The best of Portugal? It's located north of Lisbon.
Catastrophe avoided!
I'm happy to report that this was the most harrowing moment I faced on a trip to northern Portugal last month. Full disclosure: I fell in love with this region a dozen years ago when I visited for vacation. So when TAP Air
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At least that was the pitch I used to convince my editor that this was a good idea. I also wanted to spend more time outside of Porto to visit smaller cities I had missed on my last trip.
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First things first: Porto. When I was last here, the city had yet to be scrubbed clean of its industrial leanings. I enjoyed the raw energy and edge. It's now more visitor-friendly, but that comes at a cost. I don't recall the São Bento train station having more sightseers than rail passengers, and I don't remember standing in a sinuous line and paying 10 euros ($11) to go into
São Bento train station in Porto sees more tourists than train passengers annually.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
The number of tourists in Porto has yet to reach the same soaring levels as Lisbon, but it is growing significantly. According to the National Statistics Institute, the region saw 7 million visitors in 2024. That's up from 3.7 million in 2019.
This is where the obligatory 'But there's a reason why more tourists are flocking to Porto' sentence should go. Usually, I wouldn't write something so trite, but I'm going to do it anyway. Porto indeed has a lot to see, a lot to hear, and, most importantly, a lot to eat and drink. I had an incredible lunch of traditional Portuguese cuisine at
At
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While Porto has become a major tourist draw, you can still find neighborhoods that time forgot.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
Perhaps my favorite culinary find (bear with me if you've heard this before) is alheira, a sausage that was developed during the 16th century. At the time, the Jewish community in Porto faced pressure to convert to Christianity. To practice their beliefs without fear of questioning from zealots, they created tasty sausages, made from bread, kosher meats, and olive oil. They looked like pork, and their adversaries were fooled. They're so good that they're now a mainstay in Portuguese cuisine. I found my favorites at
St. Lawrence Church in Porto looks barren on the outside, but inside the church, the ceilings and columns are coated with gold, and the baroque altars are full of wooden saints.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
Speaking of cuisine, let's resume the octopus-laden cooking class in Lamego, where our story began. The tiered vineyards of the Douro Valley dominate northern Portugal. Not only is the region boozy, it's also beautiful. I had my heart set on staying in one of the
Much to the chagrin of others in my class, my wine imbibing skills are superior to my cooking skills. However, I did make a killer caprese salad. I found a great hotel nearby. At
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Chef João Faria teaches students how to make a beetroot salad with orange and lime vinagrette in a cooking class at Quinta Da Pacheca in Douro Valley of Portugal.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
Many people come to the Douro Valley as a day trip from Porto. I'm here to tell you that you need more than a day. Especially if the weather is cooperating and you want to take a deep breath and relax. Forget Napa; you can vineyard hop here at wineries that date back hundreds of years, and when you've had enough, you can stretch out on a boat and take a lazy cruise on the river. I booked my river cruise through a company called
Pinhão, a town north of Porto, is an ideal base for exploring the Douro River Valley.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
If you're not keen on renting a car and tour buses give you hives, this entire region is well-connected by rail. I alternated between Uber drivers and trains to get around. The trains are clean, efficient, and inexpensive.
Learn from my mistakes, my friends. If you come here, give yourself time to explore. The cities in northern Portugal may appear small, but they're designed for leisurely exploration. In Porto, you can hit a tidy checklist of sites, but the streets and canals of Aveiro (the Venice of Portugal), Guimarães (the birthplace of Portugal), and Braga (the Rome of Portugal) need to be taken in at a slower pace. Otherwise, you'll miss the best they have to offer.
