Living In Portugal ? Advice Please

The roads aren't anywhere near as good as Spain but the fish is good.

Are you heading for the Algarve?

Where are you now?

 

Goooodmorning Vietnam. Now that's a place I'd like to visit. Probably late afternoon for you.

Faro and the east area can be quite heavily developed. Prefer the west myself.
Lovely beaches and I'll find the name and location of the beach restaurant that served up the best clams in garlic that I've ever had.

 

Subscribing for interest. Maybe I should start another thread around Barcelona!

 

A friend of mine has a place in Cabanas de Tavira. It's inbetween Faro and the Spanish border. Very nice and not as bustling as the area around Albufeira to the west of Faro.

• The area is being developed and you can see changes every year.
• There are a few good golf courses if that's your thing.
• The weather is just right for me, mid 20°s in the summer and never much drops below 10° in the winter. You could definately ride all year round. I've been there in Spring when it's been 15° wearing a T-Shirt and shorts and the locals are wrapped up in wooly coats looking at you as if you are mad.
  
• I can't remember the roads being particularly brilliant, but I haven't ventured far from the beaten track and always used a car.
• The locals are friendly, love the Brits as we've defended then against the Spanish in the past apparently.
• Find yourself a reputable lawyer if you are buying property. My friend had no problem but the English couple in the next apartment decided to have a house built and lost almost everything to an dodgy builder. Buy something already built and use the lawyer to thouroughly check it's legality.

 

you know they speak a funny language??

Last time I went out to the track in Spain, I flew into Faro. I believe I lowered the average age on the plane by a couple of decades. And I was the only male without golf sticks.

 

I've always thought it sounded Russian, it sounds nothing like Spanish. Bloody Johnny foreigners, whey don't they behave themsealves and speak The Queen's English.

 

Just make sure that you move before Brexit as no one knows what will happen afterwards and as the UK closes the doors to other EU nationals, you will find that it will probably happen the other way too.
I know of people who live here in France who are putting houses up for sale and getting ready to move back to the UK because of the uncertain future.
As per usual all the Brexiteers will now come along and profess to know better about the unknown.

 

Isn't it the only European country we've never been at war against ?

 

Well Bob, as a Brexiteer I'm not going to profess to know better about the unknown. I don't know what will happen to foreign nationals living in the UK and UK nationals living in Europe, nobody does yet. I suspect not a lot tbh.

But wouldn't you agree that the people putting houses up or sale and preparing to move back to the UK at this stage are the ones professing to know better, after all they have already made their minds up. It looks like they are jumping the gun just ever so slightly. It doesn't sound like you are packing your bags just yet.

And if you are advising him to move before Brexit, why are people who already live in France preparing to move back? Surely they have already made the move before Brexit?

By the way Bob, this isn't meant to be having a go, I'm thankful for the advice you gave me about living in France and I've stayed away from the most tedious thread in history on here for a while now on this subject, we certainly don't need another.

 

There is one thing that is for certain, and it is something that the vast majority of people who have never lived in another EU country would not know. After Brexit those of us still living here are not going to have our healthcare covered by the UK/EU agreement. Imagine having an accident and breaking a leg and ending up with a hospital bill of a thousand euros, at the moment my contribution would be about 200€, but after Brexit I will have to pay the whole lot.
Something to consider if you intend to relocate.

 

BOB, what's the cost on health care insurance per annum out of interest?

 

I largely meant that Portuguese isn't based on Latin and therefore added a barrier - if you've got Spanish, Italian is easy to pick up and if you've got Italian, Spanish is easy!

Portuguese is something else tho. Weird. If the Romans hadn't stopped in Spain, life would have been so much easier. But, yes, much easier if they spoke English like everyone else

 

Not an easy question. It depends on your age, where you live and what sort of cover you want. For full cover I would expect that the cost will be about the same as my RAF pension.
Had I worked in the French system I would get 60 to 75% covered by the French health system, the same as I do with the UK/EU system at the moment, but if the UK is no longer in the EU then I will get nothing back. I might be able to pay French NI on my RAF pension to stay in the system as now, but that would make life very expensive as I also have to pay UK tax on that pension.
It is very complicated and there are many unknowns and that is the reason that people are getting ready to leave. In my case, UK income tax, French NI (possibly 15%), so far 15% drop in my income because of the pound etc, has made me tighten my belt.
If I have to sell up and move back then so be it, I have had 12 good years, but no-one knows what the future holds.

 

In Portugal you're never more than a couple of gear changes from Spain where the roads are ace. A day out in the Pyrenees and back home in time for a BBQ and a bottle of Duas Quintas? I should say so.

 

I didn't know that had been agreed???

 

Portugeuse is just like Spanish to read so it must be based on Latin. Dead easy to read but impossible to speak or understand the locals!


Just landed back from Porto...(got the washing in, lovely drying day here). The north of the country is far less developed and consequently property prices are much less than the Algarve area.
Although I was only in a 1litre Seat, the roads were pretty good around the Douro valley - the motorway through Peso do Regua was particularly windey and absolutely no traffic.

 

I have frequented the Portugese Midlands many times up until 5 years ago with work.
Some coast roads were fantastic windy things with not one straight for 3 or 4 miles at times. The resorts were mainly used by locals and were unspoilt!
House prices low too.
Locals very welcoming too. Great country all round.

 

Well i'm portuguese and that is completely wrong. Is a latin language with a lot more verb forms. And lot similar with spanish! Best weather all year is in fact algarve best mountain roads is in country center Lousã, Portalegre, etc etc. In algarve you have a lot of sea food and portimao circuit without those ridiculous noise rules.