. The Portuguese have been doing it for centuries, blending cultures and foods. It's also a challenge of using mostly local and in-season ingredients to pull off a five-course dinner (And yes, you should try this at home.) Or it is a sensory experience of taking a moment to savor food without the distraction of chit chat.

I hope that speaks loudly enough.

Photos by Darlene DeVita,
​www.darlenedevitastudio.com

Post by João

THE LOQUAT TREE is swollen with orange fruit. I scan the top for the ripest drupes. Just a few days ago we picked about 20 pounds, made a ridiculous amount of jam and jarred it using an assortment of reused vessels of different shapes and sizes. Today I'm just trying to present a nice collection of loquats for the arriving yoga group. They probably never saw the fruit before.

I've done this several times this year. Each group is greeted with the flavor of the month from our orchard. MINUVIDA has become a specialist with groups. We provide the space for small gatherings up to 14, organize the week, which includes a hike and a farewell tasting menu dinner cooked by us, as well as yoga classes, meditation, and even a chance to pick fruit, touch the soil and feel connection.

Each Wednesday we take the group on a guided hike through some of the island's volcanic valleys of wander, or waterfall-ladden cliffs, where we learn about the island's unique plant life, its ecology, and enter lengthy discussions on how to keep the Azores like this, crowd free, authentic and sustainable. We walk in medidative silence and then talk about what we saw, tasted, smelled and felt.

Everyone is electric with excitement and wonder.

At the quinta we're working hard on providing the freshest local products during our breakfast. Staff are busy planning every detail so the show runs smoothly. After almost 30 groups we should be able to pull this off. It always feels like the first time.

And it's already Friday! Minuvida Dinner day. This time I'm scouring local fish markets for the freshest fish or shopping our backyard for vegetables. I'm developing the menu around what is available and in-season, often focusing on just a couple of key ingredients to create a dinner theme. The food is to be Azorean-inspired but not traditional. I feel the pressure, get edgy. Once in the kitchen everything comes together. 

Dinner is over. We can now breathe.

Starting in November, MINUVIDA is opening its doors to groups beyond yoga-focused retreats. If you can organize a group of your friends and family and want to stay here for a week, partaking in these and other experiences, let us know. We'll organize every detail of your week and develp a plan that works for all. 

We are seeking travelers, not tourists, who want an immersive experience, to connect to the place and themselves. The Azores are the perfect place. You find more details in our groups page.

See you soon at MINUVIDA!

Post by João

The word is out. The Azores are under pressure to ensure they remain a sustainable destination.  This Condé Nast Traveler article titled "How the Azores Will Hold Off Crowds and Stay a Natural Wonder" tackles the subject. But the title wouldn't be complete without the addendum "We Hope".

Well, so do we.

We are not waiting around for sustainability to become a reality here. As the article points out, the volume of summer crowds are already disconcerting to some, including us. The government has capped the number of hotel beds on the islands to 20,000 (we're already passed halfway) – hence the mad rush in hotel building. Yet, they come. And nobody will turn them away. Who's going to "say no" to economic growth; a cash cow of potential orange golden era proportions? Let the past be our counsel.

​MINUVIDA AZORES isn't primarily driven by the profit motive. We have a strong vision and are ever tweaking our mission to bring to the Azores the kind of person who wants to Discover and Feel the islands, not the "beach to cocktail" crowd the article mentions. While the crowds may be blessed with sunny weather and yes, a beach with beautiful sunsets and warm water when they descend on the islands courtesy of more direct flights from June to September, ultimately those are not the ideal visitors. They're part of a fad of sorts in the age of Instagram. We don't want the Azores to be a fad.

Post by João

​I never thought I'd be growing potatoes. Too humble a starch that can feed crowds or lead to famines. Everybody is growing it.

One day we started growing potatoes. The ninth square of quinta minuvida's orchard had been cleared of construction debris and piled up tree branches, hydrangea roots and the like. We HAD to plant something in the now fertile soil. Yes, I had the random collection of tropical mangoes, passionfruit vines and Suriname cherries on the ground among the old growth oranges and lemons, but we had room for more.

So, the minuvida organic farm keeps growing. The humble square is now a thriving vegetable garden with its first crop of potatoes, zucchini as big as an arm, heirloom tomatoes, chilies galore, onions, peas, beans, watermelon and cantaloupe (I hope I didn't forget anything). They are all being featured during our breakfasts and special weekly dinners.