I came across Aveiro by spreading a paper map in front of me and studying the topographical features of Portugal, something I hadn't done since Columbia House was selling 13 records or tapes for $1. But there it was, a curious place with a lagoon and a series of canals that's just as unique as it sounds. In Aveiro, you can cruise the canals in Moliceiro boats (think of them as Portuguese gondolas), which were used for harvesting seaweed in the 19th century. Now, the boats offer views of the city's unique architecture. The colorful boats of Aveiro merit a story all their own. I took a 45-minute tour through a company called
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São Francisco Church and Convent in Guimarães was founded in the early 15th century by King John I. It's an important example of Gothic architecture with Manueline influences.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
I also didn't spend enough time in Guimarães (sensing a theme yet?), whose city center has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it's brimming with historically important churches, as well as a medieval castle and a palace. It's often called 'the birthplace of Portugal' because the country's first king was born here.
I thought a half-day tour would be enough to see all of Guimarães's highlights. I was wrong. I should know never to underestimate the appeal of beautiful, small European cities.
As I walked through the elongated gardens in front of the elaborate, Baroque Santos Passos Church, I made a mental list of the places I'll visit upon my return.
The gardens leading up to the architecturally opulent Church of Our Lady of Consolation, in Guimarães.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
My final city to explore was Braga, a municipality of approximately 200,000 residents located about 40 miles north of Porto, and also accessible by train. It's best known for the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, a hilltop pilgrimage site that can be reached by a 145-year-old funicular.
After trekking around Braga, I went back to my hotel, the sleek
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Outside my hotel, people were cheering, waving soccer club scarves, and chanting while cars drove by honking wildly. It looked as if the local team had just won the World Cup.
I asked one of the scarf-wavers what was going on, and he explained that Braga had tied with Benfica, a powerhouse team based in Lisbon. Tied? Wasn't this celebration a little over the top for a tie score?
Cut to me sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with soccer fans at
"Half Rabbit" is a giant sculpture made of trash that can be found in Gaia, Portugal.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
Christopher Muther can be reached at
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Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
These border towns in Maine and Canada seemed inseparable. Now Trump and tariffs are putting them to the test.
The international border between Calais and St. Stephen was once little more than a formality between towns entwined by generations of marriage, history, and economics. Now, their relationship is being tested by global politics beyond their influence. Some Canadians here are refusing to cross into America, even to visit longtime friends or to buy cheaper gas and groceries. 'I wouldn't be comfortable crossing,' said Bruce Craig, 73, who handed out Canadian flag pins on the parade route in downtown St. Stephen, within sight of Calais. Border crossings into Calais from St. Stephen began falling in February, after President Trump announced steep 'economic force' if necessary. Advertisement People started on Main Street in Calais, Maine, as they participated in the International Homecoming Festival Parade on Aug. 9. The parade ended across the border in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Canadian flag pins lay on a Liberal party table at the festival in St. Stephen. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff 'There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,' then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said early this year. He encouraged Since March, monthly passenger vehicle crossings from St. Stephen to Calais are down about 30 percent from 2024, according to US Department of Transportation figures. The dropoff is even worse elsewhere along the US-Canada border: Canadian authorities have reported that nationwide, the total number of Canadians returning by car from US trips in June was down 33 percent. Craig is one of the Canadians now refusing to cross into the US, a decision he made out of principle – and some concern about being hassled or detained for his political comments on social media. He's going to great lengths to avoid even stepping foot in America. How great? On a planned road trip this month to see a grandson in southern Quebec, he will not follow his usual route cutting through Maine – a roughly five-hour drive that would mean twice crossing the international border. Instead, he will head north, staying in Canada and motoring the long way around the rounded top of Maine and then back down – a journey that will balloon a half-day trip into two days and require staying in a motel. It's going to be a big inconvenience, for sure, but his national pride is bigger. 