About Lava
Lava Coliving sits on São Miguel, the largest island in the Azores, out in the middle of the Atlantic. It is a surf coliving: an open-plan coliving and coworking house built for people who want to do real work and still be in the water before sunset: volcanic black-sand beaches, surf spots a short drive away, and hiking trails that start almost at the door.
Mareike hosts it personally. Lava has welcomed 90+ digital nomads, keeps a wall of 5-star reviews, and runs the whole operation on Mangobeds, the booking software built for exactly this kind of surf coliving: a perfect blend of coworking and community, with the ocean as the backdrop.
Built for “work a bit, surf a bit, stay a while”
Lava is intentional about stays. Rates run from shared rooms at €25/night and private rooms at €35/night, with long-stay discounts that grow the longer you stay: 10% at 3 weeks, 15% at 1 month, 20% at 2 months. The model rewards people who settle in, because that is when the community, and the surf crew, actually forms.
That model only works if the booking system speaks “coliving”: long stays, tiered discounts, and a calendar that does not fall apart when a guest wants dates that almost, but not quite, line up. A hotel-style engine that thinks in single nights gets in the way more than it helps.
Long stays and discounts that run themselves
With Mangobeds, Lava sets the minimum stay and the 3-week / 1-month / 2-month discounts once, and the booking flow applies them automatically. Guests see the right price for the length they pick, and Mareike does not have to do mental math or send manual quotes for every “what if I stay a month?” message.
The result is a calendar built for weeks, not nights, which is exactly how an island coliving fills up: a core of long-stayers, surrounded by shorter stays that slot into the gaps.
A community worth protecting
A surf-and-work house lives or dies on the people in it. Lava can collect the right information from guests up front and confirm the bookings that fit the house, then let Mangobeds handle the confirmation and the deposit automatically, so the admin stays light and the vibe stays intentional.
Surf sessions, dinners, and hikes as easy extras
The best part of Lava is not the desk, it is everything around it: surf sessions, group dinners, movie nights, and hikes across the island. With Mangobeds, Lava can set up, edit, and charge for these extras in the same system guests use to book their room. No spreadsheets, no “can you PayPal me for the surf trip?”, no losing track of who is in for Saturday’s swell, just clean operations and an experience that feels effortless.
“It is easy to use and the team behind it is amazing.”
Mareike Sudek, Founder of Lava Coliving
Why Mangobeds fits a surf coliving
Lava did not need a hotel PMS. It needed booking software that understands a surf coliving: longer stays, a tight community, a lot of life happening outside the room, and a small team that would rather be in the water than buried in admin.
- Long-stay logic that fits coliving: minimum stays and tiered discounts (3 weeks, 1 month, 2 months) applied automatically, with a flow built for people who stay weeks, not nights.
- Community-first bookings: collect the right info, confirm the right fit, then confirm and charge the deposit automatically.
- Extras are easy to run: surf sessions, dinners, and hikes set up and charged in the same system, without messy manual tracking.
- Less admin, more island: fewer manual steps and less back-and-forth, so hosting stays personal and light.
- Support that feels like a partner: the team is open to suggestions and quick to respond when Lava needs something.
In short: Mangobeds keeps the operations quiet so Lava can keep the experience loud, coworking by day, surf and community by evening, on one of the most beautiful islands in the Atlantic.
Want more coliving stories? See how Nine Coliving runs a community-first space in Tenerife, and how ESCAPE runs coliving across two countries with Mangobeds.
Key Results
- Long stays made simple: tiered 3-week / 1-month / 2-month discounts applied automatically
- Community protected: collect guest info, confirm the right fit, then auto-confirm and collect deposits
- Extras are easy to run: surf sessions, dinners, and hikes charged in the same system
- Less admin: fewer manual quotes and less back-and-forth with guests
- Fast support: a team that is open to suggestions and quick to respond
“Mangobeds has been a great booking system for our space. It is easy to use and the team behind it is amazing. They are open to suggestions on adding features and are very fast to respond to any questions you may have. We highly recommend using Mangobeds for your space!”
Mareike Sudek, Founder of Lava Coliving