Our Story
After living together in Amsterdam for more than a decade, Dennis (from Amsterdam) and Dara (from Los Angeles) knew we had outgrown city life, which felt increasingly anonymous, crowded, and exhausting. We wanted to live closer to nature, but where…and how?
We first started exploring by volunteering at off-grid projects around Portugal in 2019. We also visited villages, cities and the rough, magnificent southwestern coast, but always circled back to central Portugal because we felt called there. The area is largely undiscovered by tourists, with half-empty villages, plentiful rivers, mountains, small-scale, independent Portuguese farmers, and a growing expat community devoted to reforesting and what we consider conscious living.
Our hearts quickly decided for us. So, we parked our camper and started looking for land in 2021. We viewed dozens of houses over a 6-month period and almost bought one—luckily, it fell through, forcing us to keep looking. When we visited Vale da Luz, it was with no expectations. The land was abandoned and overgrown, some surrounding hills were black from fire, but there was this magical
mountain stream running through it, contained by impressive walls, and that’s what sold us—the water and all the life it brought with it.
So we bought it a week later and began planting the garden of our dreams, intending for it to bear fruit. We hope this garden will become a retreat centre and community for people who want to work, live and laugh together. We are committed to the adventure—this is more of a lifestyle than simply remodelling a house—and invite you to visit or learn more!
Vision
Our goal is to create a retreat centre for visitors, guests, volunteers, and workshop hosts by offering accommodation, meals, access to nature, uplifting conversations, and always the chance to connect to yourself and those around you. We don’t use the word “connection” loosely. It’s been said thousands of times before, but in this digital age of efficiency, speed, distraction, overconsumption, lack of eye contact, and (a)social media, most humans are disconnected.
We felt this increasingly in the city, this way of perpetually living in our heads chasing diversions, which is why we wanted to get back to our roots and get real.
In the future (roughly 3-5 years from now), our land will be ideal for holding workshops (writing, art, singing/voice activation, etc), groups, ceremonies, or community. We welcome both temporary and permanent residents who are interested in building a conscious and sustainable life outside cities. But it's already perfect for just hanging out under big skies, relaxing and recharging, exhaling and emptying your mind.
Here, we are geared towards sustainability—we use and reuse everything wisely, just as nature does. We value being in nature—which helps you ground, so you can hear yourself think (you’re the guru), and connect. We also believe in taking action—meaning don’t wait for things to happen, life happens now!
Some key words for us:
Be. Be passionate. Be patient. Build. Persevere.
