The house, rooms and facilities at Relaxscape
Experience rural living in a peaceful village in Central Portugal
Relaxscape, my home, is an old olive farm with more than 100 trees on and surrounding the property, in the small, quiet village of Cardal on the edge of the river Zêzere, close to Ferreira do Zêzere and the Castelo do Bode swimming and boating lake. The property has been restored to be as eco-friendly as possible, while still keeping a focus on style and comfort, and everything I do here is based around sustainable practices and respect for nature.
Each individual bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom, with private toilet, some with bath as well as a shower, and some just with a shower. There are three good-sized single rooms, two with showers and one with a big bathtub as well, and three rooms with double beds, one with just a shower and two of which have also have deep soak baths with spectacular views over the olive grove, cork trees and forests. There are mosquito/fly screens and fans in all the rooms.
Downstairs, there is a big shared kitchen, eating and sitting area, leading out to the sun terrace with comfy sofas and sun loungers, and an outside kitchen area for barbecue or churrasqueira as it’s known in Portugal. There is also a communal indoor studio and outdoor deck for meditation/yoga/tai chi/mindful movement (with yoga mats).
There is one café in the village, a short walk away, a small supermarket 3km away and a friendly bread man drives through the village every morning. The house is 7km from the small but well-equipped town of Ferreira do Zêzere which has cafés, restaurants, shops, several supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, a petrol station and a fresh food market every Monday morning. 17km away is the larger city of Tomar, with its charming medieval cobbled streets and Knights Templar history.
Living sustainably and respecting nature
My philosophy is to enjoy the abundance in every day, while living creatively and simply, and to share with others how it’s possible to live in harmony and respect with Nature and the environment.
All the restoration work on the house was carried out with sustainability in mind. I re-used materials from the house where I could, and otherwise found recycled alternatives or natural, eco-friendly resources wherever possible. So if some things look a little used round here, it’s because they are! My mantra is reuse, recycle, repurpose. I don’t believe in buying new and contributing to the growing waste and landfill problem unless it’s really necessary. And when it is, then wherever possible I choose environmentally friendly and socially conscious products and do my best to support local and small enterprises. I also try not to consume so much in the first place! My first question always is: “do I really need this?”
It’s possible to do this and still live in comfort, as I hope you will realise from your time here.
As it’s a house share, you are responsible for providing your own washing, room cleaning and toiletries, but I ask everyone who stays to stick to the same mindful behaviour while they are here. There is a basket full of various half-used toiletries, shampoos, moisturisers, etc, that people leave behind and that are available for anyone to use during their stay. Recycling waste gets separated and every village has several bin stations so it’s nice and easy. Water is heated with solar panels (and wood fire boiler in winter). Electricity is from the grid, but it’s wind and solar power. Cleaning products are eco-friendly made from natural ingredients that don’t damage the environment.
It goes without saying that the olives and fruit and any vegetables I grow on the land are completely organic too, and I leave the seasonal mandatory grass-cutting as last-minute as possible so that the bees and insects and butterflies (and us!) can enjoy the wildflowers for longer.
Enjoy some music, art, crafts, mindfulness, yoga, massage, meditation, forest bathing while you are here
If you would like to take part in some creative activities during your time here, or if you are after a mindfulness or wellbeing experience, yoga, massages, or other alternative therapies, I can make some suggestions and put you in touch with people in the local area.
Check out the Local Area page for some suggestions of places to visit and things to do in this beautiful region of Tomar, Santarém and Ferreira do Zêzere.