I would like to learn more about Portugal and its people =)

I’m a 30-something American with wife and 2 kids looking for a gig in Portugal. I have a lot of experience in sales and television production. Any help would be appreciated.

My children and I are planning a trip to Portugal this week. I am flying into the Faro airport. I would like to stay around the ocean/sea and I would like to know if there are any recommended hotels/apartments in the area and places and or area’s that I should shy away from. Please advise. Thank you.

Searching for a dream property in Portugal is an emotional experience, it is however, also a business transaction and must be treated as such.

Three of the most devastating things that can go wrong are:

Paying too much

Loosing a dream home to another buyer

Buying the wrong home

When you have a systematic plan before you search your dream property, you will be sure to avoid these costly errors. Here are some tips on making the most of your home purchase:

Get the information you need

What price do you offer a seller? Is the sellers asking price too high? Is it a deal? Your own research is important, as is the assistance of a Portuguese Government licensed Real Estate Agent.

A professional Real Estate Agent can offer an unbiased opinion on the value of a home, based on many factors and a great deal of information. Without knowledge of the market, your offer could be too much. Or worse, you could miss out on a great buying opportunity. Hire the right person and trust that person to represent your interests.

Buy your home

What do you need and want in a home? Sounds simple, but clearly identifying your needs and bringing an objective view to home shopping leaves you in a much better position. How much space do you really need? Too small and you may feel like you live in constant clutter. Too big and maintenance may become too daunting. Outline all of your priorities, and work on finding not just a great home, but a great home for you.

Check the title

Before you sign any document, be sure the property you are considering is free of all encumbrances. As a part of his or her services, a Real Estate Agent can supply you with the necessary solicitor or lawyer to ensure there are no liens, debts, undisclosed owners, leases or easements against the title.

Update the survey

Before the purchase is completed, an updated survey is essential. This report will indicate boundaries and structural changes (additions to the house, a new swimming pool, neighbours new fence which is extending a boundary line etc.), and will guarantee that you are indeed getting what you pay for.

Minimize the unexpected

For approximately 500 Euros, a professional inspector will conduct a thorough inspection of the home. Their expertise can mean the difference between uncovering major flaws before or after you own a home. Make the final contract subject to the reports findings.

Get pre-approved

It only takes a few days to get financing pre-approval. When you are shopping for a home, this gives you more power. A seller is more likely to consider an offer from a serious buyer.

Remember additional costs

Besides the funds for the purchase of a home, you will need funds for items such as loan fees, insurance, legal fees, surveys, inspections etc.

Take a deep breath

Before you sign, ensure that all documentation clearly reflects your understanding and conditions of the transaction. Has anything been forgotten? Do not rush. You could loose money, financing, or even the sale if you attempt to push things through too hastily.

I wish you a smooth property purchase in Portugal.

The best sailing area is on the south coast where Algarve provides a perfect 150 Miles of interesting sailing coast.

The Portuguese have been a maritime nation for a long time, and the sea is ‘in the blood’ of the locals. It’s such a compact area yet enjoys such an extended coastline. Hardly any wonder, then, that sailing has played so large a part in the area’s history. This is a great sailing location as the winds are usually light northerly. With plenty of anchorages, the clear sparkling warm Atlantic water invites you to take a swim.

The west of Faro consists of small bays and coves mixed by striking rocky outcrops and interesting grottoes. East of Faro the coast comprises sandy offshore islets, which have created protected anchorages and the most wonderful quiet beaches that continue for miles.

Portugal is part of the southwest Europe. It’s also close to the Iberian Peninsula, Atlantic Ocean, and Spain. Besides the towns and villages that make up the mainland, there are two more islands that belong to Portugal. These are Azores as well as Madeira. Sailing in Portugal is a well-known activity in this country because of its mild Mediterranean climate.

Algarve is one of the renowned tourist destinations in Portugal, primarily because of its excellent weather. As a matter of fact, some who have been here for their holiday vacation decided to buy real estate properties. Moreover, there are a lot of interesting places to visit and beautiful beaches to swim or cruise. Alvor is one of them. Besides the long coastline, you can also enjoy the village, filled with narrow streets, bars, and restaurants. There is also a old fishing village, which has been preserved very well by the municipality. Walk farther and you can find a beautiful lagoon. You can dare to go too in the sandy beach and coves underneath the cliffs.

Whenever you’re sailing in Portugal, make sure you can stop by the quaint town of Faro. Apart from finding a good temporary home in its villas and holiday resorts, you can also find a variety of artifacts and historical sites. For example, the Milreu ruins depict third-century homes of the Romans. There’s also a parish church that was built hundreds of years ago, Palacio de Estoi or manor house and the Bronze Age fort found in Santa Barbara de Nexe. West of Faro are more developed areas like Vale de Lobo and Quinta do Lago.

Disembarking from a yacht charter, you can visit Monchique, a rustic and usually-unexplored town in Portugal. Bordered by the hills of Picota and Foia, Monchique is proud of its cobblestone streets and dark doorways, which eventually lead to small artist shops. There are also plenty of religious places here, such as the Franciscan monastery and the parish church, which dates back to the fifteenth century.

And if you think that these are the only things you can get from sailing in Portugal, wait until you can get to the Bucaco Forest. This quiet area actually contains several grottoes and chapels that was built by monks that lived hundreds of years ago.

Drive less than half an hour south of bustling Portuguese capital Lisbon, and you’ll find Sesimbra. Retaining all the warmth and character of its proud maritime tradition, this stunning seaside village doubles as a high-end tourist haunt, and has been attracting foreign visitors and well-heeled locals since the sixties.

Sesimbra offers visitors the luxury of a high-end destination with the peace and tranquility of the ultimate getaway.

Set on a stunning, curved turquoise bay dotted with brightly coloured fishing boats, Sesimbra boasts the stunning natural beauty that has made Portugal a perennial favourite. Despite the high-end developments built to accommodate the upmarket tourists the region attracts, Sesimbra maintains the relaxed pace that dictates life along the coast.

Indeed, relaxation is what a trip to Sesimbra is all about. Leaving the noise of the city and the commercialisation of the tourist spots to the south behind, Sesimbra offers a chance to soak up what makes Portugal such a magical place – the sun, the sea, the scenery, the culture and of course, the welcome.

For lovers of natural beauty a drive along the knife-edge ridge of the glorious surrounding Arrabida hills is rewarded with stunning views of chalk white cliff faces and picturesque azure blue seas. The Arrabida Natural Park itself combines a memorable mix of rugged hillside terrain and the luscious green countryside that plays host to wildlife of the Sado Estuary – including a colony of bottlenose dolphins along the coast at Setubal.

On the hill behind the town, and well worth a visit, you’ll find the restored medieval castle and 12th century church, both standing in the grounds of the Moorish fortress captured in 1165. They’re just one of many beautiful historic sites that sit within a few minutes drive of the village, but like most of the region are best enjoyed at a more sedate pace – as part of a leisurely cycle or even on horseback.

Once you’ve finished enjoying the breath taking scenery you may enjoy a taste of more active pursuits. As you’d no doubt assume, Sesimbra offers a plethora of top class water sports and, like most of Portugal, is within easy reach of world-renowned golf courses. Sport fishing has been a favorite pastime of both locals and visitors for decades – bringing together the beauty of the ocean with the excitement of the chase.

Of course, being less than 30 minutes from Lisbon means visitors can enjoy the best of both worlds. A day spent savouring the sights and sounds of the historic Portuguese capital is ideally capped off with a stroll along the traditional promenade at Sesimbra, alongside well-heeled Lisbon tourists and local families enjoying the sunset.

As the night sets in, follow the aromas of freshly caught seafood to one of the town’s renowned restaurants where swordfish and tuna are the highlights of the menu. And after dinner? It’s time to settle down in one of the many cozy bars that line the pristine beachfront.

However you decide to spend your stay, Sesimbra’s stunning natural beauty and quiet charm make it the ideal destination for a great relaxing getaway.

We may have the opportunity to move to Portugal, with jobs, and accommodation from England, I also have family over there and have been there many many times for holidays. However, if things go wrong we would have to come back to England and start again……is it worth the risk?

Anyone who has any interest in golf is more than aware that Portugal has quite literally hundreds of top class courses that attract players from all around the world.

Not only are these new golf resorts that are being built around the country popular with golfers, but they also offer a resort style feel which makes them welcoming for non golfing family and friends.

With this in mind, it seems that investing in a golf property in Portugal is a savvy move for just about any type of investor. Spanish golf property, particularly along the Costa del Sol, has flourished in popularity recently and, as such, prices have risen over the last five years by an impressive 70 percent on average.

Currently there are more than fifty golf courses on the Spanish Costa Del Sol and business is still booming.

Portugal is not as well developed in terms of the number and size of golf resorts, therefore, offering an opportunity for investors to make the most of the explosive growth that looks set to hit the region. In Spain, for example, many purchasers bought their property off plan and then simply ‘flipped’ it when it was built, by selling it on immediately for a profit.

Others have made their profits by buying in the early stages of a development and renting the property to keen golfers to establish a healthy annual rental yield. All the while, the capital value of the property is increasing.

Portugal has a wonderfully sunny climate with, on average, more than 300 sunny days a year making this region an excellent place to invest due to the long potential rental season. In particular, the golf courses are gathering considerable acclaim and more are being built annually.

The courses that are of particular note, currently, include Salgados, Parque da Floresta, Palmares and Pine Cliffs. Whilst purchasing apartments and houses that are actually part of the complex may be fairly expensive, there are also other nearby properties that allow access to the golf courses and can, therefore, be classified as golf property for the purpose of rental.