'It was the fifty-first state thing, the slap to our sovereignty,' Craig said. 'That punched everyone in the head.' Advertisement It may be hard to find two communities anywhere that have been as closely connected as Calais and St. Stephen, never mind two communities in different countries. People here have long shopped, worshiped, dated, and married across the border. Fans on both sides even cheer for the same sports teams, including the Red Sox and Bruins. Residents of the towns 'blithely tangle up their transborder economic and social lives without thinking twice about it,' a Saturday Evening Post reporter observed in 1946. The precursor to the towns' Bob Treworgy, of Calais, was elected to serve mayor of both Calais and St. Stephen for a week in 1961. The event, called Frontier Week, was the predecessor to the current International Festival. Courtesy of St. Croix Historical Society The 1961 event also featured Red Sox great Ted Williams, who played in the international softball game and competed in the fishing derby. Courtesy of St. Croix Historical Society Today, if you spend any time speaking to people in either town about their shared history, you will hear the gunpowder story. The flourishes change from person-to-person, but the basic thrust is this: During the War of 1812, when Calais and St. Stephen were technically enemies, St. Stephen gave their gunpowder reserves to their friends across the river in Calais, so the Americans could properly celebrate the Fourth of July. The point of the story is not the facts, which may be apocryphal, but the truth beneath them. For hundreds of years, the towns have been inextricably connected. Take Johnny Chambers, 50, who says his family has been here for five generations. He was born in Calais, lives in St. Stephen, and serves as the pastor of Common Ground Church of God, which sits in Calais. His wife is from St. Stephen. His parents live in Calais and own an inn in St. Stephen. He has a brother in Calais and a sister in St. Stephen, who in turn owns a business in Calais. Advertisement 'We're all a bunch of half-breeds up here,' he said. Chambers crosses the border multiple times a day, he said, for work, for banking, for fun. To keep himself on track, Chambers keeps his wristwatch set to Eastern time, for when he's on the American side, and his phone to Atlantic time, for when he's in Canada. It's confusing and yet he loves it. 'What they say – 'two communities, two towns, and one heart'– is very, very true,' he said. Though there have been articles in the Canadian press about Canadians detained at the US border, Chambers says the border has also been a magnet for social media misinformation. He has taken it upon himself to be a voice of reassurance for concerned friends – no, you're not going to be charged a fee to enter the US, he tells them, and no, the Customs and Border Protection officers are not going to tear your car apart conducting a search. Chambers is confident that the vast majority of Canadians in the area still have no problem crossing into the US, though those who won't make a lot of noise. It perhaps hasn't helped international relations that Calais, like almost all border towns in New England, voted for Trump in 2024. 'There are some people who hate the Orange Man – that's what they call him – and some who don't,' he said. 'I can tell you, it is difficult as a patriotic American to listen to Canadians bang on about American politics. Because they live under the umbrella of freedom and security provided by America.' Advertisement Runners passed a pair of US Customs and Border Protection officers during a 5-mile race that crosses the border twice. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Calais and St. Stephen aren't rich places, and businesses in each town depend on border-crossing customers. Calais, population of about 3,100, has a median household income of about $48,650, some $25,000 below the Maine statewide average. Many locals work in the service industry, in health care, or at the paper mill in nearby Baileyville. The cost of living is low: if you can make $50,000, one man said, you can live a decent life. But without through-traffic to and from Canada, Calais would be a poor town at the end of a dead-end road, as one American businessperson put it. When the international parade seemed in danger of being canceled this year, it was small business owners who rallied to help save it. The parade began under a beating sun in the parking lot of a Calais motor inn, about a mile from the border. It included classic cars, floats advertising local companies, an ancient fire truck with a motor that wheezed and coughed, and members of a Canadian ATV club on their tricked out machines, some decorated in the theme of the Minecraft video game. A US border officer in her black uniform ran alongside the parade handing out candy and tiny American flags to kids. Along Main Street, the procession passed Jan McPhee, 72, of Calais, holding a sign at the curb that read: 'We love you! Canada Thank U 4 coming.' 