Post by João

You never see it coming. It's been true throughout history. Think Roman empire.

But Hemingway once wrote, and I paraphrase, "Rather be ready than lucky."

So, as the bottom fell from under our feet and MINUVIDA AZORES operations came to a halt, with five spring yoga retreats cancelled, I'm happy to report that we are fine.

Mainly because we were ready.

Over the last three years, we grew our business using a measured, sustainable approach, and that includes business finances. We saved when we could have splurged. We kept our aging econobox yet another year when we could have bought a shiny new one. We invested wisely in enhancements to the business, not luxury "I have to get that to keep up with the Joneses" outlays. We focused on the things that matter first.

Then shit hit the fan. Then all the phases of mourning. And now we are moving on and planning for the future. 

We are enjoying our orchards, eating tasty, fresh food and spending time with our animals, and even stepping out into nature, with ample social distancing (no one's around)!

As a small business with three full-time employees, we have been forced to institute a layoff. But thanks to government emergency aid, we will able to pay their salaries and have them back when a new version of normalcy returns. 

The thing is that "our way of life" before Coronavirus may not be worth it.

Consider this:

We are a problem to our planet (really, ultimately to ourselves, as the planet will recover and go on after we exit the scene). Every pandemic is a picture of humanity at a given time, I read recently. Our global economy, our consumerist mindset, with the "i" first is taking its toll.

As we have come to a halt, carbon emissions have dropped drastically – fewer factories, fewer cars, no planes, less coal production and so on. The virus is doing something world leaders couldn't. The waters in Venice are now transparent and the fish are returning. All over the world signs are emerging that while we are struggling the Earth's ecosystems are celebrating.

As members of the travel industry, we have a responsibility to think about the future differently:

• The huge carbon footprint left by air travel on a whim.
• The huge waste created by the hospitality industry to meet our ever-increasing thirst for amenities, newness and luxury.
• The urge to create new things out of thin air to attract more visitors, sell more useless stuff, and indulge the wildest fantasies.

​Are you still with me?

I propose that after this is over – and it will, I am sure – we focus on making travel a journey of discovery. Maybe then our lives will become more balanced, and those urges for extreme experiences and behaviors will subside.

• Let's rethink our priorities. Do we really need all the things we think we need.
• Let's not isolate ourselves with the noise of distraction and resume meaningful social contact when we actually can. Get to know your neighbors for real this time. A healthy community is a healthy society.
• Let's be generous. It's great to be rakin' in the dough, but are we aware those resources could be used better than and livin' the life?
• Let's engage in more healthy, balanced lifestyles. Do we REALLY have to work 60 hours a week to get that promotion, to climb the corporate ladder, so we can rake in the dough and live the life?
• Let's become more resourceful, self-reliant and self-sufficient. After all, if you become all of the above, you are likely to be healthier and more likely to survive the apocalypse.
• Let's travel with purpose. (Given our line of business, I had to insert this one here.) Go travel to beautiful destinations to get away from it all, but let it be a journey of discovery, not a journey of debauchery.

If you come to us, you will find me indulging in cooking a meal, getting drunk on plants, cliffs and waterfalls, finding luxury in afternoon naps on grassy surfaces and livin' the life, MINUVIDA style.

Join us on a journey of discovery when times allow.

See you then!
​

Post by João

Sustainable tourism and responsible travel are the buzzwords in the travel industry for 2019. We're staying above, and ahead of the hype at MINUVIDA.

Not bragging. 

We've made sustainable and conscious (responsible) travel the core principles of our business since 2017. The concept is now more relevant than ever as the Azores have attained the coveted title of "sustainable destination." The only sustainable archipelago in the whole wide world!

"The Azores has achieved EarthCheck Bronze Benchmark, with a goal of becoming a world-leading sustainable destination," the official announcement from EarthCheck reads. EarthCheck is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, so this is a big deal. 

MINUVIDA AZORES rejoices with the Azorean government and its "Green Team" for the great accomplishment. We are an official underwriter of the Azorean Sustainability Charter, the document that sets forth the types of initiatives that led to this award.

MINUVIDA has recently been highlighted by Holiday Kingdom, (partner to ParkHero) as THE sustainable lodge to stay on the island, for example.

Awards and recognition are nice and all but the real proof is in what's happening on the ground. It's not just a shiny plaque or marketing speak.

At MINUNIDA AZORES we've made it our mission to promote responsible, sustainable travel. You're probably tired of hearing about how we serve only local and in-season products, encourage short showers, lights off, drinking from the faucet, etc., etc. 

Post by Rimi

Typical day in the life of mindful business leader: Get a full 8 hours of sleep a night. Harvest ripe fruit from the trees and pick greens from the earth. Eat three wholesome meals a day (none of which are in front of a screen or in a to go container). Meditate and/ journal and practice yoga once a day. Spend more time outside in nature than inside. Live your soul’s purpose.

Does that sound like any of the successful business owners you know? Well it’s MY life.

What if I told you I’m making 1/10th of what I made in my high flying corporate job five years ago? 

I’m grateful for my past life as a corporate exec. It enabled me to save and invest so I could live my soul’s purpose and run a lodge and retreat center in the Azores islands. Many of us spend our entire lives saving up for retirement, or maybe we have plans to do something big. 

But somehow we forget what we’re striving for. We simply strive for more, bigger, better. But how much is enough? 

Do you feel successful? What is your definition of success?

I now understand there are many definitions of success and mine is not just about profit margin and growth. ​

​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.
​
​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.