British couple Karl and Helen Chapman’s passion for the Algarve took off when they purchased a holiday home there. Fast forward a decade to 2023 and today the couple, now living in Portugal full-time, have sold that property and are in the process of creating their idyllic forever home from a run-down farmhouse!
“We adore life in the Eastern Algarve,” Helen, who is in her early 50s, recounted in May 2023. “The people are so welcoming, it’s clean, the food is lovely and everything is affordable. Aside from our walks along the beach, Karl helps
with local football and loves doing photography here, while I help with rescue dogs and enjoy yoga. Recently we’ve started producing our own fruit and vegetables and are involved with a sharing scheme with other locals!”
It’s thanks to the Herefordshire couple’s recent purchase of their second Portuguese property that they have been able to realise their dream of growing their own produce and start becoming self-sufficient! Realising they wanted a more rustic, sustainable lifestyle, in 2021 they sold the townhouse they had been living in in Conceição and moved into rented accommodation. This freed them up to find and purchase their future home – a rustic property with agricultural land that would let them enjoy the ‘good life’.
“It’s in the village of Pocinho, just outside the coastal town of Vila Nova de Cacela,” said Karl, who is in his mid-50s. “The rundown house needs completely rebuilding and we’re on the verge of appointing a contractor. The 3,000-square-metre plot has almond, fig, lemon and orange trees
– we’ve started growing vegetables there already, before the renovation has been done!”
The Chapmans, who have two adult daughters in the UK, have come a long way since they came out to look at buying their first Portuguese home a decade ago. They were attracted to the traditional eastern part of the Algarve and keen to view an apartment in the pretty coastal village of Cabanas, which they had spotted on an estate agent’s website. By the time they flew home from their first trip, they had had an offer accepted on a brand-new townhouse!
Portugal retirement plan!
“We’d always dreamt of owning an overseas property and used to peer in estate agents’ windows when we were on holiday,” continued Karl. “So we made a plan to buy somewhere and be able to retire there within 10 years. Back then I was running an electrical business and Helen worked in finance. We did lots of research on the internet, watched all the TV shows and attended an estate agent’s event in Birmingham, which led us to going out and viewing properties with them.”
The Chapmans flew out to Faro Airport and spent five days doing property viewings and exploring different areas. They looked at the apartment in Cabanas, which fitted their budget of around €140,000, but quickly realised that the location wasn’t right.
“By chance, during our trip our agent had to pop into a property in the village next to Cabanas and we were unexpectedly wowed by it,” continued Helen. “We weren’t scheduled to do
a viewing there but we asked to see inside and decided quickly it was the one for us, despite its higher price tag!
“One of the reasons we were drawn
to the Eastern Algarve was because it’s quieter and more Portuguese than the developed tourist areas to the west of Faro. This also makes property and living costs cheaper.”
The property that won the couple’s hearts was the last townhouse in a row of 16 located on the outskirts of Conceição. On one side it looked directly onto countryside while the village centre with amenities, including railway station, was a five-minute walk in the other direction. Both practical and spacious, the downstairs living space included a hall, living area, kitchen, shower room/toilet and terrace. Upstairs were two bedrooms with balconies and family bathroom and on the top level was
a potential third bedroom with wet room and sun terrace.
Perfect location
“The quiet location within walking distance of everything, including Cabanas seafront a 30-minute stroll away, was perfect,” continued Karl. “It was brand new and we felt reassured that the builder had already completed apartment blocks in the village. Equally appealing was how easy it was to lock-up-and-leave, which is what we needed at that time. Our offer of €185,000 was accepted and we completed a few months later.”
Thrilled new owners of a Portuguese home, the Chapmans visited regularly for long weekends and holidays. Five years after owning
their home, Helen took the first step towards realising their dream and moved over permanently. Karl continued to commute between the UK and the Algarve while he wrapped up his business until he was able to relocate too three years ago.
Now they have plenty to look forward to. As if the prospect of moving into their new rustic home and growing
as much of their own food as possible isn’t exciting enough, they can’t wait to meet their first grandchild who is due in September 2023!
Cabanas and Conceicão
Cabanas sits on the eastern side of the estuary at Tavira. It has a pretty old town, good choice of family amenities and lively promenade with boardwalk. Beyond the centre, streets of new tourist properties now link it with the neighbouring village
of Conceicão, home to the popular Benamor golf club. A water taxi takes you across the sparkling lagoon to the glorious beaches of Ilha de Cabanas island.
Nearby Tavira is a charming white town on the River Gilão. Highlights include its historic architecture, such as its castle, churches, cobbled streets and main square, its restaurants and food market, and its picturesque river frontage complete with Roman bridge. Three kilometres down the river and connected to the town-centre by water taxi is the barrier island Ilha de Tavira, an 11-kilometre-long sandbar of golden sandy beaches, often ranked Portugal’s finest.
