Hey guys! We really hope that we haven't discouraged too many of you from continuing following our journey. We are following our dream and have been for the last four years. Now we are getting closer than we have ever been, which is super exciting. We have so many videos coming up not only from these villa projects, but also from around Portugal - not just Madeira. In fact, we are going to Lisbon soon to shoot a bunch of videos. We can't wait and we hope you will join us for the ride. Big hug and thanks to all of you guys who support what we do. It means everything!

I dont live in the island and never went there, but i understand what they are trying to tel you guys. The tourist is looking for some things they DONT have. That is what Madeira is. Pure NATURE and those cute houses. When you see white houses together in the mountains, etc. Can you imagine the whole island is only luxury things ? The BEAUTY of Madeira is the simplicity of the island. Guys, i like to see your vlogs but i 10000% understand the people that are afraid of what the big changes can bring and take away the Madeira ! Hope you understand my explanation 🤗

I think the issue is bigger than a "modern house". The island, like many other places, that attracts ex-pats because of its "authenticity" IS authentic due to many years of tradition and culture. When you introduce modernisation such as large expensive modern homes it attracts with it "new kind of people" that want other products and life style departed from the authentic Portuguese/Madeira culture. Modern stores, modern restaurants, products made in china. Everything modernised, forgetting what attracted them to the "authentic" place. You just need to look at the Algarve, Villa Moura and Albufeira to see the effects. Gone are the coffee shops replaced with pubs. Gone is the Portuguese street music replaced with ??? "Make it (Madeira) better" as you said means losing some (and hopefully just some) of what attracted you to this place at first. We all have our dreams, mine is to go back to the old Portugal.

It is called gentrification. People come in with a lot of money, drive the prices up and the locals cannot afford it anymore and they have to move out from where they were born. I mean, you people should know better.

I don’t think you two owe anyone any explanation! We watch you all because of how much you love and show Portugal! Build your dream home and enjoy life! You know you are truly famous when you get the backlash! We love watching your channel!

The incongruity of bleating about how hard it is to make money as KZfaqrs, pleading for subscribers, being half-way transparent about your financial position (hey guys, we aren’t THAT wealthy) immediately before launching into a 1.5M home purchase (or whatever) was the opposite of authenticity. I’m no social media expert but am pretty sure when you choose to share your life on KZfaq, your followers expect full authenticity - something you mention a lot but don’t always demonstrate. In this pandemic age when people are doing it tough, privilege can easily come across as tone-deaf. Especially when it isn’t acknowledged. There are many people out there who have put themselves through pricey education to fulfil critical, highly-paid jobs in society and they will never have your privilege, lifestyle or luck. I don’t think your followers (generally) are against progress for Portugal or Madeira, but to try to qualify it as just ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is naïve. Progress is essential, sometimes unavoidable and complex. As lucky, wide-eyed travellers who fell in love with Portugal and are making it your home, there’s so much more to think about than just good or bad. Your content was once a love letter to Portugal. Right now it feels more like an entrepreneurial channel trying to monetise…everything, with luxury as the ultimate objective. That’s not a bad thing especially if it’s your dream. I think people just expect you to own it a little more authentically. Looking forward to your stuff in Lisbon!

You visiting Madeira but the value of the house makes for an unbalance in the market. A couple of examples. In Lisbon that you mentioned although the city has improved a lot many people who work in Lisbon can no longer afford to live in Lisbon. And the same is happening in Madeira. The house your currently renting is an example of that. You're smack in the middle of one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the island where renting prices are reaching 500€ + because of new builds made for tourists pushing the surrounding house prices up. You mentioned that the construction give money back to the island but it doesn't. The people who own the construction company make all the money but the people who are building your house still make minimal wadge. They make the same no matter if they build a million dollar house or a cheap build.

