Casa Marisa 2.0

Staying inside a volcanic crater surrounded by black lava rocks is a truly unique experience, places like this where you can actually stay inside a crater are rare worldwide, as most are active or strictly protected national parks. Finding such an extraordinary guesthouse here made it even more special. I spent three nights in a private cottage and spent most of my time chilling out on the rooftop, admiring the breathtaking Milky Way every night (highly recommend stepping away from the lights for the best view). You can really feel the owner's attention to detail throughout the spacious property, it even features a mini skatepark, a climbing wall, and bikes for rent. The owner is an expert climber who uses his knowledge to empower the local community. By training local villagers, he has helped them lead tourists up the volcano in a much more professional, safe, and structured way. He is incredibly friendly, and it was a real pleasure meeting him. Water supply can be a bit unstable at times, but in such a remote location, this is completely understandable. I truly hope to visit again in the future!

The small funco houses with the rooftop hammocks are a delightfully charming accommodation for preparing and recovering from the Fogo climb. There are also regular rooms available, but those are less unique. There is indoor plumbing with hot and cold running water and the electricity stays on all night. The rooms were clean and well maintained. The owner of the place speaks perfect English and can set you up with a guide for the hike and arrange transportation. Breakfast and dinner at the attached restaurant were delicious on both days.

This location is on the periphery of the nearby small villages. The attached restaurant will likely be the only dinner option.

Soggiorno fantastico! Ci siamo trovati benissimo: stanza confortevole, servizi ottimi e pasti (colazione, pranzo e cena) sempre buoni. Un ringraziamento speciale a Mustafa e Marisa, che ci hanno aiutato a organizzare tutto alla perfezione, trovandoci anche la guida Eudes: bravissimo nell'accompagnarci nella salita al Pico do Fogo e nell'escursione al tunnel di lava, condividendo con noi le sue conoscenze del luogo. Grazie all'organizzazione di Mustafa, abbiamo anche potuto partecipare a una degustazione di vino locale, guidata sempre da Eudes. Bellissimo anche il terrazzino del bungalow con vista sul vulcano: un posto perfetto anche solo per rilassarsi, senza per forza fare escursioni. Consigliatissimo!

Un piccolo suggerimento per il futuro: a volte l'acqua in bagno arrivava con poca pressione e non era caldissima, ma solo tiepida. Non un vero problema, dato che le temperature esterne lo permettono comunque, ma sarebbe comunque un valore aggiunto poter contare su un'acqua più calda.

The location and the views are beautiful. The hammocks on the terrace are nice!

The Funcu hat a really strong drainage smell, but when I asked about it, they only gave me a disbelief look and a roomspray. The stinky smell woke me up at night and I had to regularly put water down the drain in order to get a little peace. Only cold water with no pressure because out of the tanks without pumps. The pillows are the most uncomfortable. Couldn’t use them. Not a good sleep. Breakfast: had to settle for cake and yogurt. The bread was old and chewy. One day eggs, no fork to eat them though. Only coffee, not ok for someone can’t drink or like coffee. The fist day was a little juice. The second day not. The guy (perhaps owner) never greeted us, only a look with a sour face; probably because on the first day I didn’t take up on his over priced wine and food and we went to eat somewhere else instead. Very unprofessional. We went to eat out at the other place after that every day!