Chris and Paul Norman recently bought a lovely bijou villa property in East Algarve that was for sale through Manorpark Properties. In the rolling inland hills, their new home is like a little castle, perched atop a hilly knoll, with the most spectacular panoramic view down to the coast.

But this wasn’t their first experience of buying property abroad. In 1995 they retired to Tenerife in the Canary Islands where, to satisfy their golfing passion, they bought a property on a golf resort. Life there was good, but seven years later family circumstances brought them back to the UK. Nonetheless, it was only a matter of time before the lure of the sunshine lifestyle proved irresistible and they began to plan a second move overseas.

They decided against a return to Tenerife, the ‘island of eternal spring’ as it’s known, as they missed the sense of seasonality - “although not the English seasons!” she quickly added.
“We also found property in Tenerife to be quite expensive, plus the fact that it’s quite a long haul to travel back to the UK to keep in touch with family and friends. So we began looking at
possibilities closer to home and better value-for-money.”

At first they took an interest in the Costa de la Luz in Spain, just over the Algarve border; but after attending a Manorpark Properties ‘seminar’ event in England, their attention switched
to the East Algarve. They visited Tavira and were instantly charmed by the picturesque town - and with help of Manorpark’s Tavira office they began to look around.

Property For Sale East Algarve – Manorpark Properties

Golf being such a key activity in their lives, their first concern was to identify a locality with a course that they liked. Diana Monteiro, Manorpark’s Tavira branch manager, was happy to show the couple around the courses in the area. “She was so helpful” says Paul, “Extremely professional and nothing was too much trouble. Apart from familiarising us with the area, she made sure we had a thorough understanding of the purchase process in Portugal, plus other practical aspects that differ from what we were used to in Tenerife.”

On visiting Benamor just outside Cabanas, they found a super golf course and a club run in a way that appeals to them. “Also” Chris adds, “we found the prices to be very comparable to UK, contrary to what we’d heard, that golf in the Algarve is expensive.”

She recalls wryly: “We actually came out with two friends who were also interested to move away from UK. I suppose they felt our previous experience abroad would be useful. My main advice was obvious enough - never to buy the first place you’re shown - but you can
guess what happened: that’s exactly what we did. We were shown this villa and it was love at first sight!”

“Ironically” adds Paul, “we were originally looking for a penthouse-type property or large apartment with a good sea-view - but look what we found instead for our money: a detached villa with a 360-degree panorama - it’s like being on top of the world! And the peace and quiet is simply stunning.”

Chris is a qualified fitness/yoga instructor and, once settled into their new life she aims to take this up again. At the moment she’s looking for a reasonable venue in the locality or in Tavira to start up some classes. “So, if any of your readers in East Algarve can help, maybe you could give this a mention?” So here you are, Chris - we’re pleased, as ever, to be of assistance!

This article first appeared in ClearView magazine issue #11 (Winter 2006/07). The information it contains was accurate at the time of going to press.

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