The problem with building houses such as the ones you mentioned is the fact that the locals are not the ones buying them because we can't afford them. That is something that will only increase with time because foreigners will build their big houses and we'll live with our parents until we're 50 because we can't compete with investors that come to Madeira so they can profit on our low paying jobs. Those investors are the main problem. They will demolish a few houses to build big condos not made for the common person in Madeira. I think those modern houses are beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it completely destroys our real estate economy because it increases the value of new properties we want to build/buy. Apart from that, our traditional Madeiran houses are being demolished instead of being repaired because the new foreign owners want to build some fancy modern house or condo just to make profit by reselling them. It impacts the structure of our neighbourhoods because previously we had the same house structure and it looked organic and now it looks like noise due to the different types of houses we find, specially when we find modern houses mixed with our traditional houses. It destroys our economy because foreigners who have a lot of money will import materials when building houses, their household furniture will also be imported so this doesn't help us grow. Yes you payed us to build your house and fix your toilets but that won't solve anything. Yes you have a house here but how much money do you spend on local stores if this is a vacation home? Ok you live here but do you buy anything from locals? Most people buy online and from fast fashion... so how is this improving our economy if you keep sending money to big brands? This is the issue. It's ok for foreigners to come and help us grow but there are ways to do so like renovating our Quintas and other types of traditional houses and preserving our neighbourhoods. We want foreigners to experience the life here as we do because we know we have a great life here and it can only get better if the right people invest.

This thinking that such projects don't change anything is the tragic thing. What is Madeira without the local baker, the fisherman, the small restaurant where a granny cooks her dishes with so much love? Madeira should not belong to the investors and make the same mistake as Lisbon where hardly any Portuguese normal earners can or are allowed to live. Everything should be done in certain measures and not displace the true culture of the place, otherwise this very place where you feel so comfortable and secure will lose all its charm. It was not a direct criticism of you two, I even think the project is very successful. I just want to say that the people who live there should be considered, bad examples like the Algarve which has lost all its beauty over the years and only hotels occupy the beaches and no one has a job during the winter months because people only live for tourism is a warning to all the other beautiful places Portugal has to offer.

Serious question I have pondered: If Madeira takes off, and lets say the population soars to 450,000, would traffic become a nightmare? it does not look like and easy place to build roads. I may be wrong, but with the steep cliffs, I wonder about this.

I think the biggest problem with this video is that you don't seem to understand the concept of gentrification and how bad it is for cities. Yes, they look more pretty, but it also makes impossible for locals to live in the cities they have always lived, and only expats can come and occupy these new renewed houses and neighbourhoods. It's a problem not only in Lisbon but in many capitals of Europe. In the end the cities get a facelift, but they lose all that actually made them feel special.

The only thing I have to say is thank you for u guys promoting Madeira Island, don't listen to anyone who doesn't care.you guys do a fantastic job 👏❤😀

I do appreciate your transparency. I think my main concern would be to keep the integrity and beauty of the island and not having main construction projects ruin that. It is bitter sweet because tourists are often annoying but a necessity for the economy. I hope the urbanism laws are tough like in Corsica.

This video sounds like Gordon Gekko explaining to the taxi driver why greed is good and why the taxi driver should be happy about it.

We don't need anyone to come here to our island to try to change it. We are always moving and when we are not moving we are not dying but enjoying our family, friends and our island. Be careful...

Please understand that for the Madeira natives the comments you received were not just negative comments. They are deep rooted fears of losing something special. “The Culture” and lifestyle they have become accustomed to. You are free to enjoy your life in Madeira, you don’t have to feel bad about wanting progress. But people are not stupid, they know that with progress comes some unintended consequences. Yes, progress brings opportunities, but often the natives become “service providers” who are underpaid and under appreciated. Nevertheless, change is coming to Madeira, and growth will produce issues of inequality. How the local governments deal with that will either bring peace or strife. You two can’t hold back your dreams, it’s not your ball to carry. It’s up to local government to care for its people and ensure progress benefits everyone.

