No. 5 - five years of living on Santa Maria Island

Newsletter 5 - We are living five years on Santa Maria Island, Azores
Dear friends and guests
After five years of living on Santa Maria Island, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, we take the
time to look back where it all started. At the same time we wish to thank our dear guests for
choosing our place and therefore supporting our dream.
How everything started
Whilst the first time travelling the Azorean Islands in October 1999 we got addicted so that we
decided to visit the not yet explored islands the following year. We admired the calm, sometimes
wild nature as well as the extremely friendly people and the moderate climate conditions where it
is possible to grow exotic plants.
As we didn’t succeed in buying a desired property we put an ad in the local newspaper and luckily
at the same time an old lady wanted to sell her properties exactly in that location where we were
looking for.
On Pentecost 2002, Christian flew to Santa Maria, checked the property and fixed the deal with a
handshake. In the same year, in autumn Franziska could see the property in real. It took another
year till all the paperwork was done and we were proud owner of two pieces of land overlooking
the vast fields of Tremoçal out looking to the sea, not far from the famous beach „Praia Formosa“.
After that action we knew where we would spend our holidays – we had to take care of our
properties and discover all the secrets of Santa Maria Island.
Soon we started to remodel the small apartment and started the first gardening/landscaping
projects.
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In 2006 we added a storage room, two porches and a new roof. And again together with our
mothers we were clearing our “garden”.
The decision
In 2008 we started our big project. In March, Christian took down the old house and prepared
everything for our future home. From June till August he was working and controlling on the
construction site to make sure that it works out well with the structural work. Therefore
everything was clear; we would leave Switzerland in May 2009 and start a new adventure.
We arrived
2009, mid May we flew to Santa Maria. In Lisbon we were supposed to meet two helpers but the
first surprise was – their flight was cancelled without prior notice. It took some effort to organize
a flight for them but at the end they arrived in the same evening on Santa Maria. The next surprise
was expecting us the following morning. Our two overseas containers were stuck in Lisbon due to
a burocratic customs officer with the result that we received them only after another two weeks of
waiting. Meanwhile there arrived two more helpers of whom the material as well was in the
missing two overseas containers. After we got and unloaded them our helpers installed within one
week the solar system, floor heating, pluming, windows and doors and the rainwater collecting
system – working almost day and night – indeed a fantastic effort.
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The rest of the year we were spending with the indoor modelling; laying tiles, assemble the
kitchen, final pluming, finishing the electrical stuff and furnishing the house. Partly we could
count on further help of some friends, workers and a big part we did by ourselves.
Opening of Pensão Francisca
In June 2010 we could host our first guests. Already in the first year we were surprised by the
booking rate. With every further year the booking rate increased. Meanwhile we are well
established, approx. 90% of the bookings we receive through our webpage www.azoreanspirit.com. Thanks to happy customers we are mentioned in diverse travel guides and rated on
online portals like Tripadvisor, further we work with some selected travel agencies. Meanwhile
we can count on several regular customers from Austria, Germany, Switzerland und the U.S. – a
further positive recognition of our work.
To our guests
It is always a great pleasure to host you at our place. Thanks to your visit the world is coming to
us – it is an enrichment to meet new people and exchange ideas. Some enjoy the calm nature,
others wish to spend active holidays – of course we assist you wherever we can. Who wishes can
plant or cut trees, beach combing, collecting slugs/snails, collecting spring water and carry it up
the 100 stairs, service and repair machines/tools, weed, plant and harvest, make a film, dismantle
ruins, construct buildings, do some stone walling, do some wood work – we provide the full
program – volunteers welcome! Following some volunteer guests:
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Activities on Santa Maria Island
Swimming and surfing, beachcombing, snorkelling, diving, rock and deep sea fishing, sailing,
hiking, bird watching, geocaching, canyoning, coasteering, practice Yoga or simply rest in a deck
chair and read a book.
Our Philosophy
For us it is important not to loose the environmental aspect. Even though we enjoy a certain level
of comfort – we try to minimize our ecological footprint. For that reason, in the recent years we
invested a lot in optimizing on water consumption and renewable energies. Our main house is
fitted with a solar system (hot water for use and floor heating), a photovoltaic system (covers our
yearly consumption) and a rain water collecting system (flushing toilets, laundry and garden).
Further we work on the installation of a wind turbine for further independency. With our second
new building we tried to optimize the construction regarding energy efficiency and included
another rain water tank of approx. 18’000 l. In November 2014 we were audited by SGS, and
achieved „Oeko-leader“ gold status awarded by Tripadvisor.
We are self-sufficient in our organic vegetable production and meanwhile improving with fruit
production. The last five years we planted more than 200 fruit trees and fruit bushes. As we do not
spread poisoning pellets to reduce the slug/snail population we got some helpers for clearing our
garden.
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What else we do
If not caring for our guests and taking care of our properties we go rock fishing, ride our electrical
bikes or go for a hike. From mid October till approx. mid November every night we are looking
for irritated young Corey seabirds. These are weighted, measured and ringed and then freed so
that they can continue their travel to the South Atlantic. For a better environment we also help to
clean beaches and plant endemic trees and bushes.
New flight connections
In the future it should be easier and cheaper to travel to the Azores. Starting by the end of March,
Easyjet will fly 4x from the mainland (Lisbon) to São Miguel Island (Ponta Delgada) and Ryanair
from the 1st of April from Lisbon, Porto and London (20 flights/week). Santa Maria Island should
be connected by two flights per week from mainland Portugal. Therefore we expect a small
increase of visitors to Santa Maria Island.
We are looking forward to your visit and are happy to welcome you at our place. Visit our website
http://www.azorean-spirit.com to find out more details about our place and some general
information.
With our kindest regards
Franziska and Christian
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