'I have good friends over there and they are not coming over,' McPhee said of her St. Stephen pals, her voice thickening with emotion. She is 'embarrassed and heartbroken' by the Trump administration's provocations toward Canada, but feels powerless to do anything about it. Advertisement 'It's particularly hard for people on the border because we have more connections than people from, like, the Midwest,' she said. 'We see it, we feel it, we're sad about it.' At one point, a woman passing in a parade float spotted McPhee's sign and jumped down, running over to hug McPhee like a long lost friend, though they'd never met. 'Thank you for bringing the sign,' the woman said. In downtown Calais, the parade passed a table of laser art on birch and maple boards, by Bob Fitzsimmons, 61, a retired Baileyville chief of police. He, too, grew up in a blended family: A dad from Maine and a mom from New Brunswick. Baby Miss International Rylee Holmes took part in the festival in St. Stephen. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Dallas Murray (right) took a sip of water as he competed in Jo's Pizza Eating Contest during the festival (he'd place second). Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Fitzsimmons said he and his buddies, from both Calais and St. Stephen, talk border politics all the time. 'Some messages could be better said with sugar than a kick in the butt,' he said. 'We've been not only neighbors but families for generations. To have the US kick our friends and pull the rug out, it's disheartening.' Several Calais residents said they have noticed fewer Canadian license plates outside their bigger retailers, such as Walmart, where American and Canadian flags still hang from the ceiling inside. Local news organizations published stories this spring about the economic hit to Calais businesses. As the parade turned toward the river, it passed Jo's Diner & Pizzeria, one of the first businesses you encounter when crossing from Canada into the US. The restaurant's owner, Tim Crowe, emceed the International Festival's pizza-eating contest (medical personnel stood by in case it turned into a Heimlich-maneuver contest). Crowe has run the restaurant for about 16 years. He's cautious about saying anything disparaging that could offend a customer – people of all political persuasions and national allegiances buy pizza. Or at least they used to. He acknowledged business is down about 20 percent, due to Canadians staying on their side of the border. 'It gets worse depending on the news cycle,' he said. Pizza sales fall when harsh words are exchanged between Washington and Ottawa. When the rhetoric calms down, the numbers begin to tick back up, as Crowe waits nervously for the next clash. He just has to watch the morning news to anticipate the effect on his business. 'I think the only people who are experiencing this are the border towns.' On the St. Stephen side of the border, the parade floats traveled parallel to the river for more than half a kilometer, past a sports bar with a wall mural of Boston Bruins general manager and former player Don Sweeney, the pride of St. Stephen. (Sweeney recalls attending the International Festival with family throughout his childhood, he said through a Bruins spokesman.) Tracey Matheson, of St. Stephen, said she is among those who no longer cross the border to shop. 'It sucks because we like our deals over there,' she said. She empathizes with Calais business owners, but how else can ordinary Canadians take a stand against American government policy? 'What you're doing is wrong and there has to be consequences. 'We're Canadians,' she said, 'we love everybody, but don't [expletive] with us.' After the curse word slipped out, she covered her mouth with a hand. 'Oooo! I mean don't mess with us.' Throughout Canada, companies are trying to cash in on the wave of nationalistic feelings, pushing their Made-in-Canada bona fides, said JP Lewis, a professor of political science at the University of New Brunswick Saint John. It's already proving to be effective. The CEO of the big-box retailer The Canadian government, Lewis said, is also encouraging Canadians to keep their money at home by reducing trade barriers between provinces. On Aug. 1, the toll on the Confederation Bridge connecting New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island was slashed from $50.25 to $20, making it cheaper for Canadians to enjoy their own Atlantic coast, rather than vacationing in the US. The American side is feeling the squeeze. Last year, some 800,000 Canadian visitors spent almost $500 million in Maine, according to the state's Office of Tourism. Governor Janet Mills People on the Canadian banks of the St. Croix River watched fireworks shot off from the Maine side. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Vicki Hogarth, a Canadian journalist covering the festival with CHCO-TV, a community television station in nearby St. Andrews, New Brunswick, said that the conflicts with the Trump administration are a coming-of-age moment for a country that has long been cast as understudy to the US star on the world stage. 'Before this we didn't really have the best idea of a Canadian identity,' she said. 'When you have these moments when you're being threatened, it was impressive that we could rise to the occasion. It is a really interesting moment to be a Canadian.' Around the corner from the Don Sweeney mural, 33-year-old Michael Jacobs helped staff the welcome tent for Canada's Liberal Party, which rode anti-Trump sentiments to an election victory in the spring. 'President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us,' Prime Minister Mark Carney said in his victory speech. 'That will never ... ever happen.' To Jacobs, who grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, about 90 minutes north of St. Stephen, it's all quite sad. 'Atlantic Canadians and New Englanders are so similar,' he said. He recalled his many vacations to the US – to Camden, Maine, Bar Harbor, and Boston. 'Every year our back-to-school shopping trip was to Freeport' – the Maine outlet store haven. 'I can't wait to go back to New England. We love America. We love visiting.' Just not right now. Out of principle and national pride, Jacobs said he won't cross the border until a new US president is in office. 'The alternative,' he said, 'is me giving tacit permission' for Trump's policies. 'Any Canadian who grew up along the border has fond memories of going to the US, and we look forward to making more memories – when the time is right.' Mark Arsenault can be reached at
Business Upturn
a day ago
- Business Upturn
Kamat Hotels signs second North Goa property under IRA by Orchid brand
By Aman Shukla Published on August 19, 2025, 12:08 IST Kamat Hotels (India) Limited (KHIL), a pioneer in eco-friendly hospitality, has announced the signing of its second property in North Goa under the 'IRA by Orchid' brand. The new hotel, set to open by September 30, 2025, will further strengthen KHIL's presence in one of India's most loved travel destinations. The upcoming IRA by Orchid Hotel – North Goa will feature 43 stylish guest rooms, a swimming pool, banquet hall, all-day dining restaurant, and a modern health club. With its signature Orchid hospitality, the property aims to offer guests a perfect mix of leisure, comfort, and convenience. North Goa continues to be a favorite spot for both Indian and international tourists, known for its lively beaches, Portuguese heritage, vibrant markets like Anjuna and Mapusa, and serene stretches such as Vagator and Morjim. By adding this property, KHIL looks to cater not only to leisure travelers but also to event guests seeking premium hospitality in Goa. Vithal Kamat, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, stated, 'We are delighted to announce our new hotel in North Goa, a destination that holds immense potential for hospitality and tourism. This will be another milestone in our growth journey under the IRA by Orchid brand, and we remain committed to offering eco-friendly, world-class hospitality experiences to our guests across India.' Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Soaring Towards Algarve's New $50 Million Trophy Property Benchmark
Landing at Faro Airport at dusk. The welcoming glow of the Western Algarve is now more accessible, with a new direct route from Newark Liberty International. ©Jose A Constantino/Shutterstock It's exactly 60 years ago this summer that Portugal's Algarve coast dug its touristic toes into the sand for the first time. The unveiling of Faro airport in July 1965 opened the floodgates for the first charter flights. New roads and hotel resorts followed. Gradually, this southern Portuguese coastline of remote fishing villages and beachfront land too salty to farm began to garner a fond international following—especially among holiday home-buying Brits who liked a spot of warm winter golf. The Algarve coastline is one of the most distinctive in Europe, its eastern and central stretches characterized by tropical-looking sand-barrier islands separated from the mainland by the dazzling Ria Formosa natural park. The wilder West, meanwhile, is marked by vast, primeval cliffs that drop into an unforgiving ocean. And now it's the turn of American house-hunters to tap into the outdoor joys of living in Europe's western-most coast (just think of the sunsets)—with a new tier of super-prime property to attract them, some at prices even more eye-watering than a face full of Atlantic seawater. Faro's Ria Formosa Natural Park stretches 60km (37 miles) along the Algarve coast. You don't even need to squint to see the flamingos, crabs and oystercatchers. The European chameleon may prove more elusive. ©Kristof Bellens/Shutterstock The new United Airlines route between Newark Liberty International Airport and Faro Airport has piqued the curiosity of East Coasters. 