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    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
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  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore & Diversification

    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

    • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

    Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
  • Conferences

    Upcoming Events

    • Explore Our Events Site

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Greece Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    Learn More About This Event
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    • MORE EVENTS

    Contact Our Events Team

    Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
    1 (888) 627 8834
    From Outside North America:
    1 (443) 599 1221
    Working Hours
    Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

    Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

  • Store

    Unlock The World

    • Access Your Library

    Overseas Havens Reports

    • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

    Conference Kits

    • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

    Lahardan Books

    • Titles on living and investing around the world
    • Explore Our Store
    Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

    Services

    overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
    The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
    Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

    Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

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THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

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Home In Focus: Europe

“It’s All About The Relaxation…” Why This Expat Couple Chose The Eastern Algarve

by Melanie Veah
Mar 13, 2025
in In Focus: Europe, Portugal, Retirement/Living
0 0
loule portugal

“We wanted to retire somewhere where the weather is better… the pace of life is slower… the quality of life is higher…”

As we sit in their quiet, spacious kitchen, Mandy, originally from England, explains why she and her husband, Peter, chose Portugal…

“What brought us to Portugal, initially, was holiday. We’d come here for years, and the whole family loved it.

“We’d pose the question of where to go on vacation to the family and say, ‘Look, we always go to Portugal. Maybe we should try something new.’

“But the rest of the family would respond, ‘Why would we go anywhere else? We love Portugal. We think we should go there…’ which is exactly what we did.”

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Mandy and Peter live in the interior of the Algarve. The closest city is Loulé.

The Algarve is notorious for its long coastline and super-sunny weather… Why would anyone relocate here and not choose to live by the sea?

Mandy says, “We wanted to live here year-round, and we were very aware that the coast could be touristy with lots of holiday-goers. It’s packed out in July and August but empty in the winter.

“Some of the housing complexes are very quiet because people have gone away. We wanted to be somewhere we could live all year with a stable community nearby.

“Also, we wanted to embrace the Portuguese lifestyle and its people.”

“When we used to bring the kids here on holiday, in the evening we would bring them inland and eat where the Portuguese ate. And the kids loved that,” adds Peter.

Mandy continues, “We wanted to be in authentic Portugal rather than on the coast, where you could be anywhere in Europe, really. In July and August, when it’s very busy, you’ve got the option of going down there.

“But at the same time, even during the peak of tourist season, it’s quiet here. It’s bliss.”

“You can easily get around, too. And we really like the people here,” Peter adds. “And it’s less expensive in this area…”

When I ask if they’ve always been the rural types, Peter explains, “We always lived in more rural areas, but our jobs were city-based. Whether it was London or in the London area.”

Mandy adds, “We knew we wanted to be inland. We had been in this area before, as a friend moved here five years before we did. He retired early and introduced us to this area. We looked at quite a few places, actually.”

But what is it about this inland area that draws them in?

Mandy answers, “It’s not too far from civilization if you want it. We’re 3 kms from the nearest town, where you’ve got the post office, a doctor, the supermarket, etc.

“It’s well-situated. We’re near enough to the motorway up to Lisbon, but you’re not affected by all the traffic.”

Peter adds, “We can be most places on the coast in 20 minutes.”

What else makes the inland area so special?

“We love the view here inland, the lifestyle is very relaxing, and it’s not expensive…

“The local people are wonderful, very friendly, and have embraced us. We’ve never had any issues. People couldn’t be more helpful. It’s just very relaxing,” Mandy explains.

Peter adds, “We love the climate. It’s peaceful. It’s the quality of life…

What about the local expat community?

“There are quite a few expats living near us, which surprised us. We just imagined that all the expats would be on the coast.”

“There are a lot of like-minded people… And I think anywhere in Portugal you’ll find expats nearby. But that wasn’t why we chose to be here. It evolved,” says Mandy.

“What do you do in a typical day?” I ask.

Peter chuckles, “I get asked that a lot, actually. It varies quite a bit. We don’t set an alarm clock anymore. It’s all about the relaxation.

“We’ve got the time to do things for ourselves now, and we can do things more thoroughly. We’ve got a garden, which we never had time for before. We go to northern Portugal and Spain, do a bit of traveling…”

Mandy smiles and reminds him, “You do a lot of cooking now, too.” “Which I never did before,” Peter adds as he nods his head in agreement.

“We do quite a lot of walking. We spend time down at the marina. It’s nice; the best of both worlds. You’ve got the coast if you want it, and then, if you want a break, you go to the city.

“We work out, try to keep healthy. Everything is on our doorstep, here. And the great thing is, there aren’t many people or traffic, and most of the roads have been improved.”

Mandy continues, “And we can travel throughout Europe. Everything’s on our doorstep. We’ve just got so much to choose from.

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“We’re enjoying our time, not being up against it, time-wise… doing the things we never had time to do. Then we have the family. We have a lot of visitors. It’s quite busy, but a nice lifestyle,” Mandy adds.

“And I volunteer at a soup kitchen on Sundays.” I nod and laugh in agreement, as that’s how Mandy and I met. I joined the volunteers in the soup kitchen one Sunday, a few years ago…

Was it an easy transition for Mandy and Peter?

“I wasn’t sure how I would adapt, not working with other people daily. But I have adapted, and it’s fine.

Life is so different over here. We spend more time outdoors. Many people play golf, go to the beach… there are so many options,” says Mandy.

“Yes, there are a lot of outdoor activities if that’s what you’re interested in,” Peter agrees. “It’s a healthy lifestyle. It’s a healthy place to live.”

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Melanie Veah

Melanie Veah

Melanie is originally from the Midwestern United States. After deciding to live in Europe, she has spent time living in Spain and now Portugal. She is a freelance writer, thrilled to be living a dream and sharing her adventures with others.

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HOME

Top Countries

  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Panama
  • Belize
  • Colombia
  • Cyprus
  • Mexico
  • France
  • Montenegro

Best For:

  • Health Care Abroad
  • Retirement Living
  • Cost Of Living
  • Investing in Real Estate
  • Establishing Residency
  • Gun Ownership
  • English Speakers
  • Safety
BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

Budgets

How Much Will It Cost
To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
  • La Rochelle, France
  • Mazatlán, Mexico

Luxury

  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • The Panama City Beaches
  • Paris, France

Resources

Global Living

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