Portuguese people are too nice for they own good. That is what really bothers me. It's easy to fall for this cute couple's happy faces and excitement about their "dream project", and dismiss all concerns expressed in the house video as "envy", coming from sad, unhappy people. That's not what the concerns were about. The problem is not Amelie & Joen per se, as far as we all can see on surface they are just two sweet people, cluelessly chasing their dream. The problem is the impact of the dreams they are chasing in the long run, if many other people decide to pursue the same. Even though it might look, on an immediate time scale, that their million euro house buying will bring nothing but money and work to the people of the island, will that actually raise 'madeirans' lifestyle in a longer time scale? Will the general salary levels increase? or will they basically keep the same in the long run, while it gets much harder to own your own home or pay a rent to live and work in the island? Gentrification is real, guys. Answering your question Joen, about if 'Lisboetas' genuinely think Lisbon was better without foreign home-buyers? YES. Million times yes! Tourism is one thing, property buying at stupidly high prices, is another totally different story. People like me had to move out, to Denmark ironically, to be able to dream about buying a house in Lisbon in the future (where I lived most of my life), because local salaries can't afford for it anymore. So, while people like you move in in order to buy the 'dream' house, people like me move out in order to buy 'a' house. And you guys know this, you two actually have a better understanding of economics than most portuguese people. You just don't care. Let's call it what this is. And that's alright. Why should you? It's not your circus, and not your monkeys. You buy the country away like you would buy a cool t-shirt, or any other commodity. You don't have the same connection with this land as we portuguese do, and same care for it's people. I don't blame you. Really. It's the portuguese that have to wake up for this reality, and make the right politics in order to protect themselves. Because no one else will.

I love what you’re doing and am looking forward to seeing the progress. Please don’t be discouraged.

The problem is that once property values rise people consider selling to cash in. Once that happens the locals can't afford to stay. Developers will pressure people to sell. Also what happens to the children of the locals because they will be priced out of the market. This is something we have personal experience in. Wish you guys all the best.

please continue with sharing your dreams with us because they are motivational. this channel is so open and authentic and transparent and so wonderful to watch keep it up guys

I’m Portuguese and I love it! Congrats! All the best.

Thank you for making this video, I have followed you for a while and loved them all and loved watching you move to Madeira. I was a bit upset when I watched your dream house video and thought it would just be a blot on the landscape BUT after listening you talk on this video I have completely changed my mind and wish you lots of luck and love in your new venture. Take care.

We are doing the same! Hope to see you in Portugal next year!!!❤️

I’ve added Madeira to the top of my travel list (as soon as international travel resumes 🤞🤞🤞) because of your videos. I’m looking forward to seeing the progress of the house, it will be incredible.

Where are your facts? If you are going to apologize for the decisions you make, state facts. Show how your project won't impact people in Madeira in a negative way. Your argument is weak, otherwise. Also, it's been obvious your lifestyle has never depended on your income alone. Other people don't have that luxury. So, your apology does seem to be self-serving in this.

I think that I understand what nuno tried to say, but there's nothing against foreign people or expensive houses, I think the problem is agencies who are pushing up prices, using the fact of people coming from outside having more money to pay for an house, and they come from much better economies where they are used to pay a lot more for an house, but the regular poor worker in Portugal can't keep up that price rise, and it becomes very very difficult for those people to ever own an house, they will be all life paying for a rent of not so good houses, they die... their kids have to go from scratch because nothing left for them... and go on, nothing to do with foreign people, but with the economy of the country that is putting some people against the wall... I think... let me reformulate, as an example , let's suppose there is an house selling for 80k maybe not a very nice house but still an house, for some portuguese people that will do to live you know buy the house getting it better slowly etc.. but because there I demand from other people with more money the guys selling the house will prefer to spend 100k on it do an house that is not affordable for portuguese standards and sell it to someone for 300k... one less house for poor people... that's how it goes, but again nothing against, it is the government and our stupid and poor economy, that is putting us all against the wall and we just have no power to hold it on a bit, to find a way that is good for all for poor for rich for... there is a lot to say about it but I can't keep writing forever.. but keep in mind I am not saying to stop your dreams or what you are doing is wrong, it isn't you are doing good and I know with no bad intentions, and it might be even good for the country I don't know who knows, but we poor portuguese people (working people) have being deprived from having a decent life in our country for more than 100 years already... and the cycle keeps going, now you can tell me is like that everywhere... I say kind of but not the same, has I left Portugal and in about 6 years working out, doing the same I did in Portugal, being poor anyway, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, althought my life in Portugal was a big open eyes... well don't know just it is sad to me what is being happening in Portugal for a lot of time, that you know you grow up in the middle of the thing, you don't know because it is normal to you.. like if you born in the middle of a war.. that's your normal... but then you grow up and you learn something... and you look back and... man really.... that's what they are doing to us... anyway like you guys a lot and no you are not doing wrong gon on with it I like those houses :)

