Mood:  happy

People often ask us "So what´s it like to live in the Golden Triangle?" Well, the answer is that it is pretty much like living anywhere else once you settle in - with a few important differences.

Number one is the weather - and that, more than any other factor, is probably what draws most people here.  There is the safety aspect too and the superb sports facilities - but more on that later.

So here we are in what is affectionately called "The Golden Triangle" - no, we are not knee deep in opium dens .. geographically, the bottom of the triangle starts at Vale do Lobo - extends in pretty much a straight line along the coast to Quinta do Lago and the peak of the triangle is the small town of Almancil - that is the hub of the "Golden Triangle" the most exclusive and best part of the Algarve for a fabulous holiday or to buy your dream home.

 Now back to the weather, in the winter we do get rain and even frost some mornings, yes we get ice on the greens of the golf courses occasionally, but it´s rare enough to be subject of clubhouse chat - we don´t have weeks and weeks of miserable weather, blizzards or snow - disruption of rail/air services etc.  This winter for example, we had almost no rain between October and February - most days were clear and sunny and even up to around 20 deg.C by mid-day.  Winter is a great time to play sport, go walking or take a beach lunch at one of our fabulous beach restaurants.

It´s safe here too - the kids get out and play outdoors with other kids - they start learning sport at around 4 years and enjoy the excellent facilities all over the place for teaching and playing.  Expat. children usually go to one of the three excellent international schools in the area where they enjoy a curriculum based on the international or English system but also learn Portuguese as well.  Some go to the local Portuguese state schools where they become bi-lingual almost immediately and integrate fully into local life.

We enjoy a slower pace of life than in, for example the UK - we expect to be able to park pretty much where we want to shop, and don´t spend a fortune to do so. We don´t sit in traffic jams either or suffer "road rage" and if we feel like going to the beach we jump in our car and motor 5 minutes - or maybe walk there.

The health service is good too - every town as a "Centro de Saude" and Portuguese resident expats receive free medical treatment.  If you have an emergency you go to the hospital where the treatment is excellent.  There are also two world class private hospitals in the Algarve for those who prefer to "go private".

Geographically the Algarve is the flat bottom of Portugal and it used to take hours to travel the short distance from West to East - now thanks to our new motorway (which incidentally has few cars on it) we can travel to the far west of the Algarve in around one hour and to the Spanish border in the same time.  Seville, one of Spain´s most fascinating and sophisticated cities is 2 1/2 hours by car and Lisbon, Portugal´s beautiful capital is also about 2 1/2 hours by road.

25 April  (Anniversary of the Revolution)

Today is a public holiday - something we take very seriously in Portugal !  We have many public holidays both local and national. 

Today however is an important one as it commemorates the transition from fascist state to democracy in the early 1970s when Portuguese dissidents staged what is known as the Carnation Revolution.    Nobody died and the soldiers put red carnations in the end of their rifle butts.  However, despite the friendly atmosphere of the Revolution, it achieved its aim and Portugal started on the road to become a modern democratic state.   All towns in Portugal now have - usually as one of the main streets - an "Avenida 25 abril" .

WHAT´S HAPPENING IN MAY

There´s plenty going on here just now - just down the road from our office the new Conrad Hotel - one of the few 6 star hotels in Europe is taking shape so quickly it looks like making its target date to open the end of next year.  This fabulous facility will provide a great boost to the area and will be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.  It is situated opposite Quinta Shopping at the entrance to Quinta do Lago.  Encompassed in the Conrad will be real estate for sale which should prove one of the finest investments in the area.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Algarve´s own classical symphony orchestra will be performing a series of concerts in April.  In Lisbon, Mark Knopfler and Amy Winehouse are scheduled to give concerts.

SPORTS

All our golf courses are busy - April and May are peak season.  It´s usually still possible go get on for anybody planning a last-minute booking - contact us for best prices for a great spring break in one of our luxury apartments or villas ....  mention this blog for an extra discount and free welcome pack

www.sunsport-first-tee.com

e-mail:  barbara@sunsport-first-tee.com