EVEN as the United States is struggling from a housing crisis, properties across the Atlantic in Portugal are certainly booming. Portugal, long been relegated as an underdog as compared to Spain when it comes to luring in tourists from other parts of Western and Northern Europe, has now come of age. The country of unassumingly simple folks is now catching up to its neighbor in the Iberian Peninsula down south as far as tourism is concerned. Portugal, a relatively modest country embedded in Catholic values, is slowly opening up the possibility of putting up nudist beaches by the Atlantic.
This is a competition to the many nudist beaches splashed along the Mediterranean coastline of its giant Iberian Peninsula neighbor. Hoteliers have also relentlessly started putting up casinos in Portugal. One of the newest hotel developments in Portugal is the 280 million euro resort in Royal Obidos Golf and Spa Resort along the country’s famous Silver Coast. Aside from the hotel, the development will also witness the rising of five-star apartments and villas in the huge 336-acre seaside campus of the hotel. And here’s the catch – all materials used in the construction are eco-friendly. Portugal is definitely going green this time. There beaches have long passed the blue flag or eco-friendly accreditation of the European Union yet largely unrecognized by fellow Europeans who still favor Portugal. It is hoped that with the opening of this new hotel haven, Portugal will seize the European tourism market from Spain.
Another advantage would be the natural part of it – the climate in Portugal is similar to that enjoyed in Spain. The Mediterranean climate is characterized with a very sunny summer with no precipitation at all and temperatures are just fine for British vacationers at 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. Statistics have further showed that more and more British expatriates, whose demographic range from the 50s to the 60s, prefer a more relaxed life where Portugal is abundant of such as its numerous fishing villages. This is in stark contrast to the crowded and oftentimes noisy beaches in Spain where the crowd of mostly teenagers dominate.
The combination of these factors have contributed much to the burgeoning housing industry in Portugal not affected at all by the ongoing United States mortgage crisis. Many holiday homes have been erected here just to cater to Western tourists who eventually end up buying these homes.
It must also be noted that each industry of a certain economy must be synergistic with one another. Portugal is certainly not an exception. Because of the booming real estate industry in Portugal, lending facilities there have likewise boomed too. In fact, there is a Irish lending venture now starting its business in Portugal with an initial capital of 50 million euros. The plan of the company is to invest all the 50 million euros in commercial properties around Portugal. They will then borrow 150 million euros to gain some leverage in their investment. Since the company plans to go public in Ireland, most Irish people can now gain access to some of the first class hotels in such tourist districts as Algarve or Praia da Luz.
FOR so many decades, Portugal has long been at the shadow of Spain in terms of luring in British tourists and investors. For decades, Spain has consistently making itself the mecca of tourism in this part of Europe. They have built nudist beaches, have improved them in so that waters on its each beach pass sanitation inspections, have built numerous modern structures like the aquatorium in Barcelona, and have restored their historic cathedrals and Moorish mosques all in their Gothic and medieval glory and everything else in between. Portugal on the other hand is situated in the same Iberian Peninsula where Spain is situated. As such, the climate there is equally temperate with that in Spain – also ideal for tourists during summer. But for so many decades, it has always been Spain which is at the forefront of the tourism industry. Not anymore.
Whether because of a still undetermined phenomenon or because of Portugal’s pushy means to advertise itself, about 18,000 British tourists have bought homes in Portugal in 2006 alone. This, from a total of two million British tourists who come here every year. Maybe they have grown tired of Spain and its Ibiza-like techno and house music after all. Maybe they want to go to an alternative unassuming place – a place as attractive as Portugal. Whatever the reasons are, the numbers speak for themselves. Portugal is slowly luring in more British tourists and residents year after year. There are now about 1,000 holiday homes for rent spread throughout Portugal but more so in its Atlantic resorts. These holiday homes are previously purchased by British owners who lease their properties to other vacationers. Some of these owners only occasionally come to Portugal during summer when the temperature is at its warmest at 18 degrees Celsius. But for the rest of the year, they lease these retreat villas to other tourists. For Portugal is ought to be enjoyed not just during summer where Holy Week festivals abound but throughout the year. Consider this 150,000 pound home with six bedrooms. It is a three-level structure already with a garage for two vehicles, balcony, a huge terrace area, central heating and central air conditioning as well, double glazed windows, aluminum doors, a barbecue area and fireplace.
Algarve in particular has carved a name for itself as one of the premier golfing destinations in Europe and can potentially challenge its Spanish competitors. Villas inside those golf and country clubs are priced at 161,000 pounds. Up north in the fishing villages, one can secure an apartment at 51,000 pounds. It’s nice staying in these unassuming villages because you get to eat fresh fish everyday. Just buy from the fishermen and cook the fish the way you like it. Perhaps you can borrow a few Mediterranean recipes down south. But the cheapest properties can be found in Costa Verde. Flats there run to as low as 40,000 pounds for a one-room villa, 60,000 pounds for a two-bedroom apartment and 132,000 pounds for a four-room one.
BECAUSE it is located in the Iberian Peninsula and it hugs the Mediterranean, Portugal already offers five natural features which lure tourists in from other parts of cold Western and Northern Europe. The first feature is the relative warmth of the place with temperatures reaching as high as 18 degrees Celsius.
The second feature is some of the beaches splashed along the 1,793-kilometer Mediterranean coastline are nudist ones but if you one has inhibitions to strip in public, then he or she can easily head off to remote beaches. Just make sure that you are not alone since these outskirts are not usually patrolled by lifeguards. The third feature is the very yummy and equally nutritious Mediterranean seafood. Along with their Spanish cousins to the south, the Portuguese enjoy eating their seafood fresh from the catch.
It’s not a surprise if one sees delivery vans queuing in fish ports waiting for the fishermen’s catch for the day. The fish are immediately delivered straight to the restaurants’ kitchen to be cooked in varied ways. The fourth natural feature in Portugal is skiing at the mountains every winter. Along with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, a Portuguese winter tends to be very cold with temperatures reaching as low as -3 degrees Celsius. People are advised to don layers of clothing during this time. One’s shirt would eventually become his underwear. The fifth Portuguese feature is of course the culture of the place which is equally vibrant with the rest of Europe’s.
Western and Northern Europeans who have decided to stay here for good don’t make decisions overnight. They have stayed here at least two weeks during summer and another two weeks during winter. There are lots of factors to consider before eventually settling here. One is cultural assimilation. One must first undergo a crash course in acquiring Portuguese as a second language. It is not a difficult language to learn because it shares lots of features with its cousin, Castilian. And if one is studying Portuguese in a language school here, the institution has prepared an immersion program for you – meaning, you will be living with a native Portuguese family during the whole six months of the program. During this period, you will eat what your host family is eating and you will view whatever Portuguese TV series they’re viewing. Altogether, it is one enjoyable moment getting along with a foreign family and crashing down a Babel-like situation.
The Portuguese family will tour you around the city where the language school is located (choose Lisbon for being the Portuguese capital, it has a lot of sights to offer). Of course, the expenses that one eventually incurs are charged against his or her tuition. In turn, you will also have to share your language with your host family for they are also likewise enthusiastic to learn your native tongue. Another reason for staying in Portugal before settling here is getting a feel of the country. During summer, you will find lots of noisy teenagers heading by the beach and gyrating to the tunes of house or techno music. But during winter, all of them are gone and all roads lead to the ski resorts by the mountainsides.