keep up the good work, you guys are promoting the country & Island I want to move to. I apreciate the info, thank you.

I think that the outside of a house here in Madeira should not be too modern. Inside it will be okay but the house should adapt to the landscape. It's so terrifying to see a cement block in the Madeira landscape. Once I saw a typical Santana "only roof" house (villa) with all modern designs inside.

Love your videos (although less so now that you are based in Madeira). But I am so happy to hear you will be back visiting mainland Portugal and look forward to following your travels there!

I lived in Lisbon before 2010 and left. I live in the Algarve. The problem is low wages in Portugal and you can't solve that much less the housing crisis. So live your life the best you can. As for the architecture we have a saying : taste is not to be discussed.

Stay focused on your dreams, doing a fantastic job, you both are amazing people. I look forward to your videos, I am Madeiran living abroad and appreciate the fact that you love Madeira just as much as i do. 👍🏼🌹

Hey Joen and Amelie. Love the video. I am with you regarding the above concerns! Take care!!!

I fully support you guys! I think what you’re doing is great and follow your dreams. If anyone else was in your shoes and had the income to do it they simply would. I have been watching you guys for such a long time and you can tell you love Portugal and not just a “tourist” coming in and changing things. I wish you nothing but good luck 🥰

Completely agree with you! Being from Madeira I think you really have a point as we have spoken before. Keep it up with the good content!

Keep dreaming and aiming high in your goals. I personally will love to see your updates on the house projects. Work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor 💪

Hi! I'm from mainland and I'm aged enough to understand that the country needs people like you from abroad to keep rolling. I believe people from Madeira are reacting in self defense to a thing they don't know! You are absolutely right with your thoughts and with a genuine good intent. Go on with your plans and energy. The future will be bright for you and us all, particularly to my fellow-countrymen from Madeira. Loving you guys!

Don't despair guy's your both fab, you must carry on with your journey. You are the ones who decide which way you go. Be positive, be happy, you are supporting the community you call home. I look forward to continuing with you and can't wait to see what's coming next. pick yourselves up and carry one. xx

Joen & Amalie, you have done so much to promote Madeira. I for one want to follow your dream, it gives hope for all of us going forward and I feel privileged to share your dream. Don't be apologetic, go for it 👍👍

Greatings from San Clemente CA 🏄‍♂️. We too followed our dreams by moving to Maui in 1985. While we stayed for only a few years, it was an exciting and memorable experience, so all we can say is GO FOR IT! Don't let the negitive feedback get you down . Keep making interesting videos about you life and travels! Because of you we are planning to come to Portugal for vacation next year. Dave & Lori

The property tour your shared the other day was incredible. Dream home, indeed! I do understand the concerns that local people may have, but it’s also an opportunity to earn wealth through the appreciation of their properties. And let’s face it, if you take a stand against purchasing an expensive property, there will be another buyer right behind you and you’ll be out of a home. You have every right to pursue your dream. Congrats!

