Slow IS progress
Drink life slowly
We have a different pace of life
Simplify your life. Personal not corporate. Creative & Environmentally sensitive.
pause more live more
The team
Owner & host of Pausa Centro
Mark studied Three dimensional design in the 1980s in the UK.
Mark developed his career in the Construction industry,
working as a field Engineer across the UK. In the Pipeline industry for almost 30 years,
he left the UK for Canada in 2015, where he was Engineering manager
for Surerus Murphy Joint venture.
Mark left in 2019 to begin the PausaCENTRO project here in Portugal.
Motive
30 years of living out of a suitcase, travelling to far flung corners of the world,
working up to 100 hours a week, spending what you are earning, cash rich but time poor,
reaching your goals but not having the energy or time to enjoy.
​
Watching the Portuguese neighbours, working together, helping each other
on their farms, harvesting olives, harvesting grapes, sharing the surplus...maybe I had it wrong.
To have so little but to be willing to share. I was hooked.
Purpose
More time for myself, more time for my family, more time for my friends.
More space to think. More time to be creative.
Time and space to connect with new people, places and cultures. Live life slowly.
​
Who said it has to be fast?
​
Listen to the song birds at dawn, watching the mist slowly rise from the valley.
Walk through the flower meadow in spring.
PausaCENTRO Lda is the Official company name, and means:
Pausa - Pause/take a break Centro - Central/in the centre.
PausaCENTRO Lda was formed in September 2019.
PausaSTAY is the Brand name of the Holiday and Retreat accommodation.
PausaBREW is the Brand name of the Small batch Craft beer brewery & Distillery.
PausaARTS is the Brand name of the Mixed Media Arts & Ceramics Studio.
PausaPROJECTS is the Brand name of the Design & Construction facility.
Historical
Restoration
Working with local craft tradesmen,
using locally sourced materials,
we have renovated the properties
at Quinta da Maceda & Casa da Colina
to provide high specification
modern spaces, whilst making
use of previously dilapidated property,
rather than new build.
​
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle.
Energy
Efficiency
Carbon Neutral is our goal here
at PausaCENTRO.
Solar heated water,
Woodfired back boilers
for central heating,
high levels of insulation,
A+ rated appliances,
and Solar PV for electric generation
all go towards minimising your carbon footprint during your stay.
​
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle.
Water
Treatment
With long hot Summers,
and the constant threat of droughts,
we have invested in a Waste water
treatment plant, which treats all
of the water used by the house,
providing clean water for irrigation
in the garden.
The water is clean enough
by the time it gets to the reed bed
that a colony of frogs
now chooses to call it home.
​
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle.
Local
Produce
Where possible, we source
the majority of our goods and services
from local craftsmen.
Rabacal valley is famous for
its Cheese and wine.
Local bakeries deliver
freshly baked bread
early each morning.
The fish monger delivers
direct at your door.
The Neighbours donate there surplus vegetables as a gesture of goodwill.
​
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle.