Portugal Property

CLICK BELOW to look at the stunnig properties available in the Western algrave

Mar da Luz

• 2 Bed Apartments either garden or penthouse Sizes from 80 sq metres - prices from £200K - £290K Villas £550K

Portugal has historically been, along with Southern Spain one of the favourite destinations of the Brits. It has a great climate, better beaches than Spain, fantastic golf and welcoming people.

It has also managed to avoid many of the pitfalls of Spain and over the years has not been subject to the various planning scandals and corruption charges.

Recently in an article Europeans (Europe's largest independent newspaper) Portugal was described as one of the best places in Europe to invest in property - read the article

Vale do Lobo, La Quinta and Vilamoura are all common names to holiday makers, weekenders and golfers alike. As such these destinations now attract a premium with property being more expensive than many parts of the UK.

But the Algarve also offers some outstanding beaches and pretty fishing villages for those who have less interest in chasing a small white ball around.

There are plenty of magnificent beaches, towns and little villages to sample. Try visiting Tavira, for example, where the houses have curiously foreshortened roofs - the legacy of an historical quirk. Sailing boats arriving at Tavira to load up with cargo were laden with timbers to provide balast on the in-bound journey. These timbers had benefited from long exposure to salt water and so were ideal for construction purposes but regrettably weren't the perfect length for roofs. In the end the benefits of sea-salt curing won out against the length of the timbers and so the roofs of Tavira are smaller than you would expect.

Have a look too at some of the delightful little coves and beaches between Ferragudo and Lagos - and try not to miss the beautiful beach of Praia Marinha. And find time for lunch in Ferragudo at Sueste on the bay - you pick your fish from the open freezer, sit at your table and watch the cook barbecue it outside in the open! It's fresh, believe me.

There is something for everyone in the Algarve.

So, whether your pleasure is losing those balls in magnificently designed surroundings or soaking up the sun and atmosphere of the real Portugal in charming and authentic locations the Algarve has all you need.

With the advent of the new motorway that was built with EU money much more of Portugal has become accessible. The area that we concentrate on is the Western Algarve. Previously up to a 4 hour drive along the coast from the airport at Faro it is now 45 mins on the motorway.

The area is mainly National Park so any building is very strictly controlled and will never be the concrete jungles of some parts of Southern Spain. The beaches are fabulous and the little fishing villages not much changed over the centuries.

Several marinas have been built together with numerous golf courses and these offer both the holiday maker and the investor excellent opportunities both for capital growth and to capitalise on rentals.

However for me one of the best things about the Western Algarve is WHAT they are building! Having seen tiny apartments on high density complexes and bad quality builds in various parts of the world over the years it is refreshing and exciting to see what is being done here. Great sized apartments, small complexes, year round facilities including heated indoor pools and spas. Modern - even futuristic fixtures and fittings in the properties including installed vacuum cleaner systems, installed sound systems, central heating etc. And this is fairly standard in most builds here.