Hello guys. Just try to understand that in a country were a minimum salary is 630€ bruto. Is mostly impossible for the people to pay houses of those values. Normally the duration of the loans for buying houses in Portugal can go until 40 years so people would have to pay 2000€ or more monthly for the loan for houses like that. Is not that we don’t like turistas, is really good for the economy but the more luxury houses are sell, that will affect the prices in general for the 1m2 of houses. And that affects the low paid Portuguese. Good luck

Being born and raised in Madeira, I can say that this is unrelated to hate towards tourists or expats. Reality is, salaries in Madeira are considerable lower than the ones in the mainland. Majority of locals already struggle to afford a 150 - 200K Euro house/apartment. The more people that come to the island buying real estate, with much higher foreign salaries, will also increase pricing in local real estate. This will affect the normal houses and not only luxury ones because not all expats or retired immigrants go for luxury houses. A similar effect already exists in Lisbon due to an influx of expats. Not only locals can no longer buy or rent property, forcing them to search something far away from Lisbon but prices in bars and restaurants, increased considerably as well. On Madeira, this type of luxury housing was quite rare. Only recently it started to increase, to accommodate golden visa schemes and some richer expats. Although your income and decisions will indirectly affect this, no one can say that this is your fault. It is life and capitalism in the making. Keep up with the nice videos and with the amazing promotion of the island. P.S - I was an expat in Germany for almost 7 years and saw the exact same effect, within a city that barely had any tourists or expats. Within those 7 years, rents increased threefold because of the amount of new expats and lack of available housing.

I love the project and hope you follow your dream. I'm quite happy for you and looking forward to learn more about the project. There's room for everyone and for different markets as well. Also prefer the current (at least until March 2020) vibrant city of Lisbon than the old one. At the end of the day, what really matters is that you're happy with your decision, as I believe you are. All the best, guys! :)

You addressed all points with very strong valid arguments there is no reason to write a massive text here, you got all right. You are absolutely right, follow your dream! Forget the negative comments, I’m sure these are from Portuguese.. just being Portuguese. Your community will keep growing even stronger 🤙🤙

Thank you very much for choosing Madeira to call home! I'm a local resident and the moment and have my own small house. I come across this video and I'm glad to see all these people are choosing Madeira to live. Congratulations for your new project and I hope new projects like this come to our Island. If you have the time I would like to have a drink with you! :)

Don't be discouraged and follow your dream! If you have the means to buy that modern house, don't give up because someone wrote an opinion on this comment section. The architectural project has been approved so there is no problem in building those houses in our island. ❤️

Please continue to pursue your dreams!! I am a property developer and I always get "blow back" from locals when my company proposes a development in an area that needs investment. It is always damned if you do, damned if you don"t. Supply and demand is what drives property prices. Period. If there is no demand, prices will fall and the economy usually follows the downward trend.

first of all, many congratulations on your project and many congratulations on approaching the opinions that often arise from ignorance. good luck and continue with your dreams !!

Hi Joem & Amelia, Long time follower. I too have my roots from Madeira, specifically from Faial. Great video, I believe it clarified many things. What happened here was it kind of came out of left field. And it was portrayed as an over the top home. Yes it is beautiful, but not everyone's taste. Looking forward to watch the progression of construction. Do keep us to date. I myself is renovating a home their and yes not an easy task. Cheers, Jeremy (Canada)

Hi both, The problem is the south of the island becoming more cement. Not particularly your project. It is just architects making fancy project and not considering the beautiful nature of Madeira (but money that they can make). (it is so much cement between Funchal and Machico with empty appartments and now it goes to Calheta side). Nothing specially to you. Anyway have fun with your project!

Guys a few things, I am glad you are onboard with Madeira and Portugal overrall. You bring nice ideas and a good spirit, follow your dreams and inspire others to make Madeira even better, this includes new architecture and refurbished traditional houses, restaurants beach bar etc but try to be sustainable. One thing that is very important and should be preserved, "luxurious" gardens, we used to have more pride in those, this always adds to the eye. A final tip for you, if you want to have mild nights even during winter try to look for the coconut line and not the banana line:) I would say generally below 150/100 meters but the Southwest tends to be slightly warmer.