Bear in mind, however, that some complexes only allow residents on to their courses and others may have restrictions on non-residents, such as times or additional costs. Make sure that you take all of these restrictions and costs into account when calculating the potential value of purchasing a property inside a golf complex.

When looking at potential golf property, don’t rule out the capital Lisbon that has some wonderful courses within a stone’s throw and the island of Madeira that has numerous small but luxurious courses.

Green fees for non-residents generally start at the 50 Euro mark and the majority of courses do not charge more than 100 Euro.

Handicap certificates are invariably required and anyone planning on renting out a golf property should make sure that potential holiday makers are aware of the rules and regulations of their selected course.

Due to the potential complexity of letting out a golf property, there are now numerous agents who specialise exclusively in providing management services for those interested in letting their property to golf enthusiasts.

By using an exclusive agency, you can offer potential clients the full range of services, from arranging tee times to including golf buggies and trips to other courses.

Golf holidays are specialist holidays, often with specialist prices. By owning a golf property it is possible for the investor to tap into this profit and return a healthy rental yield, whilst the value of their property continues to rise. Perfect!

Vilamoura is the name given to an area rather than to any actual town. It is outstanding in that it is one of the largest single tourist complex in Europe and covers some 2.000 hectares of land.

The land is variable in its vegetation, some parts covered in pine forests whilst others open recovered marshland. The company that owns this complex is extremely environmentally conscious and has made every effort is being made to protect nature within its continued planned development.

Due to the size of the resort area it offers the visitor nearly every form of sport and entertainment. On the southern border is a long sandy beach swept by the Atlantic Ocean.

Amongst the many attractions and facilities there are six different Golf Courses, a large Marina, a Lawn Bowling Club with two grass Rinks, a Tennis Centre, a Sports Club, a Shooting Club, 5 Star and 4 Star Hotels, Tourist Apartments, self-catering Villas, Night Clubs, an International Casino with glamorous shows, a Cinema, and an excellent Riding School.

Within the centre of Vilamoura there is a preserved Roman Site and Museum of Cerro da Vila providing an interesting glimpse into the past of the area. In Roman times this location was important in producing a fish paste known as “garum”. The ruins also include the baths in which the mariners used to bathe.

As a location specifically designed for tourism it has proved to be a very successful holiday destination for all ages due to the variety of facilities that it provides holidaymakers.

Facilities include:

Restaurants

Cafes / Pubs

Post office

Banks

Petrol station

Supermarkets (with international products)

Railway station

Beautiful Marina

A large variety of Golf Courses

Approximate Driving time to Airports

Lisbon 2,5 hours

Faro 15 minutes

Porto 6,5 hours

Vale do Lobo is another part of the Golden Triangle and a history with success in the South of Portugal.

In 1962, was born the famous Vale do Lobo, the first tourist enterprise of Algarve, in south of Portugal. The project became real after the partnership of two multinationals: Trusthouse Fort plc and Costain plc.

When it was built, the area of Algarve was devoted fundamentally to the fishing and to the agriculture. With the arrival of the Vale do Lobo, the area met its first five stars hotel Le Meridien D. Filipa and its first golf course.

During the seventies, Sander van Gelder, the dutch entrepreneur linked to the industry of the jewellery store and diamonds with some stories in Holland, discovered the Vale do Lobo.

The enormous tourist potential of the resort attracted the entrepreneur, who acquired the company in 1977, moving with his family to Portugal. In that moment, Vale do Lobo won a new future, becoming a luxury tourist resort.

Nowadays, Vale do Lobo possesses about 400 hectares, attracting residents and visitors because of its self-sufficiency, quality of the homes and for the excellent infrastructures and services that please all. Vale do Lobo is known by being one of the most important luxury enterprises of Europe, being the largest one in Portugal.

In the end of 2006, the resort was sold to a group of portuguese and international investors, as well as to the largest portuguese bank, Caixa Geral de Depositos. For now, Vale do Lobo is commanded by Diogo Gaspar Ferreira, the new Executive President.

Because of this new investment, the structure receives enough financial support to be able to carry forward the actual plan of service and the future expansion. There are in development some of the most important projects, like the Oceano Clube (Vale do Lobo II) and Vale Real (Vale do Lobo III).

Vale do Lobo is located in the coastal area of the centre of Algarve, in a rich area in history where the sun appears during the whole year.

One of the attractive thing that justify the choice of the Vale do Lobo to live and to visit is their approximation to the Faro International Airport in about 20 minutes. The Vale do Lobo Golf and Beach Resort is only three hours of flight of most of the European capitals.

The resort is still about two and a half hours of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and of Seville, in Spain.

Enjoy the Golden Triangle of Portugal!

I want to drive to portugal in the summer and would like to know how much it it cost to drive from st malo to portugal?