Hello … my name is Caroline Page and along with my husband Nick, we moved to the Algarve to live on 22 November 2008. The move had been four years in the planning, during which time we sold up in the UK, lived in a caravan at Brampton, Cambridgeshire (to be near to the golf club), lived in the flat above the golf club (to be even nearer for my husband during his Captain’s year) with myself living most of the last year before we moved in our house in Portugal.
We both decided to leave the UK (a) because of the weather (b) because of the increasing amounts of red tape being established by the government there and (c) because we both wanted to do something different. My husband wanted to retire (he has a successful architectural glazing business which his son now runs) and I was a marketing director for some of the world’s biggest companies, which entailed 24/7 working and constant travel around the globe. So, in preparation for the move (and because I am far too young to retire!) I set up a holiday rentals business in the Algarve called www.primealgarverentals.com. Starting with one of our own properties, I expanded the business to over forty properties in two years, and living in Portugal offered me the opportunity to grow the business, keep up the high level of care that I offer to my clients and to get a better work-life balance.
This blog is about our experience during our first year of living here – and any comments/feedback are welcome!
