Detail on experiences and happenings at quinta minuvida

Foraging for deliciousness in the Azores!

3/15/2017

It's the perfect time for cactus pears. We packed our blow torch and tongs and got on our way.

JOIN US ON A FORAGING HIKE! Our experience package includes a guided hike with your stay. You'll never go hungry on a trail with us;-)

Join us!

We love cactus pears. They are bright red, juicy, and ready to be enjoyed in teas, salads, liqueurs and more. But try your bare hand at these and you'll be picking hair-like thorns out of your fingers and mouth for days.

So we came prepared. We packed our blow-torch, tongs, and set off for a gorgeous north shore hike around Capelas, part of the Vigia de São Pedro trail. This easy and relatively flat trail offers sweeping views of the north coast of the island, along with some great Azorean endemic plants, like Pau Branco. Not to mention it's a great spot for picking our Azorean cactus pears. Check out the video for how to harvest and use them!

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A hike in the Azores

2/23/2017

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A hiking holiday in the Azores rewards with postcard vistas of mountains and sea, lush, almost Jurassic forests.

THE FEBRUARY CHILL of the Azores mountains vanished as we started ascending the rim of the dormant Furnas volcano. Sweat drained out of our pores. We could feel our own breath, hear our hearts beat. We slowed down. The silence of the walk gave to meditation amidst the lush foliage of the subtropical cloud forest.

A hiking holiday in the Azores rewards with postcard vistas of mountains and sea, lush, almost Jurassic forests full of ferns and mosses, and the omnipresent feeling that you really are somewhere special. Exploring the Azores islands through hiking is easy. São Miguel, the main island, is criss-crossed with hiking trails offering paths to secret beaches, waterfalls and mountaintops.

In the Furnas area, hiking trails lead to a well-deserved soak in volcanic thermal waters. In Maia, it can mean a soak in the ocean mid-hike and at Salto do Cabrito you can jump into a deep pond at the bottom of a picturesque waterfall.

WHEN TO GO The best times to hit the trails is in the off-season, between October and May. December and January may be a bit rainy / muddy. February to May are amazing, as are October and generally November. Keep in mind weather in the Azores is so dynamic and you're coming here for the nature, not the weather. More on that on our earlier post: "Top Three Questions on the Azores".

WHERE TO HIKE There are official trails listed on Trails Azores which has great trail info and maintains the trails regularly. Each conselho (municipality) has it's own municipal trail, which we often lead hikes on to avoid the beaten path in busier times.

WHAT TO KNOW Trails are as dynamic as the island, some over mountains and volcanic crater rims, some through old irrigation and hydropower routes. You can't just do one. Many of the trails are full of edible and exotic plants. Some are native or endemic but there are also many invasive species with our lush climate.

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Feel the Azores with minuvida

5/14/2016

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We are thrilled to announce that we are now offering our signature experiences a la carte! While construction is going on at the quinta, we've secured all the licensing and even got a badass offroad vehicle to accept guests for our unique experiences! We help guests to Feel the Azores through hiking, food, and yoga!

Authentic experiences in the Azores

We help our guests feel the Azores. We provide context, immersion and insight. We limit our experiences to small groups (no more than 6 guests), and focus on what we know and do best: hiking, food and yoga. More on our experiences here

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Our signature experience: the volcano cozido hike

Our cozido hike allows you to really feel the volcano and connect with nature. We start an easy hike that can be tailored to individual ability and ends at the volcanic vent where we pull out the pot of local meats and veggies that have been slow cooking in their juices for almost 6 hours. We then enjoy an outdoor gourmet picnic meal while enjoying the flavors of the volcano!

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A minuvida welcome

12/23/2015

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Our new focus will be on the daily goings on at quinta minuvida orchard lodge.

We have chronicled the evolution of minuvida over the past three years in our Wordpress blog This is where the minuvida blog will now live. Our new focus will be on the daily goings on at quinta minuvida orchard lodge, starting with updates on our exciting construction project, which will transform our already beautiful villa into a fully fledged experience travel lodge. Over the last few months we've be busy testing our offerings during a trial season. We've had over 100 guests, led hikes, hosted yoga retreats, hosted dinners and learned the ins-and-outs of running a lodging facility and leading experiences. You can follow our progress in our Wordpress blog You will receive notices of our new blog posts regularly. If you haven't registered yet to receive our newsletter, you can do so here Thank you and we'll see you in the Azores soon!

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Foraging for deliciousness in the Azores!

A hike in the Azores

Download our hiking guide

Feel the Azores with minuvida

Authentic experiences in the Azores

Our signature experience: the volcano cozido hike

A minuvida welcome

Archives

Categories

﻿Foraging for deliciousness in the Azores!

A hike in the Azores

Download our hiking guide

Feel the Azores with minuvida

﻿​﻿Authentic experiences in the Azores

Our signature experience: the volcano cozido hike

A minuvida welcome

Archives

Categories

Foraging for deliciousness in the Azores!

Authentic experiences in the Azores