Category: Algarve and Portugal

A few Interesting facts about Portugal!

Portugal is well ranked of countries that best know English as a second language. Portugal comes in first place in Southern Europe and 18th worldwide

Portugal is well classified in the ranking of countries that best know English as a second language

Portuguese are the best English speakers in southern Europe

FEBRUARY 6, 2018 4:47 PM

With tourism reaching peaks of demand from the all four corners of the world, it is not surprising that Portugal is well classified in the ranking of countries that best know English as a second language. According to the English Proficiency Index prepared by Education First, Portugal comes in first place in Southern Europe and 18th worldwide, set at the “High” level of knowledge of the English language.

Tourism weight in economy increases 47% in eight years

JANUARY 30, 2018 4:45 PM

According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), holidaymakers spent more than €23 billion in Portugal in 2016. Over 28 million visitors entered the country. The number of overnight stays exceeded 144 million. Tourism is growing four times faster than the rest of the Portuguese economy and represents 7% of the gross domestic product.

Lisbon and Porto among the most popular European tourist destinations

JANUARY 16, 2018 4:42 PM

Lisbon was the fifth most popular destination for European holidaymakers in 2017, registering a 17% jump when compared to the year before. Porto came in ninth place, 12% above 2016. Registering a 24% increase, London was the first choice for European tourists, followed by Barcelona, Mallorca and Paris.

Source – Nalle.pt

Strange Aloe type plant near the Villa

In the small lane that leads down to our villa this Aloe type plant is just growing wild at the side of the road. We had never noticed a plant growing there but now it is flowering it is very noticeable, the flowers are opening up from the bottom a few more inches every day. To give a perspective the flowering part is about 6-8 foot long.

We suspect that a seed has been dropped by a bird and taken root. We have not seen one like this on our travels  in Portugal or Spain so wonder if it has come from Morocco and the Sahara. If any one knows more about this mysterious plant please let me know.

The trees in the back ground, by the way, are Cork Oaks. The cork has been stripped off part way up the trunk. When the cork has been stripped the trunk underneath is dark orange but turns black after 6 months or so. The cork will grow back and be ready for stripping again after a minimum of  9 years.

Where is the cheapest place in Portugal to live on a pension?

Portugal has to be one of the most affordable countries in Europe in which to live.

Anywhere away from cities and industry. Small villages and towns that are a few hours drive from major cities will be the cheapest places to live.

Property prices and property taxes in small villages will be low and the cost of food if bought at the local markets low too. Buy what is in season. You may have to make a longer journey now and then to a larger town to stock up on certain items and fill your car up with cheaper gas at one of the supermarkets.Property for sale

Where?

Alentejo villages would be a good starting point, or any village in the North of Portugal, just stay away from the larger towns and cities. If you prefer a warmer climate in winter then the Algarve would be suitable but stay away from the coast and look inland, have a look at places like Alcoutim, Almodovar, Salir, Alte, Ourique, Sao Marcos da Serra, Alferce, Monchique, Marmelete, Aljezur, Rogil, all are within striking distance of larger towns and airports but are clear of industry and heavy tourism, check out this site MonchiquePortugal.info

Shops in MonchiqueStretch your Euros

If you are prepared to live sensibly, grow some of your own fruit and veg, have a few chickens, do without too many trappings you can make a pension go a long way. Much depends on where your pension comes from of course. The one thing that can be costly here are cars both new and used. If you have a fairly new and reliable left hand drive to bring with you then consider doing so and get it “matriculated” here. Portugal has to be one of the most affordable countries in Europe in which to live.

Read Nigel‘s answer to Where is the cheapest place in Portugal to live on a pension? on Quora

The Most Affordable Sunshine in Europe!

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

The vote for Brexit hit British travelers in the wallet, but trips to Portugal soften the blow. Yes, it takes the euro, but the country remains one of the most affordable destinations on the Continent, offering visitors the elegance of Western Europe at Eastern European prices. In fact, in its 2017 Holiday Money Report, the Post Office Travel Money declared The Algarve the cheapest of 44 European destinations. Families can find particular savings in the shoulder seasons, at October half term, for example, when family hotels still have great sports and kids’ clubs, but at lower prices than in the summer months. Why not check out our rates: Villas in Algarve for rent (rates)

Portugal is officially one of the sunniest countries in the world, and at the height of the summer visitors to the Algarve can expect temperatures of 28C and 11 hours of sunshine daily (and about one day per month of rain).

Even if you go for October half term, you are likely to find appealing weather: 22C, with seven hours of sun daily (which beats the 14C and three hours of sunshine you’ll find in Blighty at the same time of year).

May half term is an even better bet: the crowds are fewer, you can expect temperatures of around 25C, and 10 hours of sunshine each day, with little chance of rain. Check out  Algarve weather temperatures and rainfall statistics.