'It removes a layer of travel complexity and opens up the Algarve as a viable second-home market for U.S. buyers,' comments Christina Hippisley from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK. This Iberian nook is often described as 'the Hamptons of Portugal,' sharing the same heady mix of utter luxury for the trophy-hunting 0.1% alongside the simple pleasures of watching flamingos strutting along the salt pans and the scuttling crabs revealed by the receding tide in the Ria Formosa. The Algarve's resort-cum-curated town of Vilamoura is turning the heads of relocating American families with top schools, healthcare and its world-class marina. ©Sopotnicki/Shutterstock But buyers from Silicon Valley to Texas are also eyeing up the Algarve in greater numbers than ever before. In Vilamoura—which, at nearly 2,000 hectares, including five golf courses, Portugal's largest marina and 2km (1.25 miles) of beach frontage among its attractions, is too big to call a resort, more a curated town. One tech entrepreneur from San Francisco calls out 'the golf, marina, top-tier healthcare and schools' as the impetus for relocating his family there in recent months. More are sure to follow as Vilamoura, soon to turn 60 years old, continues to grow and go upmarket, including with a new country club where membership will be available only to an 'inner circle' of property buyers. 'Demand from the U.S. has grown significantly, with many American buyers viewing Portugal as a viable 'Plan B' destination,' comments Mariana Rodrigues from Portugal Forbes Global Properties . 'They tend to range from their late 30s to early 60s—often professionals, entrepreneurs or executives who can work abroad remotely for U.S.-based companies. And who are drawn by the quality of life, political stability and international school options within the Golden Triangle,' she says of the prime central Algarve equilateral with the resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo as its base. Demand from the U.S. has grown significantly, with many American buyers viewing Portugal as a viable 'Plan B' destination. Mariana Rodrigues, Portugal Forbes Global Properties At the heart of the Algarve's Golden Triangle, Aquadar is an ambitious architectural landmark scheduled to complete in 2026. On the marketing for €45 million / $52.5 million with Francisco Garcia of Portugal Forbes Global Properties. Portugal Forbes Global Properties (render) Developers are dipping their own toes in the water with new mega-sized one-off villas—some like mini-resorts in their own right—whose marketing price tags break the €40 million ($46m) threshold. 'Nothing has sold here at this price before,' comments Francisco Garcia, partner at Portugal Forbes Global Properties, who is marketing one of these gargantuan new trophy homes: an angular, ultra-modern, 3,000-square-meter villa called Aquadar. Currently under construction, the property will sit within its own 13-hectare 'private forest' between Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo. Garcia is confident that someone will be willing to pay its €45 million ($52.7m) asking price as it nears completion. 'The strength of the U.S. market will help that happen,' he adds. When completed, Aquadar will cover around 2,300 square meters (nearly 25,000 sq ft), set in 13 hectares of private forest. Portugal Forbes Global Properties (render) Such passion projects, as Garcia describes Aquadar, exist mainly within the Golden Triangle, and it's almost unheard of to find a plot of this size there. 'It takes years of joining pieces of land together, persuading different owners to sell, which they rarely want to, even if you offer them significant money,' he says. Aquadar's Dutch developer, Nico Van Wanrooij, founder of developer Fastrooij—whose projects, says Garcia, have become a reference for super-prime property in Portugal—can also lay claim to the crown jewel, price-wise certainly, in Quinta do Lago. There's stiff competition. High-profile architects such as Vasco Vieira (see his monumental Villa Zen, on the market for €22 million/$25.7 million) and Joao Cabrita are among those designing the next generation of mansions on the resort, which itself has become an architectural showcase for super-prime luxury. Villa Zen's bold contemporary lines are representative