Coliving in the Azores: Dwell
A home for digital nomads in Fenais da Luz
Charlie’s trip to São Miguel in the Azores has been quite a spontaneous one and instead of her usual in-depth research, she had to book the accommodation that was left. Little did she know that she had just found a real gem. Dwell coliving in the Azores turned out to be the best of all aspects of digital nomad life: a warm community, a beautiful house and co-working and an unclouded view of the waves rolling into the coastline of the Atlantic ocean.
Dwell Coliving in the Azores
Dwell was founded by Charles and Ania in 2019. They bought an old house by the coast in a small village in the North of São Miguel island and through a lot of manual work, love and passion, they turned it into a beautiful coliving over two floors, with a co-working space and not one, but two terraces towards the open ocean. In other parts of the world, this kind of view is only offered by expensive hotels and you often have to share it with hundreds of strangers. At Dwell, all colivers quickly turn into family and you get to enjoy the stunning views over breakfast, dinner or during work breaks together.
Charles and Ania are living in a separate apartment across the street and run the coliving with the help of volunteers. Charlie was welcomed warmly, shown around the space and offered some lunch that they had just cooked. Later that day, they drove to the nearby natural pools in Capelas to go for a swim and stopped at a bigger supermarket. That evening, Charles cooked a Shephard’s Pie out of the vegetables other colivers had left and they all enjoyed dinner together at the terrace under a lovely sunset. Charlie couldn’t have wished for a better welcome or a better way to meet her new housemates.
Life at Dwell coliving
Charlie usually got up early in the morning before all the others and did some Yoga at the balcony upstairs. There are Yoga mats and other equipment available at Dwell for everybody to use. From the balcony, you can hear and see the waves and the ocean. It is the perfect place for a peaceful Yoga session in the mornings. During the summer, it can get hot during the day and the sun is strong in the Azores. The morning was the best time for Yoga or other workouts.
Coffee, cereals and fruits are part of the package at Dwell and the best place to have breakfast is the place with the sea view: the terrace. In case the weather is moody – it is an island after all – there is a large dining table in the kitchen and you also find some sofas in the common areas on both floors.
At some point during the day, somebody usually drives to the gym, the farmers market or to go swimming. If your work schedule allows it, you can join them. Lunch and dinner can be prepared in the fully equipped kitchen and the colivers often cook together and enjoy a drink after work at the terrace. Some nights, you might even see and hear Charles’ guitar or even his saxophone at the terrace. With a projector, there are occasionally movie nights at the terrace or card games. It is a true community feel and of course, you can always get some time for yourself in your room if you’re not up for company.
Coworking at Dwell
There is a spacious coworking area at the upper floor of the house and if you’re up before the others, you might get a spot by the panorama window with a view over the ocean. That’s how work becomes enjoyable!
Dwell also provides separate screens, ergonomic chairs and two phone booths. The Wi-Fi is strong everywhere in the house and some of the colivers like to work from a sofa or hammock too.
The rooms at Dwell coliving
There are five rooms and two lofts for single, double or triple occupancy available at Dwell. Some rooms have an ensuite bathroom, others have shared bathrooms. Charlie had booked one of the lofts that is accessed via a staircase from the coworking space. That was the last available accommodation due to her spontaneous decision to visit the Azores. It is a nice and cozy space, but the next time she would book a room that is separated from the common areas by a little more than just a curtain. It is a good space though and budget-friendly if that’s what you’re after.
The location of Dwell coliving: Fenais da Luz
Dwell coliving is located in the village of Fenais da Luz along the North coast of São Miguel island, not far from São Vicente de Ferreira, Capelas and Rabo de Peixe. The next bigger town is Ribeira Grande which is a 20-minute drive away.
In Fenais da Luz is a small supermarket, a bar and a bakery so you can get the daily essentials. Other than that, it is a traditional Azorian village where you see the men sitting in front of the church stairs or outside the bar at any time of day and the women chatting in groups in front of their houses.
How to get to Fenais da Luz
There is a bus stop in the village which is only a 2-minute walk from the coliving. There is a regular bus going to Ponta Delgada. From the airport, it is better to take a taxi which usually costs €20. Charles and Ania have two cars at the coliving and they regularly offer rides to the supermarket or to go swimming. The volunteers too can use the cars and guests can join them for trips.
Of course, there is also the option to rent a car which is the best way to explore the island of São Miguel.
Days out in the Azores
Fenais da Luz is a small village and there isn’t much to see. There is a coastal path from Dwell in both directions: Towards West you can walk to Capelas where you find the natural swimming pools, to the East you can walk towards Calhetas and you easily reach a hotel by the coast where you could have lunch or a coffee.
Charles and Ania drive daily to the swimming pools and you can always join them with the cars. Charlie and some of the other colivers organized some other trips and they were able to use Ania’s car for that purpose. They went canyoning at Salto do Cabrito and whale watching from Rabo de Peixe. Two other colivers had rented a car and drove to their surf lessons in Ribeira Grande. Charlie and some others were able to join them to the beach and got a surf session in too.
Over the summer, there are lots of parties and festivals happening in São Miguel in the Azores. The colivers went to the white night, PDL White Ocean, in Ponta Delgada together and Charlie joined Ania and Charles for a festival night at the MEO Monte Verde in Ribeira Grande. If you don’t have a rental car, simply speak to the others in the house about the things you’d like to do and you’ll find that others are often interested in the same things and you can go together.
A home for digital nomads
The welcome at Dwell was certainly the warmest Charlie had received at a coliving in years and she immediately became part of the family. She only stayed for 10 days and they were filled with laughter and joy, Yoga and swimming, communal dinners, adventure trips and of course, coworking. 10 days however wasn’t enough and she’s going to miss her housemates and her favourite breakfast spot with the sea view. She’ll have to return and stay a little longer.