This Vlog is called stay classy. You have been clear all along that your aim is a high quality life. People shouldn’t be surprised that you want a nice, modern home. There is almost no place on earth that is immune to modern development nor immune to the need for the proceeds of modern development to help sustain traditional neighborhoods. It’s the job of local government to plan properly to make sure that all happens- not yours.

You guys rock and you don't have to justify yourself, you are successful financially and it hurts the envious people. Be happy and enjoy life they way YOU want

I'm glad you made it to Pukiki Bar. (Love tiki cocktails!) I like how they highlight the Hawaii - Madeira connection.

Congratulations guys! Enjoy your life and accept your gifts! You worked hard for them!

I am portuguese and I prefer Portugal AFTER 2010 😊

I say good work Guys Keep on trucking For me Portuguese Canadian😁

Can I ask what video camera you use and your equipment? Many thanks!

I heard several times that you talked about your magazine. I would love to see it do you have the link? 🤗🙌

Best of luck to you two!!!

Go forward. It’s gonna be amazing for Madeira and you guys! Good luck Follow your dreams

Very nice video, excellent explanation of moving forward 👋

Madeira never had a problem with tourists who really enjoyed this special and beautiful place. Promoting this place for the people with big $$$ will bring the prices up and will prohibit less fortunate folks from enjoying this haven on earth.

Im from ponta do sol and Im so happy for you !!!! 🤍

4:22 what´s the danish magazine you guys have :) ?? by the way I really like your videos, especially the honesty is really fresh and less "youtube show" ;-) so keep it up !!

HI, let me start by stating that I love your vlogs, very entertaining and fun. My two cents on this topic is that the Madeira officials are the ones to say how many million dollar homes are too many for this area, and this applies also to big modern hotels. Being that this is an island, the important thing is balance between new and old. The old is what attracts people to Madeira, the little houses and the serene way of life, but because many tourists visit the island there's a need to build new and modern hotels but always considering the lifestyle of the locals and their own space. If the project for your new house was approved by the city then you have nothing to worry about, best wishes for the successful completion of your dream home. I see that you guys love Madeira, always promoting all the wonderful things the island has to offer and the way of life there, very positive attitude, so I truly believe you'll be great neighbors and a good addition to Madeira and its people.

Don’t ever leave! We love you guys

I was born there and would like to retire there . So learning that people are driving that cost higher is 😞 sad

The beauty of enjoying Portugal or Madeira or any part of the world is there is a mix of old and new, and i believe it will continue to flourish as such. Tourism brings growth and i take as a huge compliment citizens of other beautiful nations choose Portugal and islands to live and help grow! Continue to live your dream!

I got the meaning of your other vídeo. Keep on doing the good videos. Val

God bless you both I was born in Mdeira and live in USA and I believe that it is a good thing that you guys are able to build your dream home 👌✌

Enjoy the experience. People will always have different views and that's okay. The world needs different idea or else there would be no progress. As a heritage and cultural economy practitioner, I agree with you that we all need to find ways to preserve heritage however allow space and opportunity for growth or else it will all die away slowly anyway.

I appreciate your transparency and your concern about the issue - local people being priced out of their communities, gentrification, is a real problem. Unfortunately, there really aren’t easy answers. Perhaps if all developers were as thoughtful as you two, a healthy balance can be found. Investment and new properties don’t have to be bad...but greedy developers over developing a community doesn’t usually end well for local people. For example, I live not too far from the ocean in San Diego, California. Between limited supply and the absence of thoughtful community planning (at least until the last decade or so) most lower and middle income people are completely priced out of the market. Almost everything is in excess of $1MM in my neighborhood. It’s interesting that you mention the timing of your video. I think that may ring true on many levels - so many have suffered tremendously during the pandemic, financially and otherwise, so people are sensitive to topics such as these. It doesn’t feel like a time to be especially flashy with spending. On a personal note, I love the design of the villa you showed. Modern and traditional design can exist harmoniously.

