# i will try again!!



## scotcheddiemarble (Jul 27, 2010)

i was very disappointed in only receiving 2 replies to my post,tough i sincerely thank derek and silvers for taking the time.Surely out of all of the members ,there must be more people in a posistion to offer an opinion on where to settle in a good town,with a expat community wether it be TOMAR,ALGARVE or somewhere along the SILVER COAST.thanks eddie


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## silvers (Sep 22, 2008)

Me again,
sorry.
I really think you need to come over for a visit, what I love, you may not. I couldn't live inland, the temperature is too severe for me and I would melt quicker than the wicked witch of the West. You however may prefer the idylic views and unspoilt countryside that goes with it. 
I went to the Algarve for a week to see if I liked it, I was back in three days, I strongly disliked it, but again, that's just me, you may love it.
If you visit the Silver coast, I will give you a free tour of the area and I am sure that Derek will do the same in Tomar.
Whatever you decide, good luck.

p.s. We now have two Irish bars, Guiness isn't cheap though.


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## nelinha (Jan 15, 2009)

Cascais is very nice if you like an urban environment, although we have the Serra de Sintra about 15 minutes from Cascais. There is a strong english speaking community here and most of the locals can communicate in english. We also have two irish pubs, O'Neils and the Irish pub, but I usually go to Beefeater. Unfortunately it has just been sold to a Pt/Spanish guy so I don't know how long it will keep its english traditions. I agree with Silvers, you must visit the country to get your own feel for it. There is also a good community at Marinha Grande, there is someone in the forum that lives there, they will be able to give you more info. Best of luck, Nelinha


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

We house hunted originally in the Algarve but in the end settled on the Silver Coast area. Prices vary a great deal between the Silvercost/Tomar and the Algarve. We choose to live near a working town and are 7kms from Rio Maior, 20 kms from Caldas da Rainha.

But as Silvers said YOU have to come and look around for YOURSELF. It is not something that can be done online. 

Perhaps there were no answers to your original post as most would say the same thing. COME AND LOOK and then you choose


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## loonytoon (Feb 11, 2009)

scotcheddiemarble said:


> i was very disappointed in only receiving 2 replies to my post,tough i sincerely thank derek and silvers for taking the time.Surely out of all of the members ,there must be more people in a posistion to offer an opinion on where to settle in a good town,with a expat community wether it be TOMAR,ALGARVE or somewhere along the SILVER COAST.thanks eddie


ditto to what's been said - come over and look but if it is a strong expat presence you want and money isn't a great issue then the Algarve has to be one of your first visits followed by the Silver Coast. both of these areas offer a choice of 'good' towns, countryside or coast. 

'Good town' actually means nothing - they all have their good and bad points (like every town in the world) and only you can decide which outweighs the other. the biggest problem with your original question (and probably the reason you got so few replies) is that it is too vague - matters of personal taste are just that. visit the places and narrow your search to one (or at most, two) areas then ask the question. i suspect you will be inundated with replies if you do.

jeff


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## omostra06 (Sep 11, 2007)

If you can afford the time to do a bit of a tour, then its by far the best way to figure out what you like and dont like about the regions of Portugal, before making any long term decisions about places to live.

Personaly, when we chose portugal to settle and buy some property we spent a full 6 months touring the country before making up our minds on where to settle. we spent two or three days in a town, village or city then moved on, from the Algarve to the far north. anywhere we liked was added to a list to revisit, we then narrowed it down (after 6months) to the region between Tomar and Abrantes, right next to the 40 mile long lake of castello do bode.

I do like to do indepth research before making big decisions, we spent one and a half years previous to moving to portugal touring 20 something countries looking for a nice country!

To be near a "real town" was very important, too many of the tourist towns close up for the winter and make life a bit rubbish out of season, so somewhere that is open all year and not dependant totaly on tourism should always be a better choice for good quality of life, with lots to do and see.

Thinking about the weather too is important, for me coming from Scotland i didnt want to move abroad and then be scrapping ice off my car windscreen in winter, i didnt want snow or mountain mist dampness, so for me i would not live any further north than say Penela as its a lot colder in winter than where we live.

Think about access to airports if that is important to you for coming and going or for picking up freinds and family. one hours drive is good, much further and it gets a bit boring after a while.

If you need to work to live in Portugal then this should be the biggest thing that makes you chose one place over another, there is work around, plenty of opportunities for anyone with even the smallest entrepreneurial tendancies but the the language will be the biggest hurdle to overcome.

hope this helps


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## b7fry (May 25, 2010)

scotcheddiemarble said:


> i was very disappointed in only receiving 2 replies to my post,tough i sincerely thank derek and silvers for taking the time.Surely out of all of the members ,there must be more people in a posistion to offer an opinion on where to settle in a good town,with a expat community wether it be TOMAR,ALGARVE or somewhere along the SILVER COAST.thanks eddie


We have a house in a small village less then 2 miles from Luz, haven't moved full time yet ( house is on market ) but we have wonderful neighbours, 4 out of 6, british, its great, looking forward to moving over. Lagos is our nearest large town, very pretty and less than 10 mins by car and the bus service is brilliant. I'm sure there will be lots we will miss in England but up to now the people in our little village are very friendly and welcoming, portugese and english.


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## PETERFC (Apr 3, 2009)

*Reply*

There is no easy answer to what you want. 

Book a flight and stay in somewhere and each day drive out in each direction and explore the surrounding area.

If that does not bring up something you like book another flight. There is no easy option. Every member has somewhere they think is the perfect place to move to.

So do not blame members for not being helpful, the choice is down to you.

Do a wish list of your wants and needs and also a list of what you do not want. 

It's all down to hard work and making use of the Forums.

Peter


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## scotcheddiemarble (Jul 27, 2010)

thanks b7fry,it sounds ideal where your going.In the algarve lagos and nearby areas will be places that i would be checking out.Thanks


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## b7fry (May 25, 2010)

scotcheddiemarble said:


> thanks b7fry,it sounds ideal where your going.In the algarve lagos and nearby areas will be places that i would be checking out.Thanks


You're welcome, we hope to be moving over permanently soon. We have been going to Portugal for the last 20 odd yrs starting in Albufeira and gradually going further West, we love it where we are, 50 mins from Faro, lots of supermarkets plus a local village market every morning for veg and fresh fish. About 50 mins is Aljezur, totally different coast line and fabulous beaches, check it out when you're over. Like everyone on here says, we all like and want different things in life, we hope that we've made the right , so far I think we have. Enjoy wherever you end up. Good luck to you
Jean.


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