About Portugal

     Good things come in small packages and, at only 560km by 220km, Portugal is a small country with a lot to offer. Portugal is situated on the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Spain, and its 800km of coastline all face the Atlantic.

     The beaches along much of this coastline are sandy and very popular, with surfers from all over the globe coming to take advantage of the huge waves.

     Whether you are planning a holiday in Portugal or looking to buy property there, you will have lots to keep you occupied during your stay. Portugal was a hugely wealthy country about five hundred years ago when its maritime discoveries brought riches to the Iberian Peninsula. However, the Age of Discoveries ended along with the sixteenth century and Portugal slowly became a remote place compared to much of Europe. After the 1974 Revolution and then its membership to the EU in 1986, Portugal started to pick up where it left off four hundred years previously, and today it is recovering nicely from its obscurity.

     What this period of relative obscurity means is that much of Portugal remains as it may have been two hundred or more years ago. There are many beautiful buildings to visit that were created during the Age of Discoveries that have not been knocked down to make room for high-rises, and lots of quaint villages that hardly seem to have noticed the onset of the 21st century.

     The large towns and cities, on the other hand, are thoroughly modern and places such as Lisbon and Porto are undergoing much regeneration.

     Sport is an important feature of Portuguese life, with football being the most popular sport in the country. For tourists, however, golf is the sport that immediately springs to mind. There are plenty of excellent golf courses in Portugal, especially in the Algarve where you can often combine sea views, sunshine and a round of golf quite happily.

     Another reason for visiting Portugal is that it seems a lot cheaper than places in Northern Europe. Here you can dine in style for €20 and find accommodation for even less. Flights to Faro are getting cheaper rather than more expensive as the major airlines battle with their budget competitors. This, combined with the 3000 hours of sunshine that some regions get every year, really makes Portugal the ideal place for a visit, no matter how long you stay.

ALGARVE - one of Europe's favourite holiday destinations well known for glorious year round sunshine and excellent sandy beaches

     Gorgeous beaches, warm water and glorious sunshine year-round, Algarve is the dream holiday.

     Situated on the extreme South of Portugal, this part of the territory was the last to be conquered from the Moors by the Portuguese king Dom Afonso III, in 1292. Traces of the Moorish presence are still seen in its unique terraces, chimneys and whitewashed houses.

     However, the distance that was difficult to cover back in the 13th century is no longer an obstacle thanks to the modern highway and coastal road and Faro international airport. So why not visit this charming region, with its idyllic temperatures (average temperature in winter of 14°C and 24°C - 57°F and 75°F - in summer, rarely going below 12°C - 53°F- during winter and reaching as high as 28°C or 30°C - 82°F or 86° F - in July and August), which are ideal for playing golf and other sports.

     The northern part of Algarve, with its fig trees, orange groves and almond trees in blossom, is also the most verdant and fertile. The southern coastline consists of a long stretch of fabulous sandy beaches, broken up by extraordinary rugged red cliffs and fantastic grottoes.

     Apart from the wealth of available water sports facilities (the marinas of Vilamoura and Lagos deserve special mention, amongst the various ports and harbours), there are other alternatives, such as tennis courts, famous golf courses, luxury hotels or quaint holiday resorts and an exciting nightlife.