I love the traditional architecture, but also think that modern house you showed is amazing with the indoor/ outdoor concept. What shocked me when I visited Madeira in 2010 were the gigantic hotels covering the city's ocean view and beach access along Funchal. Worse than that, it won't get...

I get the impression that moving to Madeira didn't make you both much happier. Or at least I think you underestimated quite some things. I wish you the best of luck.

Love following you and really you are part of a brave small percent of people who venture out to live elsewhere in the world. You are fun and real do not give that up. People are funny with negative comments ,and perhaps if we do not have something nice to say - do not say anything at all. Keep on living, loving and experiencing your life to the fullest and most of all follow your dream. Thank you for sharing and forget about negative comments they do not belong in your life. Pas paa jer selv.

Modern and traditional can exist at the same time. Most houses built in Madeira in the last 15 years are modern compared to lets say the 80's.

I was born here, and also I want to buy a piece of land or small house and build my dream house, the thing is with so much rich foreigners coming to my island land/houses prices are getting way out my reach, I believe I'm not the only one, and the solution is to buy a small flat and be happy... well this is not my idea of happiness, like you guys I also enjoy my home island and even having low salary and will try to fulfill my goal. I hope our government create a set of laws to protect the island citizens from this speculation like New Zealand did. Nothing against foreigners but locals should be first when it comes to these matters.

I think what people really are concerned about is that these new constructions will eventually cause the Portuguese culture in Madeira to be lost or harder to see and that culture is what attracts people to this country. I think it's a wrong way of seeing, preserving culture is not your responsibility, it's our government and local authorities responsibility. You can build a villa because the government authorized. So it's down to us Portuguese to keep and preserve that culture. Sadly corruption is a big issue and money always speaks louder. With that said, I like to think that a lot of foreigners that move to Portugal come to embrace our lifestyle that brought them here in the first place and often themselves refurbish our traditional buildings and integrate very well with the Portuguese society. We Portuguese are very proud of our culture and identity, we are one of the oldest countries in the world, we've been under many different rulers including the Holy Roman Empire and the Moorish, centuries later we still call ourselves Lusitanos. If our identity survived those mighty empires, I'm pretty sure a few villas won't change that :) thank you for your dedication to our country :)

Hey guys, follow your dreams. It's your life. Your videos have brought alot of attention and visitors to Portugal. A few houses like that does not change the culture of Madeira. It does bring work and money to the citizens of Madeira. Continue on your dreams and we will buy you guys dinner once we can travel from Canada! Love you guys!

Go ahead and follow your dreams. You have so much to Portugal in terms of tourism !!

Home price increases are because central banks are artificially keeping interest rates low. It’s difficult to solve a problem when you blame a symptom rather than the cause.

Hey guys, the Surfshark link isn't working properly!

Life is short. People can be so envious. Enjoy and live your life as you wish!! They aren't paying the mortgage on that beautiful home. Love you guys. Live your best life with no regrets!!

Hi: I introduced myself in your vid about living in Portugal. I know a spaniard who after the bombing of Madrid bought a used sailboat in England and started his journey. Portugal, Madeira, Cape Verde... Berlin didn´t materialize. Basilea neither. He now lives now in Azores, sold the boat, and soon will adopt portuguese citizenship. He is involved with his community. Only thing i can recommend, get involved actively in community planning. Don´t get frustrated by one or two agressive lines, keep fighting. I congratulate you for your videos. Greetings from Tigre in Argentina.

Keep your good work We have a lot of expensive villas from locals and no one says nothing about it, just because you told the price people are making bad comments. I support what you are doing and it will bring a new kind of people to the island and bring new projets. Please keep doing the good work If you need some help just ask 💪👌

Your dream house is amazing! Just follow your heart and dreams.