of the Algarve's new wave of ultra-modern architecture, especially in evidence in Quinta do Lago. Portugal Forbes Global Properties But Fastrooij's Villa Soprano, which is being marketed off-plan for €42.5 million ($49.7m), has a frontline plot on the Ria Formosa estuary that eludes any other home in Quinta do Lago. And the resort 'still has space to have a nice journey,' says Garcia, referring to the potential for Quinta's prices to rise further, due to a lack of buildable land and high demand from international UHNW buyers. Prices are now around €14,000 (~$16,000) per square meter for the prime villas, an increase of somewhere between 10% and 30% in the last year, depending on which source you believe. The direction of travel, however, is clear. Newly constructed, Villa Zen is a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom villa designed for immersion into the Quinta do Lago lifestyle: sun, fitness, golf and nature—with all the domestic amenities for year-round family living. Portugal Forbes Global Propeties The ditching of Portugal's Golden Visa for property buyers (which gave residency in return for a minimum €500,000 investment) and the tax-friendly Non-Habitual Resident scheme, for those who spent more than half the year there, seems to have done little to dent demand from ultra-wealthy overseas buyers. 'The Golden Visa remains a compelling route through fund-based options, alongside a range of flexible D-visa pathways that continue to make Portugal an attractive and accessible choice for international buyers,' comments Chitra Stern, CEO of Martinhal Hotels and Resorts. Stern and her husband, Roman, took a punt on out-of-the-way Sagres, a sleepy surfer town in the Western Algarve, in recession-mired 2010, and turned it into a holiday destination for wealthy, worn-out parents with the beachfront Martinhal Sagres resort. Resale properties there guarantee a €20,000 annual return and 10 weeks personal usage. Now they are turning their attention to the popular seaside village of Luz, where their new project, Martinhal Residences Praia da Luz, provides a more urban setting—strollable to shops, restaurants and golden sands—for year-round living. Pivotal to the charm of the Western Algarve is the connection with nature and tradition: clifftop walks, buying your fish straight from the boats on the beach, coffee with a custardy pastéis de nata in a shady square. Farther west, 40% of buyers in the new Salema Beach Village development are from the U.S., drawn by the relative value for money and the sense of escape from global turmoil in this remote, edge-of-the-continent location. Pivotal to the charm of the Algarve's western coast are the simple pleasures: clifftop walks, buying your fish straight from the boats on the beach, coffee with a custardy pastéis de nata in a shady square. American hotel brands are also reeling in interest from across the ocean and providing a novel proposition for HNW buyers. Viceroy at Ombria Algarve—an inland resort whose golf course snakes along a rural valley near Loulé—is an exquisitely designed modern interpretation of a traditional hilltop village. Its crisp white buildings, serviced by a five-star hotel, conceal branded, fully-furnished properties that offer owners 70 days' use per year—appealing to those 'Plan B' buyers who aren't ready to make a full-time jump just yet. The rest of the time, they generate income by sitting in the Viceroy's rental pool. 'Some long-distance buyers have never used their property,' comments João Costa, Ombria's Chief Commercial Officer, of the resort that has taken 20 years to come to fruition. 'They are looking to resell in five or 10 years, and some of those who bought when the project first launched have seen prices double in five years.' The 18-hole golf course and properties at Ombria Algarve, which currently includes the Viceroy residences (right) and the dozen in-development Alcedo Villas, ranging from 3 to 7 bedrooms. Ombria Algarve Future phases of large, detached villas will have no restrictions on usage, for those looking to capitalize on the sense of tranquility and security that a high-end resort in the Algarve's (relative) wilderness offers. There's also a big focus at Ombria on sustainability: the resort relies on carbon-free geothermal energy systems buried 165 feet below ground. 'Most of our buyers are thinking of the future value of the property—their exit strategy—and know that sustainability features will be crucial,' says Costa. Beyond invisible geothermal systems, all eyes are on just who the Algarve's first 50-million-dollar buyers will be—lifestyle-focused investors prepared to pay handsomely for the way this coast does the simple things in life, in style. Portugal Forbes Global Properties is a member of Forbes Global Properties, the invitation-only network of top-tier brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real-estate partner of Forbes.
