Our Story...
The tourist complex of Pico da Urze was inaugurated in 13 of July of 1999.
Corresponding to the realization of an old dream from Brás Sousa dos Santos, emigrant in Venezuela, Son of João Sousa dos Santos and Maria da Luz, a poor couple of farmers, that with much effort reaped from the land the sustainment for them and their nine children.
Brás Sousa dos Santos, natural from Arco da Calheta, where he was born in 1932, was a child that became man in the planes of Paúl da Serra. There he walked the rocky and thorned land, up and downhill while barefooted, with huge amounts of urzes on his back, the clothes barely warming the thin body in the cold winter mornings, when he took the goats out to pasture, and barely covered his skin from the sun in the warm summer days.
Many times taking the dust off his face with tears that sprouted on his young eyes, tears that became a dream in his heart full of hope for a better future. And so at the age of 17, with loaned money he bought a ticket to Venezuela, hugged his father, kissed his mother and departed towards the unknown country.
There he met Maria Teresa Freitas de Sousa to whom he married in 1957, had four children; three boys and one girl.
Just like it happened to many emigrants, Brás found a better life abroad and established himself and prospered as a business men in the lands of Simon Bolivar. Even though all was working well the idea of a project in his homeland was never put aside, particularly on Paúl da Serra. And so it came to be the idea of building a Lodge at Sítio do Óvil.
The constructions began in 1996 and three years later, July 13th, 1999 to be precise, the Hotel was inaugurated.
Meanwhile the businessman returned to Venezuela with his family and delegated an administration for the Hotel.
The results did not correspond to the best expectations and in 2005, the elder son, Bráz Souza de Freitas, came to Madeira to personally take control of the administration of the family’s lodge Hotel.
Brás Souza de Freitas, 48 years old, with a military career (Colonel of the Venezuelan Armed Forces), took in his hands an important mission: to bring greatness and well deserved dignity to his fathers dream. To that goal he has surrounded himself with the best professionals and has completely redefined the project.