It broke my heart to see how sad you both look during this video. As I am watching it I want you to know that I believe you are doing the right thing and that it will have a very positive impact on the island. You have so much love and passion for all that you do and for your new home country. So embrace it and don't let the nay sayers bring you down.

It’s a tough thing to say on the cons you have like Hawaii where American and the japonese have raised prices to the point where locals can’t afford to live there on the pros you have jobs and progress

Joen and Amelie, I love you and your videos of my favorite country. I read most of the comments on your previous video and there were a lot a negative and judgmental comments. You addressed those comments with grace and I appreciate you even more. What you earn and how you spend it, it's no one's business but your own. I wish you the best in building your dream house. Madeira Island has been known as the Pearl of the Atlantic. It is a special place. It has received a limited number of tourists from around the world since the 1950's, usually very wealthy tourists... the veiled concern is that a few luxury villas will be expanded to a few more, and more hotels, and affect the way the place will have to adapt to respond to the demand. Case in point: Albufeira, Algarve, was a small fishing village where artists, writers, musicians, film makers went to recharge their energies and be inspired. I used to spend my summers there, from May to September. Today there are art galleries and schools named after a few of my mother's friends, and statues of others. It was the place where the haute couture designers had their collections photographed. In the old town, one could see the most beautiful people in the world who would be on the cover of Vogue or Cosmopolitan... Where there were fields, today is the "center " of town. It began with luxury hotels and villas. The tourism from Sweden and Denmark was replaced with British retirees demanding more for less... Today there are aparthotels no one wants to buy. The streets where we walked at night after dinner to meet our friends at the Cafe or go to the discotheque are now the "Strip" and just as vulgar as any "combat zone" (as it was called in Boston) or "red district," in Las Vegas or elsewhere.. After being away for many years I cried when I returned. My brother cautioned me that it was a totally different place but I was shocked. This is what no one wants in Madeira, including you. The new tax revenue generated from new construction and new tourism is great but at some point it can get out of hand, just like in Albufeira. But that is for the people of Madeira and their elected officials to ensure that the island remains true to its essence.

Just keep doing what you are doing Live your life as you want it.

I don't think it's a bad project. I just think that since we are living a pandemic, and so many people are losing their jobs, many people can get upset about it.

following your dreams is the starting of a chapter! actually accomplishing them is the end of a chapter...i like long books so keep following your dreams.

It is better to invest now. You will never be younger than you are today and there will never be a perfect time to invest. Due to compounding, which Einstein called the 8th wonder of the world, you can get rich slowly from investing if you do it from a young enough age.

That’s so exciting I’m so happy for you guys you deserve it it’s not easy to be on KZfaq and do everything you guys do 👏 I am from the island at Santa Maria Azores left when I was 15 go back every summer love it I wish they would build something like that I would be Buy a property for my dream 🏡.

I don't think these projects are the problem. The problem is that there are too many highly overprized houses on the market. Not the really expensive ones like the one you showed, but the regular houses that cost double what they are worth. This is definitely an issue and it's also hard to do something against it. Also, I have the impression, that in Madeira the locals love tourists but don't know what to really think about expats. I was having a hard time finding a decent plot to buy, with a reasonable price. Coming from Vienna, the locals would not sell me anything for the real price, as I had money and could afford to pay more. It was all not really reasonable. Especially when you are out of Funchal you will have these kinds of issues. My architect, who is from Funchal but lives on the countryside in the west, had herself trouble buying something, as the locals there thought she had the money and she should stay in Funchal. So yeah, it is hard sometimes.

Life is made of dreams, just follow your heart. 🌻

Yes, this concerns me. I want to move to Madeira but I do not want to displace a local. I will buy a modest home. I don't need more than that, anyhow.

You have my support! Although I don´t live in Madeira I spent a lot of time there from more than 20 years. Some day I'll do the same and go there permanently, who knows! Enjoy beautiful Madeira :-)

Enjoy your New home and don't worry about other people negative comments. B happy ☺️