Why Albufeira is a Great Place to Buy a Holiday Home

Buying a holiday home is a way of staking a claim to somewhere that is dear to your heart and it’s often the heart that drives the purchase, rather than the head. Unfortunately, the purchase of an ill-considered holiday home can often cause more distress than delight. Too many people have bought holiday homes which they subsequently find very difficult to visit, very difficult to let and almost impossible to sell. If you’re lucky enough to buy a holiday home in Albufeira you won’t find yourself saddled with any of those problems. Albufeira is the main tourist destination on Portugal’s Algarve coast and the Algarve is one of Europe’s top destinations. Just over half an hour from Faro International Airport, which serves 120 European destinations, popping over from the U.K. could hardly be easier. Easy to visit, easy to let, easy to sell and a cornucopia of entertainment right at your doorstep.

Climate

300 days of sunshine and short mild winters mean that you’ll be able to enjoy your holiday home at any time of the year, that you’ll always be able to let it out and that you won’t spend a fortune on winter heating bills.

Beaches

The 100 plus beaches of the Algarve have earned the accolade ‘the best beach destination in the world’, and this rich variety of beaches certainly means that there’s something to suit all tastes, whether it’s big family beaches with lots of activities or a secluded cove accessed by a goat track. Albufeira is fronted by the sandy expanse of Praia dos Pescadores, but there are plenty of other beaches in the vicinity, including Praia da Marinha, regarded by many as one of the world’s finest beaches.

Things to do

A lifetime of holidays in Albufeira would probably not be sufficient to experience all the things there are to do in and around the town. Albufeira caters for all ages, but it is especially welcoming to families. The beaches are safe and there are plenty of family hotels and when it comes to activities there’s enough variety to exhaust even the most enthusiastic child. There’s a water park, and a marine park and all manner of boat trips can be found at the marina complex to the west of the town. There are world class golf courses and plenty of opportunities for hiking and mountain biking. And when the sun goes down you can choose between the cobbled streets and whitewashed charm of the Old Town, which has around a hundred restaurants and bars, or the all-night party atmosphere of The Street, in the New Town.

An established ex-pat community

Language won’t be a problem and there are plenty of forums and groups to help you find your feet and establish a network of friends.

More affordable than Nice or Madrid

Despite its popularity, Albufeira is considerably les expensive than similar tourist destinations. According to Numbeo, you would need 4,500 euros in Nice to maintain the same standard of living that would cost you 2,610 euros in Albufeira or 3,400 euros in Madrid. Portugal has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe and despite a sustained property boom, real estate in Albufeira remains far cheaper than in comparable European locations.