Feng Shui inpires change in the house

NOW: dining room and living room since January 29, 2011

BEFORE: living room and dining room since 1998 until very recently

Thanks to one of our recent guests, a Feng Shui expert, the living room and the dining room exchanged places.

And it looks better and feels much more comfortable. We love the new arrangement and hope that also our guests.

As soon as I told my husband about the guest's advice, he immediately pictured it on his mind and said simply "of course". He had no doubt and understood the benefits. However, it had never occurred to us...

My husband always complained about not feeling comfortable sitting in the living room with his back to the main entrance of the house. It never felt right.

Now the living room is much more cosy, quiet and comfortable at the far end of the room (yin energy).

The dining room offers more space to the main entrance area and there is more light (yang energy). And it is closer to the kitchen and theres is more space to socialize.

More pictures here: dining room and living room slideshow

Madeira on Global Traveler

«Any month is the time to be in Madeira», stresses Global Traveler

Goblal Traveler, the American magazine, dedicates the cover story of January 2011 issue to Madeira. You can read the article by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers following one of these links:

Global Traveler cover article on Madeira (magazine online)
Global Traveler cover article on Madeira (on a blog)

Some quotes:

«Brilliant red platter-sized poinsettias peered over garden fences at eye level, passion flowers and lilies bloomed, and the camellias were just bursting forth. Bougainvillea cascaded from every balcony, and morning glories climbed the walls. Bird of paradise, honeysuckle, hibiscus and a dozen varieties of lily painted the landscape. I realized then that any month is the time to be in Madeira.»

«I’d seen only the capital of Funchal on my first trip, so until the ride to Monte I had little idea of what spectacular landscapes lay beyond it. Now I was hungry for more than a glimpse of the steep and soaring mountains that fill the rest of the island.»

«This wild and ragged landscape is made even more dramatic by lakes and rushing rivers, rock outcrops and soaring cliffs that end abruptly at the sea.»

«Most of the island is carpeted in subtropical greenery, 20 percent of it UNESCO World Heritage laurel forests now long extinct in mainland Europe.»

«To irrigate it, in the early 1500s Madeira farmers began building waterways that bring water from mountain springs. More than 1,200 miles of these levadas carry water in nearly horizontal lines along the mountainsides, sometimes carved into cliff faces at dizzying heights. Alongside the levadas, their maintenance paths have become very popular walking trails.»

Guest message 3

Key words & ideas:
"Beautiful vacation", "really happy", "space for each other", "hope to return"

Please, click on for better reading

Sofia's Place by Sanne

Sofia's Place seen by our guest Sanne, January 2011

Mixed media painting of Sofia's Place kindly offered by our guest Sanne. Very special painting that will be kept in the house (it is already hanging in the Romantic bedroom) for the enjoyment of our guests, besides us, the owners. Thank you.

New Year's Eve in Madeira is unique

Famous fireworks show in Funchal, Madeira, 2011

Sofia's Place wishes you and your family & friends a Relaxed Mind, a Peaceful Soul, a Joyful Spirit, a Healthy Body & Heart full of Love.

Happy New Year.

Old Madeira (2)

Wicker basket riding

The Monte wicker basket toboggan ride to Funchal downtown is perhaps one of the most famous of Madeira's tourist attractions.

More information here: wicker basket toboggan riding

Christmas Greetings

Christmas lights in Funchal (in front of the town hall of the capital), in Madeira

Madeirans live Christmas and New Year's Eve very intensively.

For this time of the year the streets of Funchal get beautifully decorated with thousands of lights. New Year’s Eve fireworks and activities also make Madeira Island one of the most attractive ‘reveillons’ destinations in the world.

Sofia's Place wishes you a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Tree

Welcoming atmosphere

We have provided a Christmas (pine) Tree to welcome our guests that will spend the next three weeks in Sofia's Place. Christmas time is really intense in Jardim do Mar. The atmosphere is very special. The tree was placed in the living room by the big glass window.