Our Story
The Birth of Casa Shen
Casa Shen was born in January 2023, when its founder, Steve, left behind the comforts of modern life in Spain and purchased an 8,000 sqm plot of land in the Serra de Monchique, in the western Algarve of southern Portugal. He arrived with the simple vision of creating a place dedicated to Qigong, healing and reconnection.
At the time, the reality of the situation was a little less idyllic. The land came with an old ruin in need of almost complete restoration. Living out of his old VW T4 California van and washing in the stream that runs through the property, Steve spent the next three years investing all his remaining money, blood, sweat and tears into renovating the place and its surrounding environment.
What began as a largely solitary project gradually became a shared one. Volunteers started arriving from different parts of the world, exchanging their time and skills for a place to stay, food and the experience of living off-grid in the mountains. Together they helped rebuild, garden, cook and shape the land. It was during this time that the first Qigong classes were taught at Casa Shen, offering a chance to recharge before and after a day of hard graft.
It was during these early years that Casa Shen also began welcoming its first guests for Qigong and healing sessions. The project was still very much a work in progress, with leaky roofs, holes in the walls, and building materials scattered around the site, but the idea behind it was already taking shape. Here lay a simple place where people could step away from everyday life, reconnect with nature and give some time to themselves.
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From Ruin to Palace
Today, the original ruin has been restored into the heart of Casa Shen, joined by a separate guest apartment and spaces created for practice throughout the land. There are two outdoor dojos, one overlooking the mountains and another beside the stream, as well as an indoor practice space for Qigong, yoga, healing sessions or meditation. The site also hosts a glamping tent, two solar-heated showers and two compost toilets.
The 8,000 sqm of land remains deliberately simple and largely off-grid. Crops grow around the property, water comes from the mountain and energy from the sun. It is not intended to be a polished resort, but a place to practice, eat well, spend time outside, slow down, and experience a simpler rhythm of life – that of nature.
Hammock over the stream
Outside shower with view over the mountains