About Us

(1954) Was the initiator of Monte Rosa in 1993. An old farmhouse with barns and stables was carefully converted into comfortable guest accommodation. With its simple but stylish furnishings and traditional appearance, the guesthouse was classified as “Turismo Rural”. For years, Sandra was a hostess and cooked for thousands of people. Now retired, she has been able to delegate most responsibilities to her team. Growing herbs and gardening remains her hobby. Sandra is looking for a co-owner (or several), who want to share Monte Rosa, as a whole, with her and can take over the management. The aim is to reserve part of Monte Rosa for permanent residence, leaving a smaller, but more delicate guest centre.

(1965) was born in Moldova, but has lived in Portugal for almost 20 years and speaks the language well. As a gardener he takes great care of the land of Monte Rosa. With great attention to detail he takes care of the plants and trees and helps to keep the perma garden in order. But he is also a real ‘handyman’ and, where possible, also does the maintenance jobs on the property. In addition, he is, on request, the grill man at BBQ evenings. In short, Ivan is a ‘multitasker’ and a very helpful, calm and sympathetic colleague.

(1997) Originally from the southeast of Brazil, Vini will spend his second year at Monte Rosa as the chef in our kitchen. With love he prepares delicious and healthy meals based on different food-cultures. Therefore, he uses as much as possible the vegetables and herbs from our own garden. Vini loves to get up early so after cleaning the pool you’ll find him in the kitchen to prepare the breakfasts. In his spare time he likes to do yoga and meditation and he brings his good energy to our garden. He is digitally well -skilled and also helps Monte Rosa with things like website renovation.

(1983) Grew up in the Algarve and is attached to the region and its traditions. After living in India for eight years, she still longed to return to her homeland and has been back for four years. You’ll often find her in the office, answering emails and keeping track of the bookings. She is your hostess. For questions or to check out, you can also contact her. Patricia serves breakfast and sometimes helps with dinner. She is creative and has a good eye for detail. In her spare time, Patrícia designs suitcases. Don’t hesitate to ask her about them!

(1981) Comes from Belgium, where she was a social worker and taught Pilate. Her dream was to live in Portugal one day. When Monte Rosa was looking for someone to take responsibility for organizing our sports activities, she applied and we found the perfect candidate in her. She loves hiking, cycling and surfing and is an experienced hiking guide. She also helps serve breakfasts and answers Dutch-language correspondence. Together with Patricia, she is your hostess and you can contact both of them to arrange excursions or to do your check-out.

(1959) is Portuguese, born in Angola. She has worked in Monte Rosa for 25 years as head of housekeeping and is responsible for keeping the rooms clean and making the beds with fresh sheets. She is also a cook and likes to prepare typical Portuguese recipes such as “Caldo Verde” (green cabbage soup with garlic), “Frango na Pucara” (chicken dish from the oven) “Arroz com Pato” (a kind of risotto with duck and parsley) or “Bacalhau a Gomes de Sá,” the traditional stockfish dish. She loves the countryside, which is why she loves being on Monte Rosa. As Noémia nears retirement, she works only half-days. In that time, she gets a lot done because the volunteers love to help her, for example, hanging the laundry and folding the towels in the closet. In her spare time, she volunteers to help children in Africa.

We regularly welcome volunteers at Monte Rosa who are preferably versatile and able to stay for at least one month. They, for example, help in our perma garden, irrigate the land, help prepare dinners, set the table, do the dishes, clean the pool. And sometimes volunteers perform easy maintanance jobs or help our cleaning staff. If you are interested in working with us on a voluntary basis, please send an email with your CV, a picture of you, the period you are available and a brief description of yourself as well as your motivation to:

info@monterosaportugal.com