Buying a house is usually the investment of a lifetime. If you ask a real estate agent what the main quality of real estate is, he will probably sum it up in one word: location. And the answer is not meaningless. In fact, the value of real estate depends on location just as much as it does on the quality of the property itself – its market value, of course. Apart from that, there is also the emotional and practical value.
That’s why when you’re buying a villa or an apartment in a place where the ocean is a distinctive feature, like the Algarve, it’s very important to consider location. In a country like Portugal, where the long Atlantic coastline has some of the best beaches in Europe, you tend to think that the best luxury house has to be facing the sea.
If we think of some of the 16 municipalities that make the south of the country one the most attractive places in the world – like Aljezur, along the stunning costa Vicentina, Tavira, whose Mediterranean diet figures in UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Lagos, connected to the historical Portuguese Discoveries, or Albufeira, considered by the website “Cheerfulway” the best place in Portugal to live in – it’s only natural that we desire the proximity of the sea, given what it offers: from coastal walks anytime of the day to privileged access to fresh fish, among many other advantages.
So, it is a legitimate choice to contemplate a brand new and modern apartment with a seafront terrace or a contemporary house where we can smell the sea. But you can also consider other features, because the Algarve is also Portimão and its Formula 1 circuit, it is also mountains or the Carvoeiro and its fishing village, it’s also Alvor and its aerodrome, it’s golf and the marina, and it is in this environment that you can acquire a luxurious plot area or a country house. And these options don’t take away the sea; actually, they add to it.
Before you buy (or sell) new or restored real estate, one thing that should support your choice is what you intend to do with it. The best suggestion is to start by imagining your daily life: work, family or leisure. Because, if proximity to the beach can be an attractive feature, it is also very important to be near services, shops, cultural centres, restaurants or transports, especially if you have children. On the contrary, if you’re looking for a calm lifestyle and full privacy, being away from all this may be exactly what you want.
In Loulé, there are three mythic places of international reputation – Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, the final two are located in Almancil and can introduce you to a new lifestyle. The so called Golden Triangle of the Algarve is sometimes compared to that of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos and Myanmar). Not because it gathers three countries, but because it assembles three places of unparalleled quality and beauty.
Whatever your choice may be, on the seaside or not, you can never disregard the neighbourhood you’re going to live in, because your safety rests on that; nor can you neglect the views from the windows, since your morning mood depends on that; nor the house’s natural light, given that it’s essential to its preservation; nor the leisure areas, like the garden or the pool, because they enhance your well-being as well as your family’s; nor the surrounding beauty. It’s not just a detail to choose whether to live in an avenue with a huge volume of traffic or in a quiet hill.
So get in touch with a distinguished real estate broker like LUXIMOS Christie's International Real Estate and let us help you find the best option for your life.
