Thomas, Sabina, Carolina & Luna

We are Thomas, Sabina and our daughter Carolina – together with our cat Luna we took the leap and now live on Madeira. What began as a dream is now our everyday life: family, craftsmanship and an island we get to know a little better every day.

We found our dream in Calheta – an old, typical quinta that we are bringing back to life piece by piece. We renovate everything ourselves: from the electrical work (my actual trade) to the entire structure of the building. Every room now tells a bit of our story.

This site grew out of our own experiences – out of the questions we asked ourselves before the move, and out of what we have learned since: about bureaucracy, finding a place to live, school for our daughter, trades on the island and real life away from the glossy travel brochures.

We don’t want to sell you a perfect postcard version of Madeira, but to show you honestly what life here is really like – with everything that comes with it.