Holiday makers with children are pretty much restricted to school holidays, however the rest of us can pick and choose when we want to go on vacation, often beating the hottest weather in the summer months and the crowds as well. Have a look at our availability and see if there are dates that night suit you. Also look at our special offers you might be in for a bargain.

Travel Magazine

Portugal Property Market Report

Record year for Portuguese housing market on the cards

19-10-2017 Source: http://www.theportugalnews.com

The current year is set to finish with more than 20 billion euros changing hands in real estate transactions across the country.

Record year for Portuguese housing market on the cards

 

The news of the continued growth in the Portuguese property market was revealed this week by the National Real Estate Agents’ Association (APEMIP).
The association said that with this projected growth, the property market will have expanded by 20 percent on last year’s figures.
APEMIP further forecast that this growth will continue for at least the coming two years. It said that the real estate market has received a decisive push through foreign investment, but said that continued growth is now also being supported by the domestic market, with investors cashing in on their bank deposits to invest in the buy-to-let market.
Meanwhile, new figures have show that the building industry has registered growth of over 40 percent.
According to the Pipeline Imobiliário Index, the number of building licences issued between the second quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017 has climbed by 42.7 in mainland Portugal.
The issuing of licences to renovate or rebuild old homes performed particularly strongly, with an increase of just over 68 percent for the period in question.
Meanwhile, official figures out earlier this autumn indicated that the national housing price index has seen property prices rise by eight percent during the second quarter of the year when compared with the same period in 2016. House prices also rose on the first quarter of 2017, with the cost of housing up 3.2 percent.
Figures published by Portugal Statistics (INE) further revealed that new properties continued to report growth, while used properties, while still recording strong increases, slowed during the second quarter of the year.
The INE said that a total of just under 37,000 properties were sold between April and June, which is up 16.1 percent on 2016 and almost five percent above the number registered between January and March this year.
The total value of real estate sold during the second quarter was up 23.3 percent on last year, totaling 4.6 billion euros, of which 3.7 billion euros accounted for used homes.

If this does not tempt you, not sure what will! We invested in Portugal and have seen the value of our property in Monchique increase two fold in the last 12 years, what’s more it serves us as an escape from Canadian winters (snowbirding) and gives a great return on investment in the summer months because we rent it out. Have a look at our rental website and see what we have what our rates and availability are.

Portugal Named World’s Best Golf Destination!

Portugal has been named the World’s Best Golf Destination. The top award was handed out at the 2017 World Golf Awards held at the La Manga Club in Spain. Portugal also won the Best New Golf Course, by West Cliffs Golf Links, Lisbon.

Portugal currently welcomes 420 000 golfers to its 90 courses every year, with 82% of all rounds being played by foreign tourists.Golf 3

Voting for the 2017 awards closed at the end of September 2017 with a record number of ballots cast by leading golf industry tourism professionals. Theses were tallied alongside the votes of hundreds of thousands of golf consumers around the world.

Morgado and Alamos are two new courses just 15 minutes drive from our villa rental , Actually the villa is within an hours drive of almost 40 golf courses, so if an ideal base if you are a golfer!

The best months for golfers, when it is not too hot during the day and the summer madness is over are actually the winter months. It is ideal as the climate is cooler and much more friendly for a round or two. We have many golfing couples that stay at the villa in Monchique and play golf obviously but use the villa as a base for exploring the rest of the Algarve, Alentejo and even Southern Spain. There is so much else to see.

Portugal is the Worlds 3rd Safest Country

Portugal has meanwhile also been rated as one of the top three expat destinations in the world when it comes to the general living experience in the country.

The most peaceful country in the world is currently Iceland followed by New Zealand and then Portugal.

Portugal is becoming one of the most desirable countries in which to have a vacation , holiday home or retire to, safety plays an important role in most holiday makers choice of destination.

The Global Peace Index ranking at the start of autumn 2017 rates Portugal as the third safest country in the world, climbing up from it’s position of 5th in 2016. The Global Peace Index ranks 163 countries according to their domestic and international conflicts, safety and security and degree of militarisation. The most peaceful country in the world is currently Iceland followed by New Zealand and then Portugal. General crime in Portugal has dropped by 21 percent during the last 10 years while serious crimes are down 32 percent.

West coast 1

Top expat destination

Portugal has meanwhile also been rated as one of the top three expat destinations in the world when it comes to the general living experience in the country. (Yougov HSBC Expat, The News)

Come and see for yourself, you will not be disappointed the Algarve has a perfect climate and if you are looking for the perfect place to stay then look no further our own villa rental in Monchique would give you a perfect base to explore the Western Algarve.