El lugar era idílico, en mitad de la montaña y posibilidades de caminar hacia picos. La comida y el desayuno deliciosas, Marta fue un encanto

Es verdad que las instalaciones estaban muy justas, pero es parte del encanto.

Contact avec la gestionnaire très agréable et disponible. Madame Maria qui nous a accueilli et préparé les repas, très gentille, malgré la barrière de la langue, et c’était très bon. Connexion wifi au top.

Manque un ou 2 petits transats pour l’après rando.

We arrived early in Ribeira Grande, which gave us time to do some shopping, go to the bank and meet the lady who is in charge and who gave us the necessary information. Then we took the communal bus (100 CVE pp) to the village at the end of the road, Pinhão. It is possible to walk there from Ribeira Grande, but my advice is: don't. From Pinhão we walked to Monte Joana: over rocky mountain paths only suitable for hikers, goats and donkeys. I carried my backpack, my daughter had a trolley... it would have been hell to carry that but fortunately the lady in charge had arranged for a guide who carried the trolley for us. On his head. With this helpful guide and with daylight the walk was exhausting but doable. And breathtakingly beautiful. Thus we arrived at the Pousada, after a 75min. walk. The Pousada is little more than a barn with six beds. Separate areas (two lofts and the ground floor), so there is some privacy, but not much since there are no separate rooms. There is a private bathroom with a toilet, a sink and a kettle for hot water (in the future there might be a hot shower). There is electricity but no tv, no wifi, no internet connection at all (but walk 20min. up a neighbouring hill and you will have internet reception there). So, is it comfy? No. It's basic, Spartan even. But it's wonderful if you can do without luxury for a couple of days. It's charming, it's unique and clean and it gives an idea of how rural live on this island is and has been for centuries. Also there is a kitchen available, with a stove and a fridge and some basic stuff as salt and sugar. You can cook your own meals, if you bring groceries with you (there is a shop next door where you can buy bottled water and some basic stuff, but supply is very limited). We had the housekeeper Mrs. Maria José cook for us and that was a much better choice. For a mere 800 CVE per person she made a huge dinner.

January can be cold. We were two, so we could use all six (thin) blankets, three each. Even then the nights were cold. If you visit outside the summer months, bring as much stuff as you can to keep you warm at night.

A stretto contatto con la natura

Servizi igienici scadenti , mancanza di acqua calda. Preparazione delle vivande con totale assenza regole igienico sanitarie .