As minuvida settles into its second year of operation, we are evermore focused on providing you with a different type of travel experience. We want to be orchard to table, sustainable and conscious. You can pick your veggies and learn how to cook them. You can meditate among the corn (oh, yeah, I forgot that one). You can come back after a day of exploring to a welcoming, nurturing abode in harmony with nature.

We invite to be explorers, to Discover and Feel, right? Gone are the days of luxury, amenity focused travel and lodging (at least for us). So we want to pamper you with fresh local breakfasts with the stuff growing out there, instead of the same old Continental breakfast. We want to you immerse and live in harmony with nature -- and yes that means that you WILL feel nature. We spend too much time avoiding it sometimes. Everything is too convenient and at the distance of a switch or an app. Feel cold?; flip that switch. Feel hungry?; order online. I'll say no more.

We invite you to walk our gardens, even try your hand at gardening. We invite you to enjoy your vacation in the non-conventional ways. Meanwhile, I'll be thinking of new things I can do with those crates of potatoes for when you arrive.

Assemble in a small circle. Gather amidst the moistness of Azorean moss, cryptomeria bark, tree ferns and everything there is.

Some furrowed brows follow the soft-voiced request. ​A canary chirps. In the stillness of the volcano, the faint scent of its vapors in the air.

We're on a hike and that faint sulfur smell reminds us of the reward, a meal cooked by the earth itself. So, let's get on with it. On to the meal! But the calming voice insists. Gather in a circle. Place your left hand on your heart; your right hand on your belly. Feel your breath. Slowly. Feel.

The green perhaps looks greener. Perhaps I can smell the cozido meal from here. I can hear birds I hadn't before. The moistness of the air and the smell of the land and its salt feels amazing and fresh.

One by one, the hikers relent. Stopping here, stopping the talking, turning inside for a few moments, makes them realize something they hadn't noticed before. They were now feeling. Feeling the Azores. Feeling the volcano. Simply feeling.

Similar experiences occur at the dinner table or by the campfire. They breathe and feel. For us it may be another day in the office; for these travelers it's now become part of their experience.

Each week MINUVIDA AZORES leads travelers on hikes, through meditation, yoga and even teaches them to enjoy the local flavors.  We are, hopefully, fulfilling our vision and helping guests Discover and Feel the Azores.

Staying at minuvida orchard lodge can be friendly travel advice, wholesome, local breakfasts, or simply a comfortable bed. But it can be much more. To find out more about our signature minuvida experience packages, start here

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MINUVIDA AZORES offers thoughtful accommodation and curated experiences to guests who choose to sign up for a five-night package.

Experiences include a guided hike focusing on the island's ecology, as well as chances for mindfulness and Azorean volcano stew picnics, a creative Azorean five course dinner and access to yoga classes. Experiences are led by the hosts Rimi and João and their team members.

The minuvida experience allows  participants to be travelers and not tourists and to truly Discover and Feel the Azores.

Ask any Azorean their favorite food and they are likely to reply, "Chicharros!" These are fried horse mackerel, best eaten whole, and yes even the heads! Ask for these with molho de vilão (villain sauce) along with a bottle of Quinta da Jardinete, a beautiful Azorean red wine, made locally in São Miguel less than 10 minutes from us and where we lead small group tours and tastings.

After your afternoon hike with us in Sete Cidades head to Restaurant o Silva, where you can always find fresh cracas, or giant barnacles. Boiled in their shells, enjoying these reminds us of eating oysters in Boston. But here you have more fun digging them out of their chalk homes with your hook :-) The true and exquisite taste of the sea!

The bounty of the sea and the gifts of the land, enhanced by freshness, make for a rich and varied local cuisine – not to mention the endless variety of fruit and decadent sweets. 

For your entrée you should always order the whole grilled fish (just ask what’s fresh). One of our favorite places to enjoy grilled fish is Tuká Tulá, a casual beach-side restaurant where you can enjoy your meal on Santa Bárbara beach. Our favorites are boca negra (blue mouth rockfish), dourada (seabream), and veja (parrotfish).

Of course if you prefer meat you can opt for the local bifana, a marinated pork cutlet. Or enjoy a steak, traditionally served with a fried egg on top.

Don’t pass up dessert. Enjoy some house made queijada de feijão, or bean custard pastries. These are an ideal complement to your post-meal espresso -- so relax, enjoy, and savor the Azorean lifestyle!