MINUVIDA AZORES
  • lodge
    • suites
  • quinta
  • groups
  • grupos
  • blog
  • book

Supporting the guest teacher community

1/12/2021

0 Comments

 
MINUVIDA welcomes several guest teachers and their students each year. We’ve hosted 35 international retreats and had a sold-out 2020 retreat season before the pandemic. 
We missed group hikes, conversations and songs by the firepit, our amazing meals together and the knowledge exchange between participants and teachers from all over the world. ​
As 2020 blurred by we sorely missed our groups, whose retreats were postponed. We missed group hikes, conversations and songs by the firepit, our amazing meals together and the knowledge exchange between participants and teachers from all over the world. We thought, how can we help support this incredible community?
​
So the Highlighting Guest Teacher Community series was born!

We hope you enjoy meeting the leaders who will be hosting upcoming retreats at MINUVIDA and find inspiration for your own practice, journey and maybe future trip here. ​
0 Comments

The brave new world... of travel

5/19/2020

4 Comments

 
Post by João

I explored the makeshift markets of Kolkata and found connection in the suspicious quarters of Rio. I talked serious cross-the-channel politics in London pubs and strayed off the track in Puerto Rico to discover its authentic food.


When traveling in any of these places, I always instinctively social distanced from the crowds and wandered off-the-beaten-path, even in and especially when visiting big tourist traps, to find deeper connection. The slums of Rocinha and Pedra da Gávea, or the Zona Norte in Rio showed me a truer picture of the city than any Copacabana.

The allure of getting up at the crack of dawn, jump on a crowded bus ride, and wait for hours in long lines wasn't enough to convince me to visit the not-to-miss hallowed marbles of the Taj Mahal. Instead, I wandered the neighborhood markets of Kolkata and Old City Delhi, swerving around speeding rickshaws in the narrowest of lanes, despite the nagging that I must visit the Taj and see the new and shiny sections of Delhi.

When the talk got serious, and maybe, I'll admit the drinking of local beer, at a particular London pub, I didn't walk away from an Irishman living in London who filled my ear about the his country's difficult relationship with the good old UK. We virtually closed the door of the early night drinking hole talking about how we're all connected and how we're all the same in the end. Why the wars?

What I'm getting at, and keeping with the message of my previous post, it that this novel coronavirus pandemic is reinforcing what I always believed: Travel should be about discovery and connection. The virus doesn't like crowds, mass confusion, debauchery. Neither do I.
​

MINUVIDA FAMILY EXPERIENCE

Want to travel in a new way with us? Join our MINUVIDA FAMILY EXPERIENCE program for families seeking to reconnect this year in a natural, welcoming and stunning setting.

Contact us for full details.
Picture
"I wandered the neighborhood markets of Kolkata and Old City Delhi, swerving around speeding rickshaws in the narrowest of lanes."
When did travel become a sideshow? When it become the realm of selfie sticks and casual ascents to Everest? Of helicopter drops in remote places from glamping excursions that only leave places dirtier and poorer? When did travel become about getting so wasted that I don't remember which island of the Caribbean I visited or if Bali is even an island?

Maybe the time of jetting around the world endlessly for weekend warrior type vacations on a whim is over. No more crazy Vegas junkets, in-and-out ski trips to Vale, or Paris flyovers to wait hours in line to eat a croissant at that new patisserie. Just imagine the carbon footprint of all of that.

Maybe senseless 10-hour flight business trips for a couple of one-hour meetings in Moscow, and just maybe a peek at the Red Square, are a thing of the past. What's not over is true travel. The type of discovery travel that true explorers, like you, relish.

Maybe instead of five-trips-a-year-to-faraway-places-for-weekend-entertainment-because-work-doesn't-allow-for-longer-trips, we will all start to take one, longer trip a year to places like MINUVIDA. Maybe we will take the to truly connect and discover. Maybe we even take the time to better ourselves.

How about that?
4 Comments

What is going on

4/1/2020

1 Comment

 
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.
Picture
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!
​
Picture
1 Comment

Responsible travel in the age of sustainability

12/12/2019

0 Comments

 
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. 
Responsible Travel Azores
There's more to sustainability and responsible travel than a pretty picture of a wild beach.

