I found an ideal place to escape the quarantine: the weather is fantastic, the prices are lower than in Lithuania

He came for two weeks, but stayed for five months; this year, many can afford that luxury. All Madeira is full of temporary residents. Not only the main towns and cities of the island, but also remote places surrounded by natural beauties.

Separated from Europe and washed by the waves of the Atlantic, the island is an ideal place to live for those who like spring weather. The 23 degree heat that lasts most of the year, when neither too hot nor too cold, is called by many the ideal climate. Bones don’t really break. This is one of the reasons why thousands of wealthy European retirees choose this island for their old age. They moved here from Great Britain, Germany, France, Scandinavia. Sell ​​homes in hometown, buy real estate on the island and spend your well-deserved days off peacefully. Some, who travel more, even call Madeira a “land of the elderly”, apart from so many elderly, nowhere else. But that used to be the case, and this year Madeira is different. The island has seen a large number of young people, not children or teenagers, but people of working age between 25 and 40 who can work remotely. They came here because they felt that this climate works well not only for mood but also for work.

In 2020, when the world realized that not all professions need to sit in offices, that many things, thanks to the Internet, humanity can deal with remotely: the term “vacation” became popular, that is, the combination rest telework, very long distance.

I’ll try to tell you what happened. Thousands of people were looking for places to escape for temporary work, where there were fewer restrictions, better weather, decent prices, and the like. And here the island of Madeira was looking for an outlet to what to do to survive on an island dependent on tourism when there were hardly any vacationers traveling. And so some drew attention to each other. If the action took place on the dating app “Tinder”, what might have happened could be described by the English term “perfect match”, which means a perfect match, just ideal.

Madeira authorities have decided to draw the attention of those who are looking for a place to spend the quarantine that began in the winter. “Come with us, stay here four, five months, stay half a year,” he called. IT professionals, marketers, financiers, advertisers, artists, architects, and a host of other professionals came and stayed on the island.

For example, a person representing a Kaunas-based logistics company smoothes a computer and handles all matters in Madeira, in a village with a breathtaking mountain panorama, or in Klaipeda Shipping Company, a woman who earns good money works directly in a beach cafe on the island of Porto Santo.

You work half a day in front of the computer, the other time to entertain yourself. For trips to the local mountains, swimming in natural lava pools, biking, jogging, playing soccer or tennis. This is how quarantined newcomers live in Madeira. And in the evenings, they invade Portuguese taverns, eat fresh fish, shellfish, and enjoy steaks.

The eternal spring on this island reminds many of a true vacation. Although you can still earn money during “work holidays”.

Vilma Naraškevičienė, a Lithuanian who lives and works in Madeira for many years, says that some cities on the island have greatly accelerated the speed of the Internet by adapting to people who come for “work holidays”. And this advantage began to be publicized out loud so that only as many temporary residents of the island as possible came to them. Vilma also points out that Madeira real estate rental prices have fallen dramatically in the last six months. Until there were ordinary short-term tourists on vacation for a week or ten days – apartments, villas, houses, farms – it was necessary to “employ” in some way. After all, no one will want to rent for a long time at the usual price, so the prices bit.

Madeira could be given the motto: Live like a resort, pay like home!
In the small town of Garajau, you can rent a two-bedroom apartment with a separate dining room, a spacious bathroom, a terrace and a parking space for 600 euros per month. The rental price includes all other taxes. An added bonus is the fantastic mountain view, the panorama is breathtaking.

A 130-square-meter, three-bedroom house for five people with two bathrooms near Porto da Cruz costs € 950 per month. Several like to be rented by a family of friends, share the house in half and also split the price. Leaving 75 places for a couple, for 475 euros.

The most expensive rent is in the capital, Funchal and its surroundings, where a 120 square meter, three-bedroom apartment is available for 1,200 euros if you rent for a month, or 1,000 euros if the rent lasts longer. The apartment rate includes a swimming pool in the courtyard of the apartment building, as well as tennis courts for free use by residents.

These ads can still be found on Madeira real estate rental pages to this day. Of course, the hotter the weather warms, prices will go up, and in the middle of the summer season it will probably go up completely, as tourism on the island picks up, but those who want to work remotely can still take advantage of the drop in prices. Madeira residents, who are really struggling to cope with the effects of a pandemic, are eager to recover, so long-term newcomers are really interested and a priority for them.

Žydrė Gavelienė, president of the Lithuanian National Association of Tourist Businesses, has been living on this island with her family for several months. She confirms that Madeira has a very good Internet connection, which is very important not only for her, but also for the man who works in the field of information technology and the offspring of a woman who learns at a distance. “We even found that the Internet was better here than in mainland Portugal,” Žydrė said. A woman who decided to spend the winter abroad also noticed another pleasant thing related to the price: a normal grocery basket, about the same as what Žydrė bought in Vilnius, which costs about 25 percent less in Madeira. “The quality and choice of products is not inferior to what we have in Lithuania. Although there is an island here, absolutely nothing is missing,” he says. Furthermore, Lithuanians liked the service offered by local farmers: they were you can ask them for a basket of gardening products, which are delivered directly to their homes. Each time they bring what was dead at that time. “Madeira is a very good place in this sense, here everything grows constantly, not only vegetables, but also exotic fruits, very tasty ”, he says.

Lithuanians who have temporarily settled on the Portuguese island are also happy with the cheaper services of housekeepers. A visit here costs between 15 and 20 euros, depending on the area you have to manage. It is perfectly normal to hire a 120 square meter apartment for 15 euros, while in Vilnius the price would be three times higher.

Unlike many resorts, there are no bites for the shuttle drivers. For example, in Lithuania, it can be said that the prices of the popular application “Bolt” are identical to those of our country.