But this stuff is important. Every single thing you do has a potential impact.

We want comfort, we want choice, we want convenience, but are we aware of the impacts of our choices?


Back in our little corner we worry about mass tourism taking over. How can we remain authentic and pristine while making tourism a sustainable and viable economic engine?

For us, sustainility is our way, not a business model or marketing strategy. It's about being sustainble in all its facets, including supporting the local economy, paying fair wages, reusing and making things last longer (the traditional hospitality industry replaces every single appliance, piece of furniture, etc., on a schedule so everything always looks brand new). We encourage our visitors to engage in responsible, sustainable travel by providing immersive experiences with context, and yes, by telling them why that matters.

As hard as the Green Team is focusing on obtaining the Silver Certification in October let's focus harder on being truly responsible and sustainable travelers.

So, join us in our little revolution. Let travel be a journey of (self) discovery.
0 Comments

Eat, poop and be happy. The new metrics for success.

12/2/2019

0 Comments

 
Mindful business leader
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. ​
Read my definition of success and tell me what is yours, and check out our current specials to embark on a journey of self discovery!
EMBARK ON YOUR JOURNEY
My definition of success 
  1. Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. There is a plethora of research on this and if you’re not getting enough sleep (and no you’re not one of those people that only needs 5-6 hours) then WAKE UP! 
  2. Eat three wholesome meals a day, none of which are in front of a screen. We need to be relaxed in order to digest and absorb nutrients to fuel our body and mind. If you’re stimulating yourself while eating (looking at your phone, watching TV or driving), you’re unable to properly absorb the food you’re eating. 
  3. Have a good poop at least once a day. Your digestion is the first to go when you’re under chronic stress and stimulation. You need to be relaxed for your body to digest and absorb nutrients, and also function properly to eliminate waste. If you’re not pooping once a day look at where you’re overstressed and overstimulated. It’s not just about what you eat.
  4. Connect daily to my soul. I start each day with some form of “daily connection”. This can be meditation or yoga, singing, bollywood dancing (yep!) or just breathing. How do you know who you are and where you’re called to be if you don’t connect with yourself, and on a regular basis? 
  5. Spend more time doing what I love and want to do vs. what I have to do. Are you in charge of your life or are you constantly reacting to demands placed on you? I choose where I exert my energy and time. You can’t be all things to all people so choose wisely. This has in turn given me more time to focus on my soul’s purpose.
  6. Directly impact the wellbeing of my community. When I’m successful it means our team and partners succeed, which leads to another exponential set of good things happening. Success breeds success, who does your success directly impact? 
  7. Run a profitable business that enables me to do all of the above. And yes we run a profitable business. So, stay tuned for Part II…
0 Comments

Wandering the Azores

11/29/2019

1 Comment

 
​Poem by Leon Kuhn
Inspired during our October retreat

​
My feet are the red soil of this earth.
Toes the roots that seeks nourishment between its layers. 

My legs the trunks that hold me upright, and arms the branches that sway with the seasons.
Fingers, leaves that reach for the sun.
My hips are filled with the ocean, that moves and rips with the tides.
Belly the volcanic warmth, that rise falls and settles with the ages.
My lungs blue lakes reflecting white clouds, the banks green foliage that nurture all creatures besides.
My head a pool of water on a mountain path, with deep shadows and dancing lights.
My throat the waterfall that flows and falls inward, permeating all my cells.
My breath the mist that veils this landscape.
And heart the consciousness that knows the rhythms of all time.
 


Leon Kuhn is a yoga and mindfulness teacher from Stockholm, Sweden, who has been to the Azores and minuvida twice.
Picture
​Being on retreat gives us the unique opportunity to slow down, and reconnect within and with nature. The creativity, inspiration and energy that we feel during and after the retreat reminds us how important is to keep coming back to nature, to keep coming back home to ourselves. 

Our next retreat retreat is coming up over Spring Equinox with Rimi and Maria.
If you can't join that one check out our 
other upcoming retreats this Spring.
1 Comment

Speaking through food

6/20/2019

1 Comment

 
The minuvida dinner is a weekly performance at quinta minuvida orchard lodge.
​
Played by João, who expresses himself through his food, not his social skills.
Picture

Post by João

João is not the most social person, but he expresses himself through his food. Those are the words of my dear wife Rimi, often spoken as I stand stone-faced, sweat dripping from my brow, when we are about to dish out five courses to an expectant, albeit small, audience, cozying up to one another on our banco corrido or wooden bench.
​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.


Picture
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
Picture
The minuvida dinner is an Azorean food journey tainted by the rest of the world.
1 Comment

Minuvida Azores Immersion

4/26/2019

0 Comments

 
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!

Picture
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.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

THE MINDFUL BUSINESS LEADER SERIES

2/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Post by Rimi

Deep down we are all asking the same questions. What is my purpose? Am I on the right path? What is the point to all this? Whether it was during a hike or after a yoga class I’d often find myself diving deeper into conversation with our guests about the meaning and purpose of life.

​Everyone was wondering...


Whether we run a small business, lead a team or make decisions that impact shareholders, we need to evolve as humans first, and then as business leaders. Too often we focus on never ending exponential financial growth and so much of our energy is spent on finding ways to succeed under this myopic lens. Growth for the sake of growth is by definition, cancer.

If we are to go home feeling good about ourselves, making a positive contribution to humanity during our lives, we must evolve as business leaders and take the the time to reflect, observe and grow. Where we put our focus and energy and what outcomes we seek will drive the kind of world we live in and leave behind.

In this series I share the MINUVIDA story, and more importantly relevant learnings for any business leader, whether you’re a founder of a small biz or running a segment of a multi-billion dollar company. At the end of each video I lead a guided meditation to help us connect with ourselves.

​"Where we put our focus and energy and what outcomes we seek will drive the kind of world we live in and leave behind."
​Read more about the trials of starting
​of a business.
 
(from our Beta Testing season!)
​

​I aim to create an international community of mindful business leaders so please watch, share and comment! What do you want to hear about? How do you evolve as a leader? Let me know!

0 Comments

WHERE WE'RE HEADING

11/1/2018

3 Comments

 
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.
Picture
"Be more conscious, waste less, conserve more, reuse and make things last. Appreciate the beauty that is. 
​
Turn inside and turn off the exterior stimulus."
Azores experience travel
Azores experience travel
Who we really welcome (and hope to inspire) are conscious travelers. Traditional tourism tells us travel should be a fantasy. Travel should disconnect us from daily life, we should be pampered, indulged, do, do, do. Maybe we're doing it all wrong. How about if travel allowed you to connect more, to a place and to yourself? To be pampered by clean air, green hills and the deepest blue ocean? To indulge in healthy, local, in season culinary delights? What about if all you had to do was to turn off your devices, take fewer selfies, have shorter "must see, must do" agendas and and really be here?

Doesn't sound like your traditional vacation? It isn't.

​And maybe you will return home with increased awareness, be more conscious, waste less, conserve more, reuse and make things last. Appreciate the beauty that is. Turn inside and turn off the exterior stimulus.


This is where we're heading. This is the type of travel we want to cultivate.
3 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Archives

    December 2022
    June 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All
    Azores
    Experiences
    Food
    Guest Teacher Highlight
    Hiking
    Mindful Business Leader
    Quinta
    Sustainability
    Yoga

Picture
​© 2017-2025 MINUVIDA AZORES, LDA
Quinta Minuvida  (RRAL nº 475)
Minuvida Azores Experiences (
nº 1/2019/RAA​)
Rua de São João, 48, Rabo de Peixe,
9600-095, São Miguel, Açores
​
​​​Reception + Reservations + WhatsApp +351 919 315 194
​[email protected]
​​WELCOME BOOK pdf
​Site photos by minuvida,. Bruno Cabral José Borges + Heidi Lane
Icons by MINUVIDA and by Freepik & Vectors Market from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY ​
Picture
TripAdvisor 2020 Travelers Choice Award
​​​PRIVACY POLICY
LIVRO DE RECLAMAÇÕES
​


  • lodge
    • suites
  • quinta
  • groups
  • grupos